Tag Archives: Tenant Issues

12Oct 2012

Property Landlord Advice: Quick Turnarounds Not Always the Best Way!

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By Craig Smith

With some of us here at Castle Estates being Landlords ourselves, we understand how important it can be to keep any downtime of a rental property to a minimum. When a property becomes untenanted, the mortgage still needs to be paid along with insurance and, more so during the winter months, heating bills increase.

Breaks Between Tenancies

When marketing a property that is still occupied one of the biggest hurdles can be that the incoming tenant wants to move very quickly. We have instances such as this on a regular basis but sometimes have to be firm about the move in dates.

It is not as simple as one person moving out and another moving in the next day as there may be cleaning or decorating work that needs to be completed in between. By booking someone to move in the very next day or even within a few days later can cause the new tenancy to start on the wrong foot which then has a knock-on effect for the rest of the tenancy.

Best Presentation Always Important!

Some tenants are happy for works to be completed after they have moved in, usually small things such as a repair to a leaky tap. The biggest issues can be checking somebody in to a property that is unclean or needs the gardening tidying up as this can be used ‘as ammunition’ when something goes wrong further down the line.

We always recommend to our Landlords that their property is presented cleanly and, if applicable, gardens left tidy. This helps to stop any arguments at the end of the tenancy which can get very messy (no pun intended!) when trying to agree any deposit costs.

Extra Time to Ensure Safety

We had a tenant moving forward with a property a few weeks ago who needed to move quickly. This was fine but the property wasn’t quite ready and the move in ended up being delayed in order for the outstanding issues to be resolved. Luckily it wasn’t anything too major and the delay was only a few days but any more than this and the tenancy may have fallen through before it even began!

There are some examples where tenants don’t understand the reasoning behind delays, particularly when it could be a matter or breaking the law. If a property hasn’t had its annual gas safety check, for example, there is no way we could sign the tenancy agreements as without the pass on the certificate, we would be unable to do so. The reason is that the law states the gas safety certificate must be in place and to ensure the safety of any occupants. Not only would this be against the law, I also think it is morally wrong to place a tenant in potential danger.

Stuck in a Chain

The other common example that crops up regularly is when an outgoing tenant is purchasing a house and they are stuck in a chain. If a new tenant is already lined up to move in there is still nothing we can do to ask the current occupiers to leave as, even if they have given their correct notice, it can still be extended!

Best Advice

Going back to the start of this post, we understand how Landlords need to have the minimum amount of empty periods possible. Sometimes, a little extra time between moving out & in can prevent a lot of hassle later on!

12Jul 2012

Tenancy Issues: Nuisance Neighbours Cause Problems for Tenants

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By Craig Smith

With almost 60 million people living in the UK it is quite fair to assume that not everybody is going to get along and that each person will live their life to their own standards. (Wouldn’t it be a perfect world if this could happen?!) When two different types of people have to live in the same area, this is where problems can arise.

Complaints Concerning Rental Property

The majority of complaints made include noise issues or pets causing a nuisance. A lot of residents don’t realise that it is very difficult for a Landlord or agent to get involved in disputes between neighbours. Yes, there may be a clause in a tenancy agreement which might state that the tenant should not carry out any activities at the property which may cause a disturbance but the Landlord could find it difficult to rely on this to ask a tenant to leave without sufficient evidence.

A lot of disputes can be resolved between the two parties without the need for involving any authorities, a little common sense needs to be used if approaching a difficult neighbour. If a dispute cant be resolved there are other channels that can be explored, including contacting your local council who may be able to give further advice.

Threatening Behaviour

A recent case that has involved our office is where a neighbour has reportedly been abusive and threatening towards a tenant. In instances such as these the local police should be informed so that any abusive behaviour can be logged. Again, a Landlord or agent may still not be able to evict a tenant because of the issue although a sensible Landlord would act quickly in order to keep the property let and in a good standard.

The recent case mentioned above has been ongoing and not just an isolated incident. The Landlords have been doing as much as they possibly can in order to keep a good tenant in place and to resolve the issue but when the Landlord of the problem property is hard to contact, or if they were reluctant to assist with the matter, the tenant could find themselves feeling isolated in the property. The tenant may still be in a fixed term tenancy agreement which would add yet another problem to the dilemma.

The Solution?

Of course, a sympathetic Landlord could let the tenant leave early but this then leaves the Landlord with an empty property which could then be difficult to let knowing the problems with the neighbour! The ideal solution would be for the nuisance neighbour to leave but as this is not something that us or our Landlord can control, we are left with a very awkward situation!