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 scratches or dents to the walls (or decoration thereon) are damage. Irrespective of how big they are or whether they are accidental or malicious, it is damage. If the tenant has damaged the wall (or decoration) they should expect to pay compensation to the landlord. The level of compensation should be a reasonable reflection of actual costs incurred (or likely to be incurred) to repair the damage and will depend on the length and depth of scratch and type of any decoration e.g. wallpaper or paint. Under certain circumstances the level of compensation could be an amount sufficient to re-paint a whole wall. However an amount of compensation sufficient to paint a whole room (or house!) would be classed as ‘betterment’ as it would put the landlord in a better position than at the start of the tenancy and therefore would not be acceptable.

Anyone disagree with me? Anyone had an experience of a landlord trying to get compensation to paint a whole room or even a house!

More info here and here

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 Improve Continuously http://www.jungleproperty.co.uk/corevalues/#core-value-2 but 3 years on how have we done? Pretty good. Every day we come to the office a) to deliver what it is the customer values and b) improve on what we did yesterday – yesterday is yesterday, old hat and things have moved on so we ask what we can do differently today. Very often our greatest inspiration comes when we are away from the coal face, walking the dog, running or just sitting in the garden and it is from here that some of our best ideas come.

Well we are pleased to say we have implemented at least one new idea for every day we have been in business each one a small acorn from which great oaks may grow but it is more ‘evolution’ than ‘revolution’ and we can proudly say we have implemented 1000 ideas in 3 years!

Improve and grow or calcify and die – which path is your business on? Are you doing the same today as you did yesterday?

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, and for buildings subject to major refurbishment, glazing requirements for critical locations are given in a combination of Building Regulations and British Standards publications.

The Building Regulations are only concerned with glazing which forms part of the building structure whereas BS 6262: Part 4: 1994 sets standards for other locations in addition.

So what is a critical location? A critical location is defined in the Regulation Documents. The following locations should be regarded as critical:

• Between finished floor level and 800mm above it
• Between finished floor level and 1500mm above if in doors or side panels close to either edge of a door

Satisfying The Requirement In Critical Locations

1. Glazing in Doors

Glazing in doors which is wholly or partially within 1500mm from floor level shall be a minimum Class C to BS 6206 and marked according to BS 6206. If the smaller dimension of the pane is greater than 900mm it shall be a minimum Class B to BS6206 and marked according to BS6206.

2. Glazing Adjacent to Doors

Glazing which is wholly or partly within 300mm of the edge of a door and which is wholly or partially within1500mm from floor level shall be a minimum Class C to BS 6206 and marked to BS 6206. If the smaller dimension of the pane is greater than 900mm it shall be a minimum Class B to BS 6206 and marked according to BS 6206.

3. Low Level Glazing (excluding guarding) not covered by 1 or 2

Glazing which is wholly or partially within 800mm of the floor level shall be a minimum Class C to BS 6206 and marked according to BS 6206. There are some exceptions (see Further Reading below) to these requirements for safety glass, based on the robustness of annealed glass.

In summary, if your property has been newly built or undergone major refurbishment or had the internal glazing replaced since 1994 you must comply with the above requirements. If you have internal glazing in critical locations that pre-dates 1994 assess the risk that your glazing presents to your tenants and visitors to the property and consider fitting appropriate safety glass (or in the case of internal doors with glass, replace the doors).

Further Reading

Glass and Building Regulations Impact Safety here

Glass Safety here