List of do & don't for tenants - house rules

Does anyone have a list of rules of the house done up, I don't want to put it in a lease but something along the lines of 1. Put out the bins every Wednesday, 2. Defrost the fridge periodically 3. Open the bathroom window after having a shower ............

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

If you want it done, do put it in the lease, the rules won't stand up for much, but I'd say you are on a loser with items 2 & 3

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

Do some landlords actually present lists of rules like these to tenants?

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

If I was a prospective tenant I'd run a mile from any stipulations like no.s 2 & 3 above.

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

They are on a lot of contracts, I know Ive signed a few. Things like "no pets allowed" etc. Its common enough. In answer to the OP they do exist and belong in the tenancy contract but rules like "open the window after a shower" I think should be put forward as "helpful suggestions" rather than rules. Its in the tenants interest to keep the place clean and damp free so those things should be sent in a helpful email/letter from you or mgt company.

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

Having rented for a number of years, I've come across rules such as "no pets allowed" and "putting the bins out on a regular basis" which are fine. If I was presented with a set of rules including 2 & 3 it would definitely turn me off renting the property!

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

I've put additional notes suct as "Bins must be tagged and put out on a regualr basis as failure to do so can result in attracting vermin from overflowing bins".

Your 2 & 3 points above....I can see where you are getting at as it is the consequenses of not doing these that can cause a problem....(ie - blow the freezer & mould in the bathrooms), so you could point out that in order to avoid these things happening, they may want to defrost freezer and open the windows. That will give you comeback if you have an issue.

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

Ok guys, I had a great tenant who's left but I've spent Xmas cleaning/skips/renovating/ etc. Not much fun on holidays this. And it seems to be the case everytime a tenant leaves. How I would describe it is the house was left clean but not clean to my standards. I noticed that some people leave out the bins all week (maybe it was just xmas) I know bins can be stolen, in the past they could blow away etc.The fridge had so much ice it took 24 hours to defrost and you couldn't open the drawers - I can't understand people doing things like this, also it looked clean but it had those black bits in the door, and the back drain was manky. Curtains never washed in over 4 years, house smelling stale because windows never opened and tenant was a smoker, damp patch on bathroom ceiling (this I will solve by putting in an extractor). My shoes kinda stuck to the kitchen floor as it needed cleaning. So I just wanted a nice list of things to 'kindly' point out to tenants to put on the back of the kitchen door. Obviously the way I am wording it is offending some people so I will try and do it more kindly - do ye think that would make it better. Or maybe I should just forget it. None of the problems were major, things happen, but it takes a lot of work to get a place into proper shape.

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

Some people idea of hygiene is radically different from others. The fact that you had a trouble-free tenant who left the place reasonably clean and didn't damage or steal anything would override any complaints about the place being grubby surely. It's fairly natural that the place would need a cleaning overhaul after a period of time.

As a non-smoker I understand how horrible the smell of smoke is, so maybe just advertise for non-smoker in future..In all honesty I would run a mile if I saw a list of cleaning 'suggestions', however well intentioned..

Re: List of do & don't for tenant's - house rules

I don't think you could reasonably expect a tenant to be cleaning curtains; defrosting the fridge is another matter, but again hardly compulsory. If the bathroom did not have an extractor fan fitted you could hardly expect the tenant to take responsibility for the consequences of this (damp patch on ceiling)- building regulations require new properties to have adequate extraction/ ventilation measures in place, you should ensure the bathroom is provided with a means of mechanical extraction. Some people will leave a rented house as they found it, others will not. I suppose you could always try and withold some part of the deposit to cover the cleaning bill, if you feel a house is not returned to you as clean as you would like.

I would put a few lines in the lease agreement under special conditions saying something to the effect of "At the end of the lease the apartment will be inspected as soon as tenants have vacated and if further cleaning is deemed necessary by the landlord then the cost of this cleaning will be deducted by the landlord". I would then talk the tenant through what constitutes a thoroughly clean house - keeping is as professional and businesslike as possible. Say non smokers only and let them know that the smell of smoke left in the house will be treated very seriously (i.e. loss of deposit). Having said all that I can understand why a tenant would neglect cleaning curtains, etc. It is not his house and he would not have the same level of interest/pride in the house.

As a tenant myself I would actually suggest you add on the bin charges to the monthly rent and have the bins ready and waiting for the tenant.
As previous poster have said a list of house rules might put tenants off but in the last place i lived the landlord had left notes for me that were a great help. I was constantly checking them. This is going to sound really thick but I didnt actually know that radiators needed to bleed and that the filter thing in the washing machine needed to cleaned out!
I must be a model tenant, I take pride in wherever I live and keep my home clean, I even wash the curtains! I am a smoker but due to having a young child I dont smoke inside the house so theres another option to stop the smoke smell.