Home » Uncategorised »
Should landlords pay for tenant damage?
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
A new report shows that the majority of tenants strongly believe that their landlords should foot the bill for damages they have caused at the end of a tenancy agreement.
The survey from PropertyLetByUs.com found that 80% of tenants believed that this should be considered normal practice.
Damage limitation
90% of tenants said that they have tried to hide damage from their landlord, with 10% owning up to causing in excess of £500 worth of damage to their rented property. 72% of tenants said that they ended up disputing damage with the property owner.[1]
Findings from the investigation show the most common cause of damage by tenants is staining floors and carpets from food, wine and paint (69%). This was followed by pat damage (51%), cigarette burns (47%), damage to kitchen cabinets (33%), scratches on skirting boards and door-frames (28%) and marks on the kitchen surface (19%).[1]
Tenants should pay for property damage
Struggles
Jane Morris, Managing Director of PropertyLetByUs noted, ‘landlords face an uphill struggle with tenant damage.’ She said that, ‘many tenants have little or no care for the property they are renting and because they don’t own it, they feel no sense of responsibility. There is a common view among tenants that it is someone else’s problem. So it is not surprising so many tenants think landlords should pay for any repairs to damage they have caused.’[1]
‘It is so important for landlords to make regular checks on the property during the tenancy so that they can see the condition of the property and speak with the tenants about any damage. If many tenants are left unchecked, they can cause costly damage to the property with often exceeds any deposit held,’ she continued.[1]
Concluding, Morris stated that, ‘it is also vital that landlords have a full, independent and professional inventory, with a check-in and check-out, attended by the landlord and the tenant. Finally, all tenants should be thoroughly referenced to ensure that landlords illuminate potential bad tenants.’[1]
[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/80-of-tenants-think-landlords-should-pay-for-damage.html?utm_content=buffer7d9e1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
