Repair and maintenance

[mayworkz]

We had a burst pipe last week and I’m organizing replacement of the existing original polybytelen pipework to toilet, basin, shower over bath, laundry, hose tap and hot water cylinder which means opening up floors and walls to gain access to pipe replacement.

Water damaged floor boards also needs replacing.

My query is that this exercise is going to be a nuisance to my tenants (they are a very young family who have been paying rent on time), how much of a rent holiday would be fair to both the tenants and myself?

Your opinions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Nick G]

I often do half rent while work is ongoing.

[Don't believe the Hype]

I don’t understand this rent holiday while work is being conducted thing.

in this example a pipe burst it wasn’t the fault of the owner and they’re fixing fast. Why do they need to compensate the tenant?

had they delayed the fix for weeks and weeks I could understand some compensation but fixing in a reasonable timeframe is enough so no compensation needed.

[Welland2004]

I agree with 'Don't believe the hype'.
This is on the presumption that the leak was repaired quickly.
If you wish to upgrade water pipes which I think is a good idea but not necessary then why on earth do you need to compensate tenant?
Presumably you have already fixed the issue so upgrading plumbing is an advantage to both you and tenant. This will be cost you how many weeks rent to upgrade plumbing ? ? ?
The tenant will think you are a fantastic landlord if you make it clear to them that you are going to upgrade plumbing pipes because you appreciate their commitment to always paying their rent while they have a young family.
Remember... they are lucky to have you as their landlord who is prepared to do way more than necessary so they can live in your property.
If you feel strongly about compensating them, then buy them a swing set for the kids or something that their kids can use and enjoy which will be much cheaper than lowering their rent.
You are already having to spend a lot of money if you replace water pipes (a good idea) on top of fixing leak so I don't know why you need to compensate them by loosing more money?

[Learning]

DBTH, does that go for everything you'd rent? If a rental car broke down and was off the road for a couple days would you expect compensation? As a renter you expect (and should be entitled to) a fully functional product.

I'd agree that if it was a quick fix of some that needs doing no need for compensation. But by the sound of it this has gone from a fix to preventive maintenance. No reason why it couldn't wait till between tenants. Therefore agreeing to a middle ground with the tenants would be best for all parties.

[Keys]

Leave the car and hire another one. Not a good comparison.

[Learning]

Leave the car and hire another one. Not a good comparison.

But you would expect the rental car co. to come up with the other car or suitable compromise. If there wasn't another car available you would expect your rent back for the period you were off the road.

Same with a rental property. If you dont have full use of the agreed property, through no fault of your own, I think it's reasonable to expect some level of compensation.

[mayworkz]

Thanks for the comments, they are very helpful. I think if I want happy tenants, I have to in some way acknowledgethe inconvenience to them. If it was just the plumber coming into fix the pipes, then I would say, no compensation is required. But with the water-damaged flooring needing to be replaced, they are possibly going to have to move out for a bit.
If we offer them accommodation I think we can maybe reduce the amount, maybe 1/4 to half off. If they have to move out and pay for alternate accommodation, a rent holiday would be fair.

[Don't believe the Hype]

DBTH, does that go for everything you'd rent? If a rental car broke down and was off the road for a couple days would you expect compensation? As a renter you expect (and should be entitled to) a fully functional product.

I'd agree that if it was a quick fix of some that needs doing no need for compensation. But by the sound of it this has gone from a fix to preventive maintenance. No reason why it couldn't wait till between tenants. Therefore agreeing to a middle ground with the tenants would be best for all parties.

I’m doing exactly what you say in your example. I’m renting a car on our 6 month family holiday next month. If at some point the car breaks down I would expect it to be resolved quickly (same day/next day) if that happens and we don’t have reoccurring issues with the vehicle then I wouldn’t expect any compensation. If the car was off the road for a week and it impacted our trip or caused me to be out of pocket or it regularly broke down I’d want some sort of compensation.

You can’t expect a 12 month tenancy to never have any issues - thinks break, even relatively new thing can break down.

[Angela1]

Is this something that should be included in the tenancy agreements, is a clause like this legal.... "Should major damage occur to the property the landlord is not responsible for supplying or paying for the tenants alternate accommodation while repairs take place, nor will the tenant be liable to pay for any rent whilst the property is unavailable to live in. As soon as the property is available to live in the tenant will become liable to pay rent again, and may still include contractors on site while finishing repairs are still taking place"

[mrsaneperson]

We had a burst pipe last week and I’m organizing replacement of the existing original polybytelen pipework to toilet, basin, shower over bath, laundry, hose tap and hot water cylinder which means opening up floors and walls to gain access to pipe replacement.

Water damaged floor boards also needs replacing.

My query is that this exercise is going to be a nuisance to my tenants (they are a very young family who have been paying rent on time), how much of a rent holiday would be fair to both the tenants and myself?

Your opinions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Why go to the bother of this? You're waiting for an accident to happen when it may never happen. Dont jump the gun.
That plastic piping you refer too, can still be fine . You have remedied the problem with the burst one already, i'd leave it at that.
From what ive heard the new pipe also has issues in some cases too.

As for compensating the tenants , the job is maybe a week at the most from what youve described and isolated to the bathroom area. You're setting up bad precedents for the landlord industry.

[AndyB]

A bit of kindness can go a long way. Legally you may not be required to offer anything but if you feel the tenants are put out a bit then if it is no harm to you a small appreciation token I am sure would go down well.

[Angela1]

The owner can't go to the bank and ask for a mortgage discount during their inconvenience of organsing the repairs. Its the cost of living, life is inconvenient sometimes when repairs are being undertaken regardless of if you own the home or rent it. Homeowners don't get a discount why should a tenant? This is a repair - surely the tenant wants functional pipework - that the landowner is paying to get repaired.
Kindness - someone here once posted maybe giving good tenants a christmas ham or something on their birthday, or anytime when they are not under other financial pressure. At the time of repairs the landowner already has the expense of paying for the repair - if they had to give a rent discount at the same time when money is more tight they might end up only getting the budget repair job and not do it properly due to financial constraints. It would benefit the tenant if the landlord could afford to repair it properly and not have it break again in a few months time.