I’m seeking advice regarding whether chimney sweeping is a landlord or tenant liability. I have 2 properties that I manage on a non furnished short hold tenancies. Both tenancies are in to the 3rd year of the tenancy, all the chimneys were swept by a professional sweep at tenancy commencement where does the ongoing liability lie?
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I don’t know who would be responsible, but if the lack of sweeping causes a fire it’s your property that burns down. As a landlord I know what I’d do- it’s not that expensive
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Given that it is the LLs responsibility to service the boiler & gas fire I would assume it is the LLs - and given the possible repercussions of it not being done, I would do it to ensure it was done!
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Its a tenant responsibility provided they were swept just prior to tenancy commencement. Sweeping chimneys was actually one of the tasks cited by Justice Lord Denning in his seminal 1954 judgement on behaving in a “tenant like manner”.
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If having the chimney regularly swept (annually?) isn’t part of the contract (I would add it next time you rent the property out) as a LL I would definitely have them cleaned myself due to the risk of fire. It’s a relatively small cost for peace of mind.
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