The number one complaint from tenants - and not just in winter - is faulty boilers, with nearly a third of tenants suffering from lack of hot water and/or heating at some time during their tenancy.
A survey by online letting agency PropertyLetByUs says the top 10 faults prompting formal complaints from tenants are:
- Faulty boilers (29%)
- Leaking roofs (22%)
- Mould and condensation (14%)
- Faulty showers (14%)
- Faulty window locks (10%)
- Broken windows (8%)
- Faulty smoke alarms (6%)
- Pests and vermin (6%)
- Noisy neighbours (4%)
- Problems with fire escapes (2%)
The research also shows that some tenants are waiting a long time to get problems fixed.
Nearly 20 per cent of tenants are having to wait up to two months, while 12 per cent have experienced landlords that never fix the problem. Just a third of tenants report that their landlord fixes problems quickly - within a couple of days.
PropertyLetByUs says landlords and agents have a duty of care to advise tenants on the correct course of action while contractors are organised, such as turning off gas taps, water stop cocks or main electricity supplies, to ensure that any problem does not cause danger to life and property.
- Any gas or major electrical fault is classed as urgent and should be attended to within 24 hours or less. This also applies when heating or hot water is affected, especially during cold weather.
- Water leaks - within 24 hours
- Cookers - within 48 hours
- Other broken appliances - washing machines, dish washers etc should be attended to within 72 hours.
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Comments
Mould and condensation = 14% - third on the list. Doesn't surprise me.
The majority of these issues are caused by Tenants not ventilating their properties adequately. We invest hundreds of hours every year visiting Tenants who "claim" to have damp - only to simply advise them on ventilation in the vast majority of cases.
All part of the service of course by us "rip-off, fee charging" letting agents ;)