Everything You Need To Know About Private House Renting In Leeds

Are you thinking about renting out a private property? Perhaps you are considering renting a house from a private owner in Leeds. Here are some of the factors that you need to be aware of.

Health and safety Is your responsibility

When you choose to rent out a private house in Leeds, it is important to be aware that if you are the landlord, then you are fully responsible for ensuring that the property is safe, secure and up to the correct standards. If you fail to do this then you could and likely will face legal issues. This does mean that if issues with the property do develop then you are required to fix them as quickly as possible without delay. Particularly, if they impact the health of individuals living there. This is one of the rights of the tenant who may be renting your property.

A Tenancy Agreement

Both the landlord and the tenant should ensure that there is a tenancy agreement in place. This should be fair and comply with the current legal standards. It can, for instance, include an action that the tenant will be required to take to maintain the property. These will usually be quite minor. For instance, a tenant may be required to keep mould levels at a minimum by opening windows in the kitchen or turning on the vent during cooking.

Alternatively, it’s possible that they will also be expected to keep the heating at an average warm temperature. This will ensure that the pipes are not at risk of freezing through the winter months.

Issue with empty properties

If the house you are renting out is empty at any point throughout the year, this is going to cost you money. That’s why it’s beneficial to ensure that you have a property management team. They will effectively market the property and ensure that you quickly find a new tenant who will be able to afford the costs of the property.

This is also why a tenant will typically be required to give a certain period of notice before moving out the property. The standard period will usually be between three and six months. In some cases, it can be as low as one month. The less notice you receive, the more difficult it will be to find a new tenant before the property begins to lose your money.

Subletting

It is possible that the individual living in the property may wish to sublet. If a tenant does wish to sublet, they will always require permission from the landlord. Failure to obtain this permission before subletting can be grounds for eviction.

Right to evict

Finally, there are numerous reasons why a landlord could fairly evict a tenant renting a private home in the lead. Typically, an eviction will be explored if a tenant consistently and knowingly breaks the terms of a tenancy agreement. If this is the case, then a landlord does have the legal right to evict the tenant. However, it is usually best to try and resolve the situation more amicably before taking this approach.