By Craig Smith

When a tenant leaves a property, some Landlords think that they are automatically entitled to have items such as carpets replaced or walls repainted at the tenants’ expense. But this isn’t always the case as Landlords must take into account fair wear and tear.

What is Classed as Wear & Tear?

As a general rule, wear & tear is usually worn carpets or  a reasonable amount of scuffing to walls in high traffic rooms such as a hallway or stairway. Over time a cooker or hob may start to look a little shabby purely because of the amount of use it has had. Landlords should expect this during a tenancy and need to make reasonable allowances when a tenant vacates.

Certainly staining or deliberate marks are not just wear & tear but can be classed as damage. Yes, everybody has accidents from time to time and the odd drink will be spilt or food dropped at a meal time and replacing a large carpet could be expensive, but don’t forget that tenants can take out insurance for such incidents. (Refer to our previous blog regarding insurance.)

Longer Tenancies Means More Wear

Something that you learn very quickly in this business is that everybody has different standards, one persons ‘filthy dirty’ is another persons luxurious palace. It is very difficult to police how somebody lives in their home which is something that some Landlords forget. Generally speaking, the longer someone lives in a house the more wear is to be expected. For example, a property that has been tenanted for 5 or 6 years should expect more wear than one that has been let for just 6 months. Obviously there are some exceptions where there may be an exceptionally good or bad tenant.

The More Tenants, the Higher the Wear?

Another factor to take into account is the number of tenants who will be occupying a property. Imagine a typical 3 bedroom house, with a tenancy that has run for 3 years. If the tenant was a single person living on their own, you would expect less wear than a family with 2 adults and 3 children.

The same can be said for pets. Most pet owners are responsible people who look after their pets and the property they live in. However, if a Landlord chooses to accept a pet in the home then the Landlord should also expect some additional work at the end. Yes, it is the tenants responsibility to leave the property in the same condition as when they took it on (not forgetting some reasonable wear & tear!) but the Landlord should make some allowances when discussing any costs.

Excuses, Excuses

So we should avoid any tenants with pets? Wrong! If all Landlords avoided these sorts of tenants, there would be an awful lot of homeless people! Don’t forget that obtaining good references before a tenancy commences will help to determine how good the tenant is and, although circumstances can change, will give a Landlord good indications of whether to proceed. The same can be said for gardening, if a tenancy started with a neatly cut and well presented garden but left overgrown and weedy, the tenant cant say that this is because they aren’t gardeners. The property should be left in the same condition and this shouldn’t be used as an excuse! 

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