What Landlords Must Do When Clearing a House
What Do Landlords Have To Consider When Clearing Out A House If you own a rental property, then you may already know what’s involved when clearing a house after your tenants have moved out. Although tenants can clean up after themselves, and be tidy, others will simply leave waste on the property before they move out. If you have drawn up a contract with your tenant, then you may have required them to clean up any rubbish and dispose of waste in the bins. Make sure that your tenants know which the last day for waste collection is before they leave, and ensure that they dispose of their waste responsibly through recycling. Even if your tenants throw away their rubbish in the correct manner, you may still have problems with the council over the amount of rubbish collected. This is particularly true if you operate an HMO (house of multiple occupancy), where each of your tenants are producing and discarding their own rubbish. There is a limit of 240L on all household waste and recycling, and you will be responsible for any waste exceeding this amount. The best solution to this problem is to call in a third party who can dispose of the waste for you. This is the best solution to the problem of carrying large amounts of rubbish away from your rental property on a regular basis. Who’s Responsibility is it? Cleaning up after a tenant’s lease has ended is also another important issue in landlord waste management. Once the house is vacant, disposing of the waste becomes the landlord’s responsibility, and this means that you will have to dispose of the rubbish properly. Unlike waste from your own home, however, you will not be able to treat it as household waste, and put it out for collection. As you are running the home as a business, you will have to dispose of any rubbish or unwanted items as though they were commercial waste. Disposing of commercial waste means that the landlord has a duty of care in the removal of waste. Associated Fines Most local councils will not help landlords who need to clear away rubbish from an untenanted property, and items such as mattresses and carpets which are being replaced have to be removed according to local council rules. If these items are not removed in a legal fashion, including throwing the waste into the garden, or into the street, then the landlord could face fines of between £2000 and £50,000. Throwing waste into the street can also lead to prosecution and even a prison sentence. In order to protect yourself from this type of punishment, landlords need to hire third parties who specialise in house clearance, and specifically commercial rubbish collection. Your contractor must have the necessary licence to perform that type of work, and must also provide you with details of where the waste will be taken. A Duty of Care note will also be necessary, including a disposal route plan for your rubbish. This will ensure that the waste carrier can be trusted, and that you will not risk being prosecuted for fly tipping or disposing of your rubbish...
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