Landlord disputes

Joanne Moore, Solicitor

Renting a property is usually hassle free and runs smoothly, providing both you and your landlord adhere to your responsibilities and honour the terms of your tenancy agreement.

However, sometimes things don’t work out well and you end up in a dispute with your landlord. When this happens it is important to understand exactly what your rights are and to understand your ongoing responsibilities even when you are in dispute with your landlord.

There are many different reasons why you may be in dispute with your landlord, but some of the most common reasons are:

• Property Maintenance – your landlord has a responsibility to keep the property properly maintained. When something goes wrong such as the boiler breaking down, you have the right to expect this to be resolved quickly. If you feel that your landlord is taking too long to carry out the repairs you have the right to withhold rent or deduct the cost of the repairs from the rent you pay, as this would be reasonable behaviour. You must give your landlord reasonable opportunity to make these repairs before taking action.
• Property damage – there is a fine line between you causing damage to the property and wear and tear. Your landlord should expect to have to take on a certain amount of wear and tear, but if you want to hang pictures or mirrors, you should check whether this is acceptable with your landlord before drilling holes in the wall as this could be seen to be property damage.
• Deposit returns – your landlord should place your deposit into a tenancy deposit scheme. This offers you protection from your landlord trying to take your deposit without a real reason.

If you can resolve any of these issues before the problem gets out of hand, it will help you and your landlord to maintain a reasonable relationship. You can do this by talking to your landlord as a starting point and if this does not work you do have other options. Where you have a dispute over your deposit, there are mediation options available to get this sorted.

For more information about this article or any aspect of our business and personal legal solutions, please call us on +44 (0) 28 9077 4500 and we will be delighted to help you (there is no charge for initial telephone discussions).