Rental Responsibilities: Putting An End To The Confusion Between Landlords And Tenants

Research by landlord and tenant insurance provider Endsleigh has revealed there is significant confusion when it comes to where responsibilities lie in rental properties.

'Touching up paintwork', 'meter readings at the beginning and end of a tenancy' as well as 'informing utilities companies and the council of a new occupancy in the property' are disputed responsibilities by tenants. 60 per cent of tenant respondents consider it as the landlord's responsibility to 'touch up paintwork', yet 45 per cent of landlords cite it as the tenant's.

Tenants and landlords are also unclear when it comes to the responsibility for 'pest control'; 32 per cent of landlord respondents believe pest control is the tenant's responsibility, yet 84 per cent of tenants consider it as the landlord's.

The biggest discrepancy between what tenants and landlords believe relates to providing meter readings at the beginning and end of the tenancy period. Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of landlords correctly think it is their tenants' job to do this, but only 35 per cent of tenants agree.

Relationships between landlords and tenants can often be fraught with issues, when responsibilities of who should do what are unclear. So Endsleigh, together with the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS), has created a responsibilities guide to clear up the confusion when it comes to rental property maintenance and care.

Endsleigh's lettings and landlords manager Marcus Latchford commented: "As providers of both landlord and tenant insurance, we realised we could be the unbiased intermediary that clears up the confusion.

"Relationships between landlords and tenants can become strained when rental responsibilities aren't fulfilled. However, sometimes it's just a case of one side being unaware of their responsibilities. Individual contracts will often spell out who should be taking care of what, but the small print is often the last place people look so we thought we'd step in and help with this guide."

Jessica Alomankeh, Projects Coordinator at the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) commented:

"Most of the responsibilities for landlords and tenants are well understood by both parties but some things are still confusing.

"Landlords deal with repairs to fixtures and fittings, boiler servicing, as well as arrange buildings insurance if the property is furnished. Tenants look after tasks such as keeping the garden in check and handle the internet installation.

"For tasks such as pest control and touching up paintwork, the landlord is responsible. What's more, at the beginning of a tenancy, landlords should provide tenants with an inventory pack, containing contact details of the current service providers. It's then up to the tenant to check metre readings and set up new payments with the suppliers."

2,645 respondents (1,428 UK tenants and 1,217 UK landlords) were surveyed as part of Endsleigh's 2015 'Better Relations' campaign, which aims to encourage stress-free lettings for both tenants and landlords.

To encourage and inspire good working relations between landlords and tenants Endsleigh has created the 'Better Relations' hub. The hub includes the landlord and tenant responsibilities guide, advice around the commonly missed checks before moving out, a list of do's and don'ts for both parties based on the results from the survey and DIY maintenance advice articles and videos.

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Notes to Editors

• Endsleigh surveyed 1,428 UK tenants and 1,217 UK landlords via its database in November 2014
• In 2014, the number of private landlords in the UK was estimated as 1.4 million by the National Landlords Association:www.landlords.co.uk

About Endsleigh

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Endsleigh was originally founded in 1965 to serve the student market, Endsleigh is an intermediary specialising in the provision of insurance and financial products for career people and is recognised as the leading insurance provider for students and their landlords. Endsleigh has been wholly-owned by Zurich since 2007.

The company has been working in the private rental sector for over 25 years, and offer a comprehensive range of products including building and contents, legal expenses, loss of rent, home emergency, and blocks of flats. Endsleigh also offer a market leading tenant referencing service through our partnership with Experian, the global leader in consumer data.

The company offers a wide range of services including motor, home and travel insurance, along with business insurance through Endsleigh's Business team and financial advice through the Endsleigh Financial Advice team.

For further information, please contact:

Eshé Brown on +44(0) 1273 760959 / eshe@propellernet.co.uk
or Rachel Veevers on +44(0) 1242 866196 / rachel.veevers@endsleigh.co.uk