When you rent a home your landlord or the agent representing your landlord will want you to feel at home. As well as hoping that you will be happy in the property and will therefore want to stay, a large part of wanting you to feel at home is also because they hope that you will take care and look after the property, but what does that mean exactly? What are you, as a tenant responsible for and what do you need to raise with your agent or landlord? In this article we hope to answer a few of your queries as we give you some top tips on how to look after your rented home.
Check the check in report
As a part of your tenancy, you are typically asked to sign a check in, condition report. Which details the condition of the property, the fixtures and fittings and any furnishings that are present. It is strongly advised that you go through the report and the property and highlight any discrepancies, additional points that are missing or make any queries. The check in condition report will be used when you leave the property to make sure everything is returned in the same condition as it was when you first moved in. For example, if there is a cracked flag stone in the kitchen, take a picture and ask for it to be added to the report, otherwise you might find that you will be liable for the cost to fix this when you move out.
How to look after your rented home
Now you have agreed on the condition of the property it is important that you look after your rented home. Here are some of our top tips for tenants to bear in mind when it comes to looking after your rented home:
- Keep your home in a reasonable and clean condition.
- Repair any damage that you or your guests cause to the property, the fixtures, the fittings or furnishings. Regardless of whether the damage is caused accidentally, deliberately or because you have been neglectful, it is your responsibility to make good and repair damage that you have caused.
- Maintain any gardens and outside areas, which means keeping the area tidy, cutting the grass, pruning back bushes, shrubs, weeding and generally keeping the garden in the same condition as it was when you moved in.
- Replace as needed, consumable items like lightbulbs, smoke alarm batteries etc.
- Check your electrical appliances as you bring into the property, things can get damaged during a move and the last thing anyone wants is an electrical fire!
- Make sure the property is properly ventilated so as to avoid condensation which can cause damp and mould to form.
- Looking after the property also means letting your landlord know when something goes wrong, so that they can fix it. If an issue does occur, then you should report this to your agent or landlord as soon as possible to ensure the problem is rectified at the earliest stage so as to avoid the issue escalating. A good example of this is if you have a small leak in a pipe under the sink, reporting this early can prevent this small water leak from becoming a major plumbing job. A small leak can still cause damage and by reporting it early you will prevent escaping water causing damage to the fittings etc. If a small repair job becomes as large scale issue it then has the potential to become very inconvenient for you the tenant as it will likely take longer to repair.
- Make sure gutters are kept clear of leaves and debris, a blocked gutter can cause water to overflow and run down walls, this in turn can cause damage to the brickwork and in some cases cause mould and damp to form in the home. If you spot a loose roof tile or other type of hole in the roof do let your agent or landlord know so they can fix it before it becomes a bigger issue.
- Keep an eye on the boiler. The boiler pressure should not be allowed to drop below 1.5 bars, if it does, please report this to your agent or landlord so they can rectify the situation. Letting your agent or landlord know about the boiler will enable them to make sure you are not left without heating or hot water and it means they get to tackle an issue early, preventing it from becoming a bigger problem.
- Avoid blockages, do not pour oils, fat or food down the sink and do not flush wipes or sanitary products down the loo, these will cause blockages.
- Keep yourself and your belongings safe, the majority of burglars gain entry via a door either through an unlocked or forced door lock.
You see it is a lot like teamwork. Your landlord or agent will rely on you to tell them about any issues in your home, so that they can rectify them and prevent them from being a bigger inconvenience for you and a bigger issue to resolve. We hope these tips about looking after your rented home prove useful, if you are in doubt about whether something is your responsibility or if it should be reported, ask your landlord or agent, or check out your tenancy agreement.
