An insurance firm has reminded landlords that recent changes in legislation require them to be responsible for any repairs to the ‘outside areas’ of a rental property.
Rentguard has drawn attention to Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, which states that a landlord ‘must keep in repair, the structure and exterior of the dwelling house’ as well as any area of the building that a landlord has an ‘estate or interest’ in.
“The main aspects that landlords need to consider are hazardous defects that can cause injuries to tenants, such as damaged areas that can lead to people tripping or slipping,” says Steve Jones, Director of Rentguard Insurance.
“The revision of Section 11 implies that landlords will need to liaise with ‘superior landlords’ and those responsible for common areas in order to ensure that defects are repaired quickly and a high level of safety is maintained.”
Rentguard says that entrance areas to buildings, pathways, parking areas and stairwells could all be the responsibility of landlords to repair, depending on whether these areas provide access to the property being let.
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Often landlords do tend to forget that it isn't just the actual property, but its surrounds that you have to keep an eye on too.
This is also often forgotten when sellers are getting their home ready for a buyer. The first thing that a buyer will focus on is the exterior, yet you'll be surprised as an estate agent how many sellers don't understand the benefits in giving the front door an extra link of paint and so forth.
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