Your tap leaks and your landlord insists it's your job to fix it, when you insist it's theirs. You divebomb into a sofa and break it in half with your drunk bulk - but is that really their problem, and are you liable? My friend recently moved out of her apartment and the landlord tried to charge her for a broken guitar that was in a basement - it was broken when she'd arrived, so she'd thrown it out, and they were outraged. They also wanted to charge her for every time they'd replaced any of the white goods for breaking down or being generally shit.
There's a grey area when it comes to landlords and their responsibilities, so we spoke to the National Landlords Associationto clear up and confusions as to what you can get arsey about over the phone and what you can't. Annoyingly, it's often on a case by case basis and depends wholly on how mad the landlord in question is.
'There is no definitive list of what a tenant and landlord is responsible for during a tenancy, as it depends on various different factors such as the type of property (i.e. is it a HMO) and whether it is furnished or not,' Chris Norris, the head of policy at the NLA told me. 'However, as a general rule the landlord is responsible for maintaining the structure and exterior of the building and any provided furniture and appliances. Over treating the property properly, a tenant’s responsibilities will be set out in the tenancy agreement, and usually include paying the rent, all bills and utilities and maintaining the property in good condition through the contract.'
Some examples of what a landlord should be responsible for are repairs and maintenance (so if your fridge breaks, you shouldn't have to get a repair man in and pay for it yourself), gas and electrical checks to make sure nothing explodes, and fire risk assessments to make sure nothing explodes. They're also responsible for keeping the place pest free, but if they reckon your house has been kept in the sort of state that would attract infestations then they can tell you it's your job... so keep it tidy, guys.
'A landlord is responsible for sinks, baths, toilets and other sanitary fittings, including pipes and drains as well as heating and hot water,' Chris continues. 'However the tenant will be responsible if damage is caused through misuse.'
And frustrating news for those in a constant mould battle, while it's their job to sort out rising damp, condensation and that weird black stuff that appears above showers and around taps, it's a definite grey area. 'Mould can be caused by the tenant’s lifestyle, for instance insufficient heating, not properly ventilating the property, or drying clothing indoors. This is where a lot of disputes arise, and sometimes require expert assessments,' Chris adds, which is where the confusion comes in. To be honest, though, most of us in cities have to dry clothes indoors (where else are we going to dry them? On the road?!) so you can see why this causes issues. Probably do your best to prove that you're a model tenant who consistently ventilates their bathroom and always dries clothes in a laundrette (HAHA) when attempting to get anyone to clear your weird black stuff away.
In turn, you as the tenant have a few responsibilities to your landlord aside from not being a prick on the phone. 'Tenants must use the property in a ‘tenant like manner’,' explains Chris. 'This includes keeping toilets and drains clear, regular cleaning including windows, putting refuse out for collection and gardening if stipulated in the tenancy agreement. They are also expected to leave the property in the same condition as when they took possession, fair wear and tear excepted.'
In order to avoid any arguments about how you haven't actually left the property as you found it, and now all your deposit's gone, the NLA recommends you arrange regular checkups with the landlord to ensure stuff isn't going drastically wrong and you don't run into problems of miscommunication later on. 'So long as both landlord and tenant are aware of their responsibilities there should be no confusion or grey areas,' Chris adds. 'Regular communication and inspections are vital to help ensure that both parties are on the same page.'
Yeah it's annoying having your landlord poke about your flat on the regular, but it might just be the answer to those big blow-ups you definitely don't wnt to have when you're trying to move out in a few years time.
Like this? You might also be interested in...
How To Make It Illegal For Your Landlord To Kick You Out For Complaining About Something
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.