Tom

Candles mark special occasions and create a special atmosphere. They also bring fire and chemicals into the home so their use needs to be carefully considered. At a time when candles are more popular than the days when Thomas Edison was burning the midnight oil inventing the light bulb it is common for tenancy agreements…

This is the second part of an article that looks at the common issue of carpet cleaning (the first part was here) 8. Terms such as ‘professional cleaning’ and ‘cleaned to a professional standard’ are ambiguous terms for which there is no legal or standard definition. Use of the word ‘professional’ suggests the tenant must…

Carpet cleaning is one of the most common causes of disputes between landlords and tenants and along with the general cleaning of the property it accounts for 22 per cent of all dispute cases. The following should help provide clarity on what is reasonable: 1. Cleanliness is subjective, what one person considers clean may not…

Before Completion Tenancy Deposit – If the current landlord has taken a deposit from the tenant, agree arrangements for transfer of the deposit. Any arrangements for the deposit must comply with tenancy deposit protection (TDP) legislation and the deposit must be registered with a government-backed scheme. The current landlord should create an addendum to the…

Tenants have a right to be charged for water on the basis of what they use. This means they have a right to have a meter installed free of charge, unless it’s not practical or is unreasonably expensive to do this.  Tenants also have the right to ask for a meter if their tenancy agreement…

*** A more up-to-date version of this article is available here *** The fire at flats in Park Farm Road Glastonbury last week was attributed to the electricity supply (article here) whilst the exact cause may not have been caused by a faulty installation this incident does remind us of the importance of checking electrical…

Short answer….. During a fixed term = no During a periodic (statutory or contractual) tenancy = yes A key principle of joint tenancies is that all of the tenants are collectively ‘the tenant’. This means that they are generally dealt with as a group rather than individually.  If one tenant serves a notice of termination…

Short answer is yes (possibly). Long-winded answer….. The first thing to consider is whether the scratch is ‘fair wear and tear’ or ‘damage’. Scratches caused by the tenant making reasonable use of the premises would be considered fair wear and tear. E.g. micro (barely visible to the naked eye) scratches caused by cleaning. Clearly visible…

We are 3 years into building the prototype for something bigger than ourselves and reflecting on the journey so far. One of our earliest tasks was to define what it was that would be in the DNA of the business – what would our core values be? Our second value out of the hat was…

Internal glazing is often found in domestic properties in locations such as shower screens, shower cubicles, mirror glazing for cupboards and wardrobes. The property you provide as a landlord must be safe and glass fitted in ‘critical locations’ must also be safe. Conventional float glass is not considered to be safety glass. For new buildings,…