In a recent landmark case at the High Court in London, a judge has ruled that the landlord (Hillingdon Council) was responsible after a contractor sustained an injury as a result of a minor repair made by a tenant, and although the landlord didn’t give permission for the tenant’s work, the council is now liable for a possible six figure payout.
Clearly this case could have massive repercussions for landlords all over the UK: if a tenant living in one of your properties decides to carry out some minor repairs and a third party is subsequently injured, even if you didn’t give permission for the work to be done you could still end up being sued for damages.
The landmark ruling has also cast doubt on the government’s pilot cash-back scheme aimed at allowing tenants to do some of their own minor repairs. The government backed scheme is currently being piloted in three areas of the UK, but there are very few controls in place to ensure health and safety legislation is complied with, which means the onus is on the landlord to check repairs have been carried out to a good standard.
So if your tenant asks if he can do some DIY in your property this weekend, you are advised to either say: “no thanks”, or check that the work has been completed to an appropriate standard of workmanship. Failure to do this could mean you find yourself in the shoes of Hillingdon Council, awaiting the decision on a very expensive court case!
