Most tenants want landlords to take on responsibility for basic amenities There is growing uncertainty over where the responsibilities of private sector tenants and their landlords meet, according to a study by a major broadband and utilities provider.

While a landlord is legally responsible for things like property repairs and safety in terms of gas, fire and electrical appliances, among other important issues, it would appear that a growing number of younger tenants expect their landlord to go above and beyond and take on greater responsibility for basic amenities, based on the research by Glide.

The company surveyed 1,000 tenants either currently renting a property, or who have previously, to find out which issues they expect their landlords to be responsible for dealing with.

The study found that one in seven – 14% – renters expect landlords to step in to resolve arguments over bill payments, and 34% of under-25s would call their landlord to change a lightbulb, despite the fact that this is generally an obligation of the tenant unless specified otherwise in the terms of each individual rental agreement.

Almost a quarter of tenants – 23.2% – said that they even tend to leave a dispute over parking up to the owner of the premises to resolve.

What’s more, over one in five – 21.9% – tenants believing their landlord should be responsible for fixing their Wi-Fi.

Richard Price, sales director of Glide Shared Living, commented: “Being a landlord comes with its fair share of responsibilities and a duty of care for the tenant, but increasing demands from occupants has led to the lines becoming blurred in terms of exactly what is and isn’t under a landlord’s remit.

“As such, it is easy to see why there can be a number of demands across the UK that landlords perceive as unreasonable, and so it is more important than ever for both parties to receive clarity about which issues will be addressed by who in the terms of the rental agreement.”

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