Member Article

Emergency repair delays leave renters raging and landlords out of pocket

Nearly a quarter of people living in rented homes have been left waiting at least a week for broken down central heating, blocked drains or leaking pipes to be fixed – with a quarter of a million tenants withholding rents as a result.

Ajay Jagota of sales and lettings business KIS advises landlords is to take advantage of the summer to “fix the roof while the sun is shining” and to “rethink the way they do business or risk losing tenants”.

The advice came as another North East landlord was landed with a £1000 bill for leaving his tenants without heating during the winter.

Vivender Nath Blaggan of Stockton last week pled guilty to failing to comply with an abatement notice issued by the local council under section 80 the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for letting a rental property with a faulty boiler for three months. He was fined £350 with costs of £610 and a victim surcharge of £35.

Research from repair firm Homeserve has revealed that one in three tenants has faced a home emergency in the past year, with the most common complaints central heating faults (15%) broken boilers (14%) blocked sinks (13%), blocked drains (10%) and leaking taps (7%)

23% of those surveyed were left waiting over a week for repairs to be made, with an estimated 250,000 tenants withholding their rent and instead arranging repairs themselves.

KIS’ one-of-a-kind Let By Cover landlord insurance policies gives tenants access to round-the-clock emergency maintenance service 365 days a year – administered by a third party, with no involvement necessary from the landlord.

The company manages properties for 700 landlords from branches in Sunderland, South Shields, North Shields and Welwyn Garden City. KIS was named Letting Agent of the Year at the 2013 Landlord and Letting Awards.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ajay Jagota said: “It might sound like an odd time of year to be talking about central heating, but it’s important landlords take the opportunity to fix the roof while the sun is shining, perhaps even literally, to avoid being seriously out of pocket down the line.

“It might be even more sensible, however, to rethink the way their do business altogether or risk losing tenants. If a boiler fails in a KIS-managed property the tenants can ring up a repair firm directly any time of day and night and have it seen to immediately, without the landlords’ phone going off at four in the morning. Even a good agent with a good plumber ready to go will probably be hard to get hold of at that time of night.

“Tenants have a moral and often legal right to expect repairs to their homes to be carried out immediately, but even the most responsible and responsive landlords can struggle to meet those expectations, especially when they manage their own properties.

“Having their tenants hold off paying their rent is a situation no-one wants under any circumstances, and having them look elsewhere for somewhere to live leaving their landlord out of pocket is even less desirable.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ajay Jagota .