Buy To Let Being A Landlord

Date Published:

06/06/2008

It's not all one way traffic however, tenants too have requirements under the law.

Tenants must for example pay rent according to the amount and frequency set out in the tenancy agreement signed by both parties. Tenants are also responsible for council tax payment except where a house is comprised of multiple homes (in this case council tax is usually recouped through rent increase) unless they belong to an exempted group - students, unemployed etc - where government assistance is provided.

Tenants in self-contained properties will usually be responsible for water rates and payment for utilities like gas, electricity, telephone and television unless otherwise stated in the rental agreement.

It is the landlord's responsibility to chase outstanding utility bills payments during a crossover of tenants. These debts should not be the responsibility of the new tenant.

You should never leave a tenants responsibilities to 'common sense'. They should be clearly stated in a tenancy agreement. For example a tenant should take care of the property and treat it with respect, allowing for reasonable wear and tear.

It should be stated clearly whose responsibility it is for the upkeep and day to day tidiness of communal areas within the property and also in terms of garden or outdoor space.

While your tenant has the right to peaceful enjoyment of their home during their tenancy, access must be granted to landlords or their agents upon receipt of suitable notice, by mutual agreement for the purposes of inspection, maintenance, or to show to prospective tenants. Usually 24 hours is sufficient, though in any reasonable relationship, this should be down to negotiation.

Should the worst come to the worst, the Rent Act of 1977 provides 17 legal grounds under which a landlord can take possession of their property. The notice you will be required to give under these grounds can vary from two weeks to two months.

For their part a tenant can claim harassment under a number of grounds, for example if a landlord enters without permission or prior arrangement, neglects the property being rented, interferes with supply of utilities etc etc.