By Admin Tenancy Agreement 0 Comments

Can My Tenant End A Tenancy Agreement Early?

Tenancy Agreements are drafted for a particular reason, to protect both Landlords and Tenants. The terms and conditions included in this kind of agreement are important and should be complied with at all times – as much as possible.

Of course, there are times and instances when one of the signed parties may have the need to go against the agreement. For example, what if the tenant decides to vacate the property before the indicated end of the contract? For a landlord like yourself, you could be wondering about what you should do and what your rights are.End a Tenancy Agreement Early

Leaving During Tenancy

To answer the question above, the answer is yes. Your tenant can end the tenancy agreement early, but only if you agree. If there is a clear agreement between you and your tenant to terminate the contract earlier than the agreed date, then everything is legal and binding. This is what is called Surrendering Tenancy.

Your tenant can surrender their tenancy in two ways. The first one is by giving up their property occupation and by you accepting this. The tenant then hands over the keys to the property to you after you accepted that the tenancy is over and you once again have possession of the property.

The second means of surrendering tenancy is the legal way of declaring surrender. This happens when your tenant signs a written document called the Surrender of Tenancy Letter. This document proves that your tenant has voluntarily given up their possession of your property back to you.

It is important that you understand that your tenant cannot terminate the agreement unless you agree to it. If your tenant refuses to stay in the property and pushes with the termination of the agreement, you have every right to expect them to pay you for the rent that they should pay for the whole length of the contract. It is your tenant’s obligation to fulfil what is agreed on the fixed term agreement.

As a landlord, here are some of your options:

  • You can continue enforcing payments from your tenant since they are liable until such a time that the tenancy gets terminated legally
  • Your tenant can provide you with a new tenant, but you do not have to accept the new tenant if you do not deem them to be acceptable
  • You may allow the termination of the tenancy based on financial settlement – like if your tenant offers an acceptable compensation fee
  • You can also oblige your tenant to pay for the costs that would incur for finding new tenants – agency fees, advertising, and such

Or,

  • you can simply let the tenant terminate the agreement

In case your tenant informs you that they want to end their tenancy before the and date of the agreement, it is your right to demand an explanation. Then you and your tenant should discuss the possible settlements. Everything will be legally settled if you and your tenant can come to a mutual agreement that will benefit you both.

By Admin Extractor Fan Repair Services 0 Comments

Extractor fan repair and maintenance tips

Extractor fans, also known as vent fans in some parts of the world, are incredibly useful and beneficial inventions that have revolutionised home ownership and DIY as we know it. In the past, extractor fans were considered unnecessary, and they certainly weren’t all that efficient, yet nowadays, an extractor fan is one of the most beneficial inventions you could ever wish for. Extractor fans aren’t only designed to remove nasty smells from the home, they’re also designed to help filter the air and make it cleaner, so that we don’t have to breathe in harmful particles that come from cooking and preparing food, as well as other, shall we say, erm, less hygienic procedures. exhaust fan repair services uk

Typically, you’ll find extractor fans in kitchens, above hobs and cookers, as well as in bathrooms as well. As mentioned, they not only remove nasty smells and particles from the air, but they also remove steam and moisture, making them very useful for health and hygiene purposes. In bathrooms for example, when you have hot showers and baths, the steam from the hot water causes moisture and condensation which can then breed mould spores, which have actually been known to be fatal if ingested. Because of this, extractor fan repair and maintenance tips are essential, which is where we come into the mix.

Here’s a look at a few effective extractor fan repair and maintenance tips to ensure your extractor fan performs to the best of its ability.

Vacuum the vent – If you own a laptop, a computer, or a games console, you may have noticed that, at times, the device may overheat and randomly shut itself off. This is because the fan and cooling system of the device, may be clogged full of dust. If you take a vacuum clean and suck away the dust accumulations, your devices will once again work better than ever. Well, the same principle applies to extractor fans. Extractor fans suck particles out of the air, and that includes dust and other debris. What’s more, as they suck grease, in kitchens, or steam and moisture, the blades of the fan become sticky, so all of that dust and debris sticks to it. Overtime, this dust and debris can build up, slowing the fan down and potentially even breaking it. By simply taking your vacuum cleaner and vacuuming the vent to the fan however, you can remove all of these accumulations, so that the fan works better than ever.

Clean it monthly – It may seem pointless to some of you, but if you set just one day, or even just one hour, aside each month and clean your extractor fan, you avoid more serious problems in the future. Replacing an extractor fan isn’t going to be cheap, and it will be disruptive as well, and as it can be very easily avoided if you just clean and maintain your fan, it’s well worth setting aside just one day/hour every month to clean and maintain your fan.

Sweep the vents – Although using a vacuum cleaner to suck away most of the dust and debris is a great place to start, in order to really ensure your fan is as efficient as it could be, you should take a brush and use it to sweep the vents. Which brush you use will depend on which fan you’re sweeping. Obviously the extractor fan above your hob in your kitchen, is going to be much larger than the extractor fan in your bathroom, so a large brush may be required. For bathroom fan vents however, an old toothbrush should do the trick.

Clean the filters – Extractor fans in kitchens are notoriously disgusting as they get coated in grease and grime every time you cook something on the hob below them. The longer you leave this grease and grime, the thicker it becomes and the nastier the job becomes. If you leave it too long, grease can literally drip onto your food as you cook it, which nobody wants. Once every few weeks, remove the filters, and clean them. For best results, soak them in a degreaser and then in hot soapy water, before rinsing them off, or alternatively, degrease them, then place them in a dishwasher. Once the filters are removed, clean the surrounding areas and once replaced, your extractor fan will be cleaner than ever before.

Bring in the professionals – If your extractor fan stops working, or isn’t as efficient as it should be, you may need to hire professionals that specialise in extractor fan repair. Extractor fan repair experts are affordable, they know exactly what they’re doing, and they can potentially save you a great deal of time, effort, and money in the process, so don’t keep putting the job off.

By Admin Landlord 0 Comments

What are the biggest mistakes Landlords make?

It is common sense that if you are managing rental properties, you know some of the basic rental rules. Even then, of course, it is always possible that mistakes can be committed. After all, Landlords are only humans.

The following are some of the biggest mistakes that Landlords commit:

Not Securing Deposits

You could be thinking that securing deposit is very basic and every Landlord should know this. The sad fact is that there are some Landlords who do fail to do this simple and practical task. Securing the deposit within the 30 days allocated time – from the minute it has been received – is very important. Failure to do so could mean trouble for the Landlord. If the Tenant finds out that their deposit has not been placed into TDS (Tenancy deposit scheme), they can prosecute their Landlord for three times the amount of the deposit. That would mean a big loss for the Landlord.Biggest mistakes Landlords make

Using a Non-Regulated Letting Agent

This is quite important. There are letting agents operating with no TPO membership, meaning they are not regulated. It is important to understand that if you are a Landlord and you need to use a letting agent, you are secured with reputable and regulated letting agents.

Skimming through contracts

It is never advisable to skim through contracts. It can be tiring to read contracts, but they are created for specific reasons. One of them is to provide security and protection for all parties involved. It is important to know that if you missed out a single line in the contract and you just sign it without full understanding of what’s involved, you could end up losing money or in jail. Negligence has a price, and sadly, it is always a high price. In the property rental business, it is essential that Landlords read through the letting agent contracts thoroughly. Most of these contracts are filled with fees and penalties, so be very careful before signing anything.

Providing Long-Term Contracts for New Tenants

One good piece of advice is to offer short-term contracts for new Tenants. This is the best for both parties. Why use a long-term contract for people you are just starting to negotiate with? A long-term contract can be used if the new Tenant proves to be a good one.

Not Doing Property Inventories

One of the most common mistakes Landlords make is skipping the property inventory process. If you let a new Tenant into a space that you have not properly checked out, you would be putting your business at risk. The new Tenant can always complain about something not right in the apartment and there is no way for you to prove that they may have done the damage themselves because you have no idea how the place looked before the Tenant moved in.

Not Doing Regular Property Inspections

This is a bit similar to the one above. Landlords should always inspect the property on a regular basis. This process can prevent a lot of stress and hazards. It can also help the landlord identify problems in the rental property, which could mean solving them before they become too much to handle.

Aside from these mistakes landlords typically commit, there are several others that could fall into the category. The important thing is for the Landlord to know the basic rules and from there, hopefully, mistakes can be effectively avoided.

By Admin UK Boiler Repair Services 0 Comments

Boiler repair and maintenance tips

As a property owner, whether you live in the property yourself or if you happen to be a landlord, the thought of your boiler breaking down probably fills you with feelings of dread and despair, and may even keep you up at night. Yes, a boiler breaking down can be potentially disastrous, as you will probably know that they’re incredibly expensive things to replace and repair. A boiler breaking down in the summer is a huge pain in the butt, but a boiler breaking down in the midst of winter is disastrous. The last thing you will want is for your boiler to break down when it’s freezing cold outside, leaving you with no heating and no hot water for several days, as well as having to shell out thousands on boiler repair or replacement. The good news however, is that by simply maintaining and looking after your boiler, you can prolong its life exponentially, which is exactly what you’ll be looking to do. Here’s a look at a few handy boiler repair and maintenance tips to prolong the life of your boiler, leaving it functioning efficiently as it should.boiler-repair-services tips

Have it serviced annually – First and foremost, the first thing you need to do to ensure your boiler functions effectively and lasts as long as it should, is to ensure that you arrange to have your boiler serviced annually by a trained professional. Professional boiler repairmen and experts will need to be certified as not anybody is qualified to be able to work with gas appliances. Gas safe engineers will give your boiler a once over, and will perform various diagnostic tests to see how efficient it is, and whether there is anything that can be done to make it more productive. If you fail to maintain your boiler, it can quickly develop minor faults, which can then lead to more serious faults, which can then lead to disastrous faults that could possibly be fatal in the event of a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning.

Regularly bleed your radiators – Another great way of ensuring your boiler remains efficient and productive is to regularly bleed the radiators in your home. If you notice that some radiators don’t heat up as quickly as they should, or even at all for that matter, it could be down to the fact that they’re full of sludge and detritus from your water pipes, which can then prevent the hot water from distributing properly. However, it could also be down to the fact that the radiators contain air, which will also prevent them from heating up properly. To rectify this issue however, you can bleed your radiators using radiator bleed keys, which will then release the air and help the water flow more efficiently. After bleeding your radiators, check the pressure of your boiler, which should now have dropped and will therefore need topping up.

Check the pressure of your boiler – Even if your boiler is working perfectly fine, you should still take the time to check the pressure of your boiler, as it will only take a few seconds, and it could serve as an indicator that perhaps something isn’t quite right. Each boiler should have a pressure level recommended by the manufacturer, and each boiler will inevitably lose pressure now and then, though not by much, providing it’s working as it should. Never EVER add more pressure to your boiler than is recommended, as doing so could result in burst water pipes, which again, will be disastrous. When topping up boiler pressure, very slowly turn the pressure valve, never try to rush it as you may add too much pressure too quickly.

Examine below the boiler – Below your boiler, the ground should be dry, if it is wet, or even slightly damp and leaking slightly, that leak will result in loss of pressure, and will mean that something is wrong. More often than not, a slight leak is down to a faulty pressure release valve, but the only way to know for certain is to pay a professional to give your boiler a once over. If you notice drips or dampness under your boiler, never ignore it, as the issue is only going to get worse.

Look at the colour of the flame of your boiler – Finally, the last thing you can do to help keep your boiler in tip-top condition and to ensure it is working as it should, is to look at the colour of the flame on the pilot light. The flame should be blue, if it is green, orange, or yellow, this could be a sign that the boiler is faulty, and ignoring it could result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Never ignore a different coloured flame as anything other than blue could mean that there is a serious problem with the boiler.

By Admin Landlord 0 Comments

My Tenant sets fire to property- What to do?

Accidents happen, but sometimes there are incidents that people may see as accidents, but in reality they are not. For instance, if your Tenant sets the property on fire, they could claim it to be unintentional and thus an accident but do you have to trust their word on it? What’s the best thing to do? Have the incident investigated, of course. Then you should review your contract. You also need to get in touch with your insurance company. As the Landlord you have a lot of things to do; since you are the one who has the full responsibility for the property and you are also going to bear most of the loss.Tenant sets fire to Property

Setting the Property on fire intentionally

One of the most common reasons why Tenants set fire to a property is when they think they are being evicted unfairly. Sometimes a terrible misunderstanding or argument between the Landlord and Tenant could end up with the property being heavily damaged. If the investigation results with intentional act on your Tenant’s part, then you have every right to file a case against them.

Additionally, you are also entitled to make an insurance claim, since you did not cause the fire. You have to keep in mind that as long as you – or one of your family – has nothing to do with the fire that cause damage to your property, then your claim is going to be paid.

The important thing is to be able to prove that the fire was caused by your tenant. There have been cases where fire claim insurance was not paid because the investigation result was mysterious.

Fire or building insurance is basically explained as a policy that insures the property for damages that may result from fire. This can be caused by fault or negligence by you (the Landlord), your Tenant or something else – natural disaster like hail or wind, leaky pipes, vandalism and malicious mischief. In the case of Tenant’s negligence or intentional act, you may still be covered if the policy includes fire, as a covered peril.

Getting in touch with the Insurance Company

So, the most important thing that you should do if your tenant sets your property on fire is to get in touch with your insurance company. Do not assume that the firm will contact you or that someone else will do that for you. You own the property, you are the one insured, you take responsibility to make that call.

It is essential to document the incident and by calling your insurer right away, you are setting your claim in motion. If you live in the same building, your insurer will also be of help when it comes to temporary lodging and expenses.

Acting responsibly is basically the best thing that you can do. Of course, you need to be perfectly calm to be able to do that. So, make sure you are in the best condition to talk before you make that call. You need to be able to discuss the details with your insurer.