3 Common Problems Tenants Have

Here is another article written for the tenants.

We all have these little upsetting stories about things going wrong in your rented flat. Because the property is not ours we don't invest a lot of money in it (besides the rent). And when something is broken we either call the landlord or fix it with minimal effort. This is the same way the previous tenants treated the apartment. And it's been going on for years. Probably the last time someone made some renovations was a long time ago, when the landlord called the flat "home".

Bathroom Damage

Your time is now. You are the present tenant and the place has finally started to fall apart. The most common problems come from the bathroom. Because there is a constant moisture there, the ventilations are not as good as you would like to, tiles and paint get damaged. After years of using the facility the tiles might start falling, the ceiling paint might do the same, too. Morning after morning you find a new piece of the floor waiting for you to get cleaned.

You will say the landlord will fix it, but what if he or she doesn't want to? What if they let you do the work, find the handyman and they'll just reduce the monthly rent with just a little bit - not enough to cover even the materials. There are such people. Of course you can move, but this is means you'll have to go apartment hunting and we all hate that. Big decisions.

Furniture Trouble

That's the next big thing. Some people get lucky and find a fully renovated flat, with new furniture and no trouble with it. But unless the furniture is from IKEA, I don't believe these people have the same trouble as most of us. In most rental properties the fittings are old and used by many. Some are covered so you can't see their actual state, others are obviously bad, but you can't do anything about it.

I don't mind having old furniture, but when it starts falling apart you'll need to find replacements. And believe me, not many landlords will do anything about it. You are paying the rent, the place is yours now - you figure it out. Now you'll have to find a new couch, because the old is torn, a new mattress, new table, new cupboards... And after that you'll have to call some movers and pay them too. It gets expensive and time consuming.

Pest Infestation

This is one of the worst things that can go wrong. Did you know the most common pests in London are ants, bed bugs, mice, cockroaches (and there even two types of them), and a few others which are common only in the garden. At first you won't notice them. Your landlord has taken care of them, at leas for a while. And out of nowhere you have roaches in your kitchen, in your bathroom and even in the bedroom.

Really unpleasant situation. This could count as one of the many tenancy horrors. It's a good thing there are many service companies in London - so you can call pest control or you can simply call the end of tenancy cleaners and just end your stay there. Find a new place! I mean if you have trouble with the bathroom, with the furniture and now you have pests, just end your tenancy and never go back!