Key topic - Tenant maintenance
Award
£200
Resolved by
Early resolution
What happened?
The complainant says they:
- reported some maintenance concerns shortly after moving into the property they rented through the agent
- received initial holding responses from the agent after each issue was reported#
- had no updates about any repairs from the agent and there were delays in dealing with the issues in a reasonable time
- believe they are entitled to a rent refund for the distress and inconvenience
The agent responded, saying:
- they forwarded all maintenance requests from the tenant to the landlord
- they can only carry out maintenance once the landlord has given consent
- any delays are due to the landlord, and they are not responsible for the extended timing
- they should not be held responsible for refunding rent
What evidence was provided?
Emails, tenancy agreement
What was decided and why?
- A landlord is responsible for the property’s condition and should make sure repairs are carried out in a reasonable time
- While the agent rightly said that they required the landlord’s authorisation before carrying out any repairs, they provided no evidence to show that they forwarded the tenant’s concerns on to the landlord or that they kept the tenant updated
- An agent has a responsibility towards both the landlord and the tenant. They should make sure they are acting in the best interests of the landlord as well as making sure that they handle tenant requests when they receive them and keep them updated
- The landlord is the only one that can decide on any rent refund
- As the agent provided no evidence that the maintenance requests were sent to the landlord, and they did not update the tenant, compensation of £200 was awarded to the tenant
How can you avoid this happening in future?
- Agents only collect rent on their landlords behalf and landlords are the only ones who can decide on refunding any rent to the tenants
- Agents must keep tenants updated regularly so they are kept informed especially when there any delays
- Landlords should be reminded of their responsibilities to respond and act in a reasonable time
