UK Landlord Forum / Life

I am a new landlord and have Couple of questions on repair and maintenance:

- Am I responsible to provide a working Aerial at my residential property as a landlord? My tenancy agreement has no mention of aerial. Also, if I need to provide what is the standard - digital / analogue?

- There is a crack on the outside of a double glazed window. The glass is intact and window is a top small window not the main one. This appears to be cosmetic issue at the moment and there is no wind coming etc. from the window. Can the tenant demand me to fix this ? The window is old model and fixing might mean I change full window.


- One window has two handles of which one doesn't have a latch mechanism the other one does. The window shuts fine as long as the other handle is used. Can the tenant demand me to fix the handle with broken mechanism? The window is old model and fixing might mean I change full window.

I am not sure about the aerial situation.So many people,especially young singles,don't seem to watch standard tellie any more.I doubt if it is an essential landlord duty.Likewise,the window issues don't seem urgent,but if the opening/closing became a problem reported by the tenant you should rectify it.There are some repairs that are not strictly a landlord's responsibility,but can be worth sorting out in the interest of goodwill if the tenants are decent reliable people.

If an aerial was not present when the then prospective Tenants did their viewing, it is not your responsibility to now install one. Unless there was one at the time of the viewing and you sneaked back in and un-installed it (probably chuckling uncontrollably to yourself at the time)... then that wouldn't be right at all.

Not at all.

For the windows... this is good maintenance... yes, there's a view (pun intended) that it's the functionality of a thing that matters, not its cosmetic condition... but it all shows how much you appear to care for your very expensive asset that a paying customer is renting from you... which might be said to be "not much"... and it conveys an undercurrent that you will be cheap on all repairs and maintenance.

You might be OK with that.

However, the - by far - bigger angle to this is that you are a new Landlord and these must obviously be your first Tenants... I have said on this forum many, many times that this business is not about bricks and mortar - it is a people business. The Tenants are your customers. As the supplier of a product / service it is your job to keep them happy... and one presumes that, because you've reached the stage of asking for advice on a forum, you've been asked about these these...

Forget the legal obligation route, to an extent, think about it from an angle whereby you want to get off on the right foot with your Tenants and not create enmity from the outset. The balance is reaching this situation without being a pushover.

What is the function of a window anyway?

It is to keep the elements out? Is it to provide light? Is it to provide a view? They're multi-function... and, I suppose, a small part of that overall whole (hole, geddit?) is how they look cosmetically too.

With this being a people business you often arrive at sensible outcomes by genuine negotiation and quid pro quo... maybe you explain there was no aerial so you won't install one, but you will address the window(s). Or the other way around... or 50-50... or whatever you can do to begin your journey without everyone having a sour taste in their mouth.

Or you could quote legislation...

Don't supply a TV aerial.  Tell the tenants that they're welcome to arrange for a suitable professional to fit a TV aerial, and offer to contribute up to £100 to the cost (because having a TV aerial at your rental property is a benefit to you).

You're not obliged to fix the windows, but if you decline to replace the latch on a window, and a burglar then gains access to the property via that window, then you're in an absolutely terrible position.  Same if you leave a cracked window and a burglar then shatters that pane and gets through.  I would advise you to fix these problems at your own expense -- sooner rather than later, as you don't want a window out during the winter months.