General day-to-day tips for during your tenancy
We recently wrote to our student tenants on the subject of landlord and tenant responsibilities throughout the tenancy period.
While your landlord has a lot of responsibilities during your tenancy, tenants also have an obligation to look after and carry out little jobs around the property. It's called acting in a 'Tenant-Like Manner' and it is part of the legal responsibilities of being a tenant. It basically means treating the house as if it's your home. If you’d like more information on this topic, information can be found in our renting guide.
If, of course, you’re experiencing an issue that you believe requires specialist attention, please report it to us via maintenance@cpshomes.co.uk and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can. Please be sure to include photos of the items you’re referring to.
As Cardiff’s largest letting agent, we’ve seen thousands of issues over the years, so with experience on our side, here are a few general tips for you to bear in mind during your tenancy;
- Anything listed on your inventory belongs to your landlord, so it’s important you don’t dispose of anything that’s not yours. Doing so may result in you being charged at the end of the tenancy. Even if you think something is beyond repair, please report it to us and we’ll advise you on what to do.
- Items and appliances that are easy and cheap to replace, such as microwaves, mirrors, bookshelves and general unessential items, are sometimes bought and then left by previous tenants. While you’re welcome to make use of these items, they’re unlikely to be listed on the inventory mentioned above, so they don’t officially belong to your landlord. If they break-down, you’re likely to have to replace these items yourself.
- To prevent staining, we always recommend you purchase a mattress protector at the beginning of your tenancy.
- Please don’t leave irons or hair straighteners on floors or windowsills. You wouldn’t believe the amount of iron-shaped marks we’ve seen in carpets over the years!
- Try your best to avoid overloading furniture such as chests of drawers and wardrobes. With drawers in particular, we regularly see they’ve bowed under the pressure of too much clothing.
- Walls need to be breathe too (!), so please don’t place your furniture right up against them. To help prevent the build-up of mould caused by condensation, it’s very important that air is allowed to circulate behind and between. We’ll be in touch with information on the causes of condensation as we approach winter.
- Please don’t dispose of the wrong things down sinks and drains. We often see blockages caused by food and fat being put down kitchen sinks, as well as the build-up of hair in shower/bath drains.
- Finally, while we’re on the subject on blockages, please be sure to check the outside drains every couple of months to ensure they’re not blocked with things such as leaves.
We hope these hints and tips help clear the line between tenant and landlord responsibilities, but if you have any further queries for us - no matter how big or small you think they are - please don’t hesitate to contact us on 02920 668585 or e-mail: enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk.
