UK House Rentals |
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Introduction The rental property market in the U.K. has stabilised, to some degree, following an influx of unsold properties earlier in the year (2009), which drove rents down by up to 25% in some parts of the country. Tenants are returning to the market, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), with each of its members signing up an average of 36 tenancies in the third quarter of the year, compared with 32.6 in the previous quarter.
Tenant Rights & Responsibilities The most popular form of tenancy in England and Wales is the Assured Shorthold Tenancy. This type of tenancy was introduced by the Housing Act, 1988 and amended by the Housing Act, 1996 and essentially affords a tenant the legal right to live in a property for a period of time; this can be for a fixed period, typically 6 months, for a "fixed term" tenancy or on a rolling weekly, or monthly, basis for a "periodic" tenancy. Regardless of the length of the tenancy, an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement grants a tenant certain basic rights, including the right to live in accommodation in good repair and free from harassment from a landlord or other people. This means that a landlord must keep the structure of a property, including the roof, guttering, walls, door and windows in good repair and he, or she, is also responsible for gas, electricity and water installations, for which valid safety certificates, especially for gas appliances, must be obtained. A landlord, or his, or her, agent is not allowed to enter a property other than for repairs or inspection and, even then, only with 24 hours` notice. Of course, disputes between a tenant and a landlord may occur from time to time. One of the most common disputes is over whether some, or all, of the deposit paid by the tenant at the start of the tenancy should be returned by the landlord at the end of the tenancy. If agreement cannot be reached between the two parties, a free service, known as the ADR, or "Alternative Dispute Resolution", service exists. This applies equally to Durham letting agents as it does to letting agents and landlords elsewhere in the country and essentially ensures than that any disputed amount held by the ADR service is withheld until the dispute is resolved, or must be passed to the ADR service by a landlord, if an appropriate insurance policy is in place.
Article supplied by Cathedral Lettings. |
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