As a landlord, most of the time, your tenants shouldn’t give you too much trouble. However, there are a few things that you can look out for that might signal that you have bad tenants, and discovering them early on could save you a potential financial loss in the long run. Here is a list of the top 6 things that bad tenants do.
#1 Failure to Maintain the Property
An early warning sign of a bad tenant is a failure to maintain the property. As a landlord, you have a duty to keep certain parts of the property maintained, so does the tenant. However, you only have to make repairs when you know that there is a problem and so the tenant needs to be communicative and report these to you. If any damage is caused to the property by negligence from the tenant, for example by using the shower without the extractor, then they will be liable for the cost of the repairs.
#2 Accumulating Rubbish
Tenants dumping rubbish around the property can cause a health risk and if it begins to accumulate this could be a sign of a bad tenant. As well as making the neighbourhood look trashy, the rubbish will attract rodents and is a breeding ground for bacteria.
#3 Loud Noise & Music
Around a third of conflicts between neighbours are caused by disruptive behaviour and loud music. If your tenants partying is causing issues try to solve the problem informally by talking to them. You don’t want the surrounding neighbours complaining to the local council. Loud noise is unreasonable after 11pm and before 7am, and loud music and other household noise at an inappropriate volume is unreasonable at any time of the day.
#4 Smoking Inside the Property
If you want to keep the property free from smoke then you are within your rights to do so. Nicotine and other chemicals that a cigarette is made from cling to your walls, ceilings, floors and any other surfaces that are exposed to the smoke, staining them. If the tenancy agreement states that no smoking is allowed inside the property and the tenant ignores this, then you are within your rights to evict them.
#5 Subletting the Property
Approximately 1 in 6 tenants sublet their rental property and around a third of those do not tell their landlord. If you discover that your tenant is subletting the property without permission, then can withhold the security deposit and even take legal action.
#6 Keeping Pets That Are Not Allowed
Although blanket bans on pets are not permitted, you are still allowed to request that no pets are allowed under reasonable circumstances. Some landlords may not allow pets because of the terms of their insurance policy. If you discover that your tenant is keeping a pet without it being agreed on first, try talking to them and see if you can come to an arrangement.
Ashburnham Insurance provides flexible and comprehensive landlord insurance. Contact us on FREEPHONE 0800 1696137 to find out more.