On the whole, a relationship between a landlord and tenant can be a steady and uneventful one. But what happens when things go wrong? In this article, we take a look at the top five disputes between landlords and tenants and what can be done to overcome them.
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It wasn’t my fault!
Landlords can find themselves in hot water through no fault of their own. It only needs to take an irritated neighbor complaining about noise, the number of people living in the rented accommodation, anti-social behavior or parking issues to take a landlord to court. Tenants also have the right to ask enforcement officers to visit their property and inform them of other violations to the law and their rights. This can cause a real headache to landlords as well as wasting both time and money in fees; moreover, there isn’t a remedy available for the landlord apart from eviction.
Our advice is to make sure that the lease includes compliance with local laws and a damages provision to ensure the landlord is not left out of pocket after fees from such a situation. And tenants? Make sure you know your rights.
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Damage
Time and again landlords return to their empty properties to find them in a terrible state of repair, with the deposit barely covering the renovations and tenants insisting they have left the property just how they found it. This is where property inventory software comes into its own. Landlords can also take photos which are signed by both landlord and tenant to establish the condition of property and items before and after. Property inventory software can take a headache out of such scenarios.
Non-payment
Software can, of course, help landlords keep track of their properties, fixtures and fittings – inventorybase.co.uk is just one of many – but being savvy about what constitutes ‘rent’ and ‘additional rent’ is a key to an uneventful tenancy.
It’s mine
If a tenant doesn’t leave voluntarily, changing the locks can cause an issue within the law. Landlords shouldn’t accept any money after the tenancy has expired; doing so will automatically turn the tenancy into a monthly one.
Procedure
Often, it isn’t the actual issue between landlord and tenant that causes friction, it’s the court procedures and whether they have been correctly applied for.
