What Does Property Maintenance Include?

What are the landlord's obligations with property maintenance?

Electricity and gas

Electricity and gas are both paramount maintenance checks. A ‘Gas Safe’ -registered engineer is required to perform an annual gas safety check on the property. Your tenants must be given access to the certificate.

A ‘Part P ’ - registered electrician must inspect the electrical installation at least once every five years.

Fire risk assessment

Though not a legal requirement, as the landlord, you should also employ a fire safety expert to conduct a fire safety risk assessment.

A record of the dates on which smoke detectors, heat sensors, and carbon monoxide detectors were inspected should be preserved. Additionally, you must conduct a legionella examination to demonstrate your evaluation of the possibility that stagnant water may contain the deadly bacterium.

Delegate responsibility

The tenancy agreement should specify both parties’ general maintenance responsibilities. Generally, anything related to the property's furnishings and décor that was present when the tenant moved in is the landlord's responsibility.

Hazards versus wear and tear

The tenant is responsible for maintaining the property in good repair, and is limited in damage from what is considered reasonable wear and tear. Tenants are typically responsible for performing smaller tasks like changing light bulbs and maintaining clean plugholes - but they must notify the landlord of any larger issues that need to be fixed, for example, a water leak.

In many circumstances, the landlord's duty governs the building's roof, floor slabs, walls, windows, and doors as well as the pruning of trees and shrubs and the safety of the building's pathways. The only other maintenance duties assigned to tenants are mowing the grass and maintaining the garden.

Why is it important to deal with property issues immediately?

If concerns are ignored, many problems may begin and get worse. While initially ignoring these issues might appear to be a way to cut costs in the short term, depending on the problem, doing so could end up costing you much more money long-term and even result in legal action against you.

For each property owned, a landlord should establish a maintenance schedule outlining what has to be done and when. This will reduce the risk of problems arising, potentially causing extensive damage to the property, which could also result in legal action. See how to implement a maintenance schedule here.

Find out more about property maintenance

Understanding what kind of property maintenance falls under your responsibility as a landlord can be confusing. To understand more about your legal obligations as a landlord, get in touch with our specialist team today, by calling us at 01706 619 954, emailing info@ast-assistance.com, or filling out our contact form here and we will get back at a convenient time.

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