Tenants
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Your Tenancy
On moving into the property it should be clean and tidy. It is your responsibility
to leave the property in a good, clean and tidy condition and so if this is not the
case at the start please let us know immediately and we can try to rectify the situation.
Inventory
A full, detailed inventory is issued at the start of each tenancy. You are asked to
sign it and return a copy to us within 7 days of its receipt on which you can make
subjective comments. Obviously it is a very important document as it will be used
as the basis for your checkout at the end of the lease.
You are borrowing a home from the landlord. It is not a hotel room. As such you are
expected to look after the property as if it were your own. Keep it tidy, clean and
do not disturb your neighbours. Any simple problems such as a loose loo seat please
try to fix yourself. More serious problems like bath seals being damaged please contact
us.
Where necessary we have to call in outside trade contractors. This is the same as
if the property was yours. By being a tenant there is no guarantee that the problem
will be sorted immediately but rest assured we will action the repair immediately.
It means that certain items may have priority. For instance, if your boiler fails
our engineer will try to attend that day. A washing machine repair may be the same
day but then again might be 3 days depending on how busy the contractor is. In certain
circumstances we must obtain the warranty repair of an item in which case the repair
may take longer. In other cases landlord’s permission may have to be sought for a
replacement / repair of an item. You are our tenants and we want to make your stay
in one of our properties as easy as possible.
Our contractors do respond as quickly as possible to us. In an emergency please telephone
the appropriate person but bear in mind that an out of hours emergency call out costs
money. If it can wait until the office is open please wait.
Some rare potential problems not covered elsewhere.
Drainage. Often these are communal problems and therefore the Council must be called
in. An inspector will visit and ascertain the problem but if it originates from misuse
a charge may be levied.
Often drains smell. Generally this is because of a small blockage that allows bacteria
to build up. Do not put waste down pipes that are not designed for the purpose, eg
do not pour cooking oil/fat down a kitchen drain. Often these are communal problems
and therefore the Council must be called in. An inspector will visit and ascertain
the problem but if it originates from misuse a charge may be levied. Your first course
of action should be to put a drain cleaning fluid down.
Mice. Especially in the autumn mice try to enter properties to keep warm and to nest.
If they find food they cause problems. It is your responsibility to keep the property
clean and free from temptation. The most practical advice is to purchase mouse traps
however if you know where they are entering the property push wire wool into the hole.
If you feel that the problem is sufficient please call a pest control officer, alternatively
our maintenance team may visit to fill in the hole if you are unable to. If you remove
your bin bags and keep the property clean, mice are unlikely to cause a nuisance