The vast majority of tenancies are 6month ASTs which are extended and/ or become periodic. The main reason people rent is for flexibility and because they know they may need to move. I don't know what the average tenancy is but I would guess 18months.
I have never known a landlord to redecorate after each tenant.
I have known leases where the onus to redecorate is on the tenant.
I would say that is the exception, not the rule.
The landlord can usually only charge if he has receipts and the work has been done. The more 'professional' and larger landlords are more likely to charge. I have seen tenants charged for 'stains' on the wall transferred from bedding - in this case the landlord was a university. No redecoration. Just a contracter hired to repaint, all charged to tenant.
Not necessarily. AFAIR such charges have been upheld. This is likely if the original inventory was signed for as everything in a clean state.
And don't forget to clean the oven...
Probably the way they are left by the last tenant....!
Agreed. But what is the average number of extensions, and what therefore is the actual length of the average tenancy and how does it compare with the average period over which an owner-occupier would normally redecorate, and how does it square with the standard of decor at which the average new tenant (even if short-term) would expect to take over a property which had not been redecorated since the previous tenant's departure?
That sounds reasonable.
Well, I'm a landlord and I have redecorated after each tenant. But I've not redecorated the whole flat, just those bits which seemed to need it most, and though all my tenancies have been SATs (i.e. minimum 6 months), in practice none have actually been for less than a year.
Indeed, but you would only expect that in tha case of those tenancies which (despite the legal 6 month minimum) are in fact expected to last longer, and which, to compensate for that nonstandard onus, would charge a lower rent.
In other words, you would expect that to apply in contexts where long term leases are the norm, i.e. where people don't just rent as a stop-gap until they buy, but opt to rent long-term, until the need to move again is dictated (typically) by having to move to another area for work reasons.
I wouldn't. The trick is to paint the walls white, so that you can just bung in some Polyfilla without needing to repaint. :-)
Yes, it is necessary to show that the work has been done, but it is not sufficient. To be able to reclaim the cost off the tenant you have to show that it was *necessary* to do the work. That is not easy.
Ideally a tenant would seek to get their landlord ('s agent) to sign that they had left the premises "clean" too. The trouble is that "clean" means different things to different people. But where a property has been vacated in a reasonably cleam condition, then it is not *necessary* to bring in professional cleaners, and any tenant will be within his rights to challenge a landlord's attempt to deduct cleaning costs form his deposit, and would stand a very good chance of winning.
Come, now. There is such a thing as fair wear and tear. :-)
But yes, the general rule is to leave as you would expect to find. Be sure to inspect the oven when you move in.
The quickest route to resolution is generally acknowleged to be you, some mates and a baseball bat. It's not intimidation if he's a fraudulent bastard. The other routes are long and tortuous.
Mostly only if you delay or cannot be bothered. The real problem is inertia or tenants couldn't be bothered, or they don't believe the legal process will work, when actually it very often will.
Most landlords would cough up with the threat of legal action. A good agent should have a clear procedure when tenants leave: the property should be inspected, preferably with tenant and landlord present. And the condition report/inventory compared to the original, all meters are read, accounts switched over. Council tax is informed. Any damage is noted, and all parties sign the document. Tenant provides forwarding address for deposit to be refunded shortly afterwards.
It's not rocket science.... unless you are a professional letting agent, in which case you are probably totally clueless as to the completely obvious.
So, you you stop paying 2 months out and send 0.5 months separately. A normal tenant would not find a large chunk of their deposit wiped out by fixing holes in the wall.
BeanSmart website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.