To avoid misunderstandings, you and your landlord should:
Ensure you understand who is responsible for different outgoings
o Council Tax
o Electricity, gas, water, sewerage and phone bills, the TV licence fee, and so on
o Insurance for your belongings
o Maintenance costs (including the cost of statutory safety checks)
o Buildings insurance
o Contents insurance (in the case of a furnished or part-furnished let)
o Service charges and ground rent
Agree what is to be included in the let
It is usual for a property described as ‘furnished’ to contain all the main fixtures, fittings and furnishings, and the standard cutlery, crockery, kitchen items and so on, that a typical tenant might use on a typical day. An ‘unfurnished’ let generally includes only such items as carpets and curtains. However, there are no hard-and-fast rules
Draw up and agree an Inventory/Schedule of Condition
This lists all the property’s fixtures and fittings, and describes their condition and that of the property generally. This helps to protect both parties’ interests
With thanks to BuyAssociation.
