Hi - got a request from my tenant saying that the front fence (picket style fence) is weathered and they like it to be replaced considering safety of the little one at the home.
I have engaged a few installers and all of them are quoting huge price (2K) for removal and new installation.
Q: Is it a landlord’s legal responsibility to repair weathered picket fence, especially in this case at the front of the property which is used for car parking only? I do understand the H&S concern for kids, but who would leave a kid play in the front garden which leads to main road un supervised?
Appreciate if anyone had dealt with a similar situation before and could give some pointers.
PS: The tenants are good with their rent payments and taking care of the property.
Thank you
Athul
Boundary fence is landlord responsibility. Housing health and safety requires property to be safe from intruders. Don’t think a picket fence would effect things here though.
Is it a deal breaker for tenant, if so consider the hassle and cost of finding new ones if they were to leave.
I’d probebaly just get sorted as if the fence is rotting then it will need doing at some point. Can’t it just be repaired?
A picket fence means it is not too high? I am a joiner Just moved house I got a load of really good large pallets Cut them up to make fencing Sheds ,trellis etc . Creosoted all of it .You cannot tell the difference from a bought job… Bought job about £3k my cost £50 for all the screws. Mountain of time , depends how handy you are.
You are probably not legally obliged to mend the fence and one option would be to remove it completely if its currently unsafe. The tenant could in theory try to claim loss of amenity, but short of suing you, which would be silly, there is not a lot they could do. Having said that, you will probably have to re-instate some kind of boundary fence eventually if you plan to sell or re-let the property, so you might as well just look for affordable options now.
Thank you the different perspectives @David122 . I am trying to get in touch with a few more fence installers to see if this can be completed at an affordable cost for me.
Thank you for the note @Mark10 . Its not a deal breaker, especially with tenants taking good care of the property. I guess i will try to get some more quotes from local installers in Wickford to see if the price comes down.