Hi, I’m a first time landlord on open rent and my tenant has asked a few things that have prompted me to find out where my responsibilities actually end.
I’ve followed Open Rent’s guidance and had all the necessary checks done but on top of that, my property has a medium sized garden that my tenant has agreed to maintain but they’ve asked if I could get it cleaned up (lawn mowed, weeds pruned etc.) once before they take over. I’m not sure if this falls under my responsibilities as the contract primarily focuses on the house but I would be interested to hear from other landlords with properties with gardens.
Also, the tenant has said that some of the toilets in the property “don’t have a strong flush”. I did ensure that the plumbing was all checked before they moved in but I’m not sure what if anything I need to do about something like this. It seems like the tenant is angling for a new cistern to be fitted but in my opinion, if it flushes as it should, there is nothing wrong with it. Again, I would appreciate any feedback from the community, thank you.
Sort the garden so that they can maintain it . This will save you doing it later on. As to the flush some units have a restrictor in them and you can swop it for a restrictor that let more water in
In my experience tenants don’t look after gardens adequately and as a result, I include the cost of someone going to mow the lawn and keep it basically in reasonable order within the rent.
With respect to the toilet cistern, would you be happy to have such a toilet in your home? If the answer is yes then leave it and wait to see if it becomes a problem. It may be worth putting in writing that toilets are only for human waste and tissue paper - nothing else. Obviously if it is a problem that is through usual usage, it is down to you to pay for any costs. But if you end up calling a plumber who says it’s been blocked with cooking fat or tampons then you can let the tenant know it will be down to them.
It’s amazing, in this day and age, that tenants are so stupid or irresponsible / inconsiderate to do this, but they do, and know well enough to deny it! I have 2 flat blocks, and have had these problems, unfortunately without the chance to accuse the culprit, not knowing which tenant is responsible.