Tenant Responsibilities
It is a requirement of the Tenancy Agreement that tenants keep their property in a reasonable condition and that when they end their tenancy, they leave their property clean and tidy. The agreement sets out that tenants may be charged the cost of making good any damage that they have caused.
Tenants are responsible for the following items:
External:
• Rotary driers (unless in communal areas)
• Clothes pole ropes (unless in communal areas)
• Garden sheds/greenhouses etc
• Tenant erected boundary fences
Internal:
• Floor coverings
• Decoration (internal)
Electrics:
• TV aerials and sockets
• Resetting of circuit breakers
• Light bulbs and strip light tubes (internal and external)
• Plugs, fuses and all tenant owned equipment
• Battery operated equipment
Gas:
• Installation, service and repair of tenants own gas HfL permitted gas appliances by a Gas Safe registered contractor
Windows:
• Broken glass - unless caused by vandalism or attempted break in which has been reported to the police with Police reference number provided
• Curtain rails, poles and blinds
• Cleaning and decorating house windows
Doors:
• Doorbell batteries
• Door name plates
• Replacement of lost or broken keys
• Lock changes due to lost or broken keys
• Damage to front doors as a result of forced entry e.g. for annual gas inspection
Kitchen:
• White goods, including cooker, washing machine, fridge/freezer and tumble drier (unless covered by HfL initial purchase warranty)
• Replacement of plugs and chains
• Blocked sink
Bathroom:
• Replacement toilet seat
• Replacement of plugs and chains
• Blocked sink/bath waste
• Blocked toilet
• Shower unit or fittings if supplied and installed by the tenant
Services:
• Individual TV aerials
• Garden maintenance
• Cleaning and decorating house windows
Pest Control:
• Infestations if found to be caused by the tenant’s own actions
Other:
• Damage caused by the police following a lawful raid at a property, which results in an arrest.
• The cost of removing any goods or belongings left at the property on tenancy termination.
• The service cost of removing unwanted items where a tenant has failed to do so correctly, e.g., Fly Tipping.
• Damage to the property, common areas, individual garden or access areas through neglect, accidental damage, or wilful vandalism, caused by the tenant, their family or their visitors.
• Damage as a result of includes adequate heating and ventilation of the property.
• Damages to property, fixtures or fittings as a result of tenant alterations are tenant responsibility even where HfL have approved an alteration request.
If the tenant fails in any of these responsibilities the HfL may carry out the work and recover the costs from the tenant as a Rechargeable Repair.