What Is & Isn't Covered Under A Landlord's Responsibilities?
As a property owner and a landlord, you may occasionally come in to disputes with tenants on what falls under your jurisdiction, and what falls under theirs. From broken boilers to carpet cleaning and beyond, the lines between what are landlord’s responsibilities and what aren’t can be blurry.
The general rule of thumb is that if the issue pertains to the property itself and its maintenance, this is likely the landlord’s responsibility. Whereas tenant’s obligations are more tailored to generally taking care of the property and maintaining the way it was when they moved in, paying their rent, and repairing any damage to the property or its contents that they themselves caused.
This isn’t always so clear though, and it can be difficult to come to agreements as a landlord with your tenants on the way forward.
In this blog we’ll discuss some of the key things that definitely come under your obligations as a landlord, and what is the responsibility of your tenant.
Commercial Landlord Insurance
One of your key obligations as a landlord is to ensure that your property is covered by the right commercial landlord insurance. Regular home insurance cover won’t be suitable for rental properties due to unique requirements and different risks, so it’s vital that as a landlord you find the right landlord insurance for you and your property.
While tenants are recommended to take out contents insurance while they are residing in a rental property, cover that protects the home itself is the landlord’s responsibility.
Property Maintenance
Another of your obligations as a landlord is to ensure your rental property is properly maintained and any features are working correctly. This includes repairs to any parts of the property that become broken or unusable while tenants are residing in the property.
The exception to this is that you are not responsible for covering the cost of repairing or maintaining something within your property if it’s by the tenants’ fault that it is broken. For example, if the boiler breaks down out of the blue, this is your responsibility as a landlord to fix. Similarly, if a storm were to break a garden fence, this is down to you as the landlord to repair. However, if your tenants were the cause of the broken fence panels, for example if their children are kicking a football at a fence and it breaks, this is their responsibility to get fixed.
Check out our rental property checklist for a clear view on what you need to manage.
Tenancy Agreements
As well as landlord insurance and property maintenance, one of your landlord duties and responsibilities is to ensure a proper tenancy agreement is written up and signed by both parties.
Some landlords prefer to work with letting agents during this stage of the tenancy, as there are plenty of laws you must abide by when putting a tenancy agreement in place. Make sure in your tenancy agreement that you’re closely following current rental legislation, and that you are clear on the terms of the agreement.
For more information on our landlord insurance, check out our landlord insurance FAQs.
Deposit Schemes
Another of your main responsibilities as a landlord is to ensure that your tenant’s deposit, paid at the beginning of a tenancy, aligns with current legislation. As of 2024, part of the laws surrounding deposits are that landlords or agents must use one of the 3 deposit protection schemes, and that a property deposit cannot be more than 5 week’s rent equivalent. These may change over time, so make sure you’re up to date as part of your obligations as a landlord.
If you’re looking for help on managing your commercial landlord insurance or would like a quote, get in touch with us on 01458 270324, or contact us today. After all, for protecting your rental property and having peace of mind for your investment, it has to be Higos.