Making an effort to be a good tenant is pretty much always in your best interest. It will make your tenancy go a whole lot smoother, and it will also make your landlord much more likely to give you a good reference when it is time to move on to your next private rent.
In general, treat your place as you would treat your own house and treat the people around you as you would like to be treated. It is easy to do and appreciated by all.
Everyone has a right to basic standards of living.
If you are concerned the conditions or outstanding repairs at your rented property are affecting your health or your safety you should contact your landlord and/or housing association in the first instance to give them a chance to resolve the matter.
Housing association tenants are advised to follow this three step process:
For further useful information about this process please see the government website social housing information or read its social housing information leaflet.
If the works have not been completed or you are still concerned, then please contact the domestic team, environmental services, by phoning 01353 665555.
We may give you advice over the phone or email, or if we consider it necessary an officer may arrange to visit your property to complete an inspection under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Ask your landlord for one. If you rent from someone who is not the landlord you have no rights as a tenant.
Letting Agents may have additional charges. Ask for a complete list of charges throughout the tenancy, before renting a property through them.
For any advice on housing or if you are experiencing problems with your accommodation please contact our housing team in the first instance.
Paying your rent, and paying it on time, will go a long way towards maintaining a strong relationship during your tenancy.
Taking good care of your property paves the way for friendly relations and more flexibility from your landlord. Landlords are often amenable to property modifications and updates requested by tenants if they improve the value of the property or will extend your tenure significantly. Landlords who know you treat the property well are far more likely to approve these requests. You can even offer to do the work yourself and make home improvements without breaking your lease.
Treating the property well also ensures that you get your deposit back when it comes time to move. While normal wear and tear is to be expected in rental units, avoid causing any significant damage to the property. The line between “normal wear and tear” and “damage” is a blurry one, but as a rule:
You should expect the cost of damage to come out of your deposit. If the damage you cause is higher than your security deposit, you are legally liable for it.
Cleanliness in both your property and any shared common areas is a hugely important quality of a good tenant and neighbour. Landlords want tenants who will take good care of their properties and leave them exactly as they found them. While normal wear and tear is acceptable, it is on you to ensure that you do your part to keep the space clean and in good condition.
While you may think your landlord does not want to be bothered with maintenance requests, it is much more preferable for them to know about a problem and fix it as soon as it happens rather than let it fester and potentially turn into something else. This is especially true if it is a problem with heating, cooling, or leaking, all of which can get more difficult and expensive to solve the longer the problem goes on.
Get permission before bringing in a new pet. Landlords do not like pets because they cause greater wear and tear and add a greater risk of damage. It is not personal, and it is not because they hate animals. If your lease prohibits pets, call your landlord to negotiate an exception, just as you would with any other tenancy clause change. If your landlord still resists, you can offer to pay an extra pet deposit, a small monthly pet rent, or a non-refundable one-time pet deposit. What you should never do is sneak a pet into your rental. Besides the fact that it is dishonest, your landlord will find out sooner or later. When they discover you broke the terms of your tenancy, they are far more likely to issue you notice.
For general advice on making sure your home is safe please refer to our home safety checklist.
The following advice is specific to people living in rented properties:
Mould can be a serious threat to health. It is caused when water cannot escape a property. For information on how to deal with it, please see our damp and mould page.
If you are unable to remedy the situation, for example by improving ventilation, you should notify your landlord. Take photographic evidence and keep a record of your contact with your landlord as this can help if you need to take the issue further.
If the situation doesn’t improve and your landlord isn’t willing to address the problem you should report it to our Environmental Health team.
Notify the landlord as soon as possible. Do not attempt to repair the boiler, this is a task for a qualified gas safe engineer.
If you have run out of gas because you have a prepayment meter, you may be charged by your landlord to relight the boiler
These may be damaged after windy/winter weather. Notify your landlord so they can check which side of the fence they are responsible for.
Check in your contract to see if you or the landlord are responsible for garden maintenance. Keep trees to a reasonable height and always check when there is a severe wind warning that branches are safe.
Ensure that you:
Ensure that:
Flooring is expensive, and it scratches and tears easily. One of the things that homeowners remember to do but tenants often do not is protecting the floors from their furniture. For the cost of a few pounds, a pack of adhesive felt pads and five minutes of sticking them on the bottom of furniture feet, and you can protect flooring from scratches which could otherwise come out of your deposit.
Keep the noise down at night. Be aware of others if you smoke or have barbecues. Park your car without blocking access routes. Be friendly. In the same way, your neighbours should be considerate towards you. People can complain to the council about noise and other neighbour disagreements.