Not all people can afford to buy a house, so many of them choose to rent one instead. If you’re one of those people, you’re probably curious whether you’re supposed to take care of home security yourself or it’s the responsibility of your landlord.
Home security is a pretty serious matter that requires a lot of time and effort. It can be quite pricey as well. Neither landlords nor tenants would want to cover all the expenses fully. So, in most cases, they split the responsibilities for home security. Today, we want to discuss all these matters. Let’s define what a landlord is obligated to do and which responsibilities the tenants might have. Keep reading to learn more.
Does the landlord pay for repair and maintenance
Your house or apartment is full of various tools and devices. They can easily get broken or start malfunctioning, no matter how well you maintain them. Anything gets worn out over time. So, if you rent an apartment or house, you’re probably curious about who is supposed to pay for the repair and maintenance of everything inside.
According to the tenancy agreement between the landlord and tenants, the repair expenses are supposed to be covered by the landlord. When it comes to maintenance, it all really depends. For example, they’re supposed to take care of the building maintenance, like the facade, windows, pipes, etc. However, when it comes to garden maintenance, it’s completely up to the tenants.
Whenever you need a repair, contact your landlord. They’ll visit you and inspect the property to define how bad the damage is.
Landlord responsibilities
We already discussed repair and maintenance. Now let’s look at some of the other landlord responsibilities.
- First of all, the landlord needs to take care of a carbon monoxide alarm. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not something you’d want to deal with. Detectors combined with an alarm can prevent it. In case the alarm gets out of order, the landlord is supposed to repair or replace it.
- In case you have to deal with cockroaches, wasps, rats, or any other pests, the landlord is supposed to cover it. They need to contact the insecticide company that’ll get rid of all the pests.
- Landlords are responsible for all basic needs, like gas, water, electricity, light, etc. They’re supposed to ensure all the equipment is installed properly.
- Another thing landlords are responsible for is fire safety. They’re supposed to provide the house with smoke detectors.
- All landlords need to check whether all the doors, windows and locks are functional. So, if there are any signs the locks are failing, the landlord is supposed to replace them.
- Also, landlords have to get rid of mold in case it is caused by ventilation malfunctioning.
Tenant responsibilities
As we already mentioned, in most cases, the responsibilities are evenly split between landlords and tenants. So, now let’s discuss some of the tenant responsibilities regarding security and maintenance.
- First of all, the tenants are obliged to pay the council tax.
- Anything regarding the appearance of the house and the area around it is the responsibility of the tenant. For example, taking care of the garden and providing it with a fence is up to the tenants. The same goes for furniture, any kind of home accessories and other equipment.
- If the tenants want to enhance their home security, they’re more than free to do that. Landlords are supposed to cover basic needs like proper locks and smoke detectors. However, if tenants want something more advanced, like a full-scale home security system with cameras, detectors and alarms, they’re supposed to cover the security services themselves.
- Last but definitely not least, tenants are supposed to maintain all the equipment in the house well. They need to take care of locks and keys. Also, they’re supposed to keep the house or apartment neat and clean.
Summing up
So, we figured out that everyone bears only partial responsibility for house maintenance. The landlord is supposed to make the house or apartment a safe and comfortable place for living. The tenants need to take care of everything that the landlord provides.
However, accidents happen and if you need any assistance with locksmith or security emergencies, Sure Lock & Key will gladly handle them.
