Renters Rights Bill changes from a cleaning perspective

THE RENTERS Rights Bill essentially has the same principles as the previous version, and legislation governing short-term residential lets in the PRS sector. The emphasis seems to be on providing tenants with greater rights, mainly removing the ‘no-fault’ grounds on which a landlord can refuse a new lease.

Quite rightly, there is all kinds of various information and views from a property and landlord/tenant perspective. However, another critical angle to consider is from a cleaning perspective, with some examples here of how this is a critical factor in landlord/tenant relationships. 

Firstly, cleaning is often the biggest reason for a landlord holding back a tenant's deposit, as asurvey from SpareRoom noted. Nearly two-thirds of renters have experienced an average of £250 deduction, totalling £724m of losses every year.

Secondly, BCIS data recently revealed that over the next five years, cleaning will have the largest expected increase in costs at a property, with a 23% increase by 2019. This is above general repairs and maintenance (and utilities are hopefully seeing a decrease).

Therefore, cleaning is a significant cost both now and in the future for residential rentals. Any legislation changes regarding how this is carried out will, thus, affect landlords and tenants to some degree.

Therefore, here are four specific areas of the new Renters Rights Bill to be aware of from a cleaning perspective.

1. Potential more frequent cleans

The core change is that fixed-length tenancies are being scrapped, and just ongoing periodic leases will take their place. This means no more fixed terms of, say, six or twelve months, but just ongoing on probably a monthly basis.

This is great news for tenants, who can have their cake and eat it, so to speak, with rights to keep continuing along but with flexibility to simply leave anytime.

Some have expressed concern with students and properties with multi-occupation, where there will be a quicker turnover of tenants that a landlord must accommodate.

From a cleaning perspective, this probably means additional work, namely more frequent end-of-tenancy cleaning—possibly deeper ones if things have not gone well with the tenant and they have decided to leave sooner rather than later.

2. Better and worse cleaning situations

The landlord’s Section 20 notice has gained wide publicity. This basically gives the landlord the right to not extend an existing lease with a tenant and will be abolished for ‘non-fault’grounds where there are no issues with the tenant (and cause the landlord to not want them to continue occupation).

Linked with the above point, this provides the tenant greater flexibility and fewer reasons for a landlord to evict them (although there are still rights to evict where there are issues like rent arrears).

The problem is that although a tenant may end up staying longer than expected, their ‘quality’ of cleaning will therefore also continue, for better or worse.

They may be very good at this, and therefore, the landlord is happy that their property assetbeing in a safe pair of hands.

However, this could go the other way, and a tenant who doesn’t keep up with cleaning now staying on for longer than a landlord may wish and cause bigger problems in the end.

Although there are options to recover this cost, for example, the rent deposit, in reality, theactual cost may go above that if there are years of neglect, such as trashed carpets, greasy kitchen cupboards, and marked walls.

3. Possible additional cleaning problems

Another aspect of the Renters Rights Bill is that tenants will have greater flexibility in how they occupy the flat or house, notably greater rights to have children and pets.

Of course, both can cause a lot more mess, therefore, additional cleaning requirements and workload.

Hopefully, most tenants who care for both their children and pets will not let the cleanliness of the place deteriorate, and there may be options like insurance coverage for pet problems.

But you never know, and often, hidden areas in cupboards or stains on carpets that get hidden under rugs will eventually need resolving.

4. Other connected property issues

A final point is Awaab’s Law, which has been introduced more for social housing to ensure landlords proactively deal with hazards like dampness and mould in housing to protect people’s health.

Although not necessarily a cleaning issue, it does overlap, for example, having to clear up any mess from these problems or tradespeople coming into the flat to carry out any work to help prevent these.

Good communication and helpful tips, such as plenty of ventilation and not allowing furniture too close to walls, can help reduce this issue.

Planning ahead from a cleaner’s perspective

This Bill isn’t yet law, and even when it becomes so, it will take time for the full consequences to be known in the market, whatever they are.

However, now is the time to look at other knock-on effects from this and plan for them. Cleaning is certainly a significant and often controversial issue with landlords and tenants of residential properties, and therefore, it will be affected to some degree.

Beginning to talk through the issues with all parties and clarifying new tenancy agreements and handover details is critical and having clear realistic expectations and continued ongoing communication.

Andy Nuttall is marketing manager at Easy Cleaners 

For more information, visit easycleanersbirmingham.co.uk/