No-Smoking in your property?
Any experienced landlord will know that post-tenant clean-ups can be a real challenge, especially if you’re doing it yourself. Certain parts of the house can get extremely dirty, especially if they are rarely used. Getting kitchens and in particular, ovens cleaned may even require costly professional work (getting an oven professionally cleaned costs around £60-80).
The worst of all cleaning nightmares is smoke. Removing the odour and stain of smoke is one of the most challenging cleaning tasks, so it is important that you clarify to tenants that your property is smoke-free.
The Contract
In your contract, set out no-smoking guidelines and specify if the consequences if rules are broken. You are entitled to ask your tenants not to smoke in your property and it may be worth setting out a clause specifying the minimum smoking distance – 5 metres or so.
Tempted to smoke inside?
Many tenants may wish to smoke inside, especially during heavy rain or cold conditions. If not inside, then they may try smoking very close to the building to get additional cover, or smoke with windows open. What you may find is that a sensitive fire alarm could deter smoking due to it going off easily. This is especially true where you have an HMO property such as a student let – there are fire alarms throughout the house, normally in every bedroom.
Cleaning
If your tenants have smoked indoors, you will be allowed to use deposits to clean anything from armchairs to carpet and lampshades to wallpaper. If the damage costs more than the deposit, it may be worth having a clause specifying additional fines. Whilst this happens, it may be worth getting unoccupied property insurance as your house may not be in fit condition to be let out. Overall, make sure that your contract is clear and has no loopholes!