Tenant responsibility after handing in keys.

thegirlintheattic

Quick question. I currently rent two homes due to work but am preparing to move out of one. It is an HMO and I am slightly concerned as my housemates have been known to use my room for mates staying etc. whilst I am not there. I want to move the few bits I have left out and hand in my keys.

Once I have handed in my keys does that mean I will no longer be responsible for a) damage to my room b) damage to the communal areas?

My room currently has no damage but do not want to be held responsible for damage by housemates friends after I have left. Before people start asking about preventing others accessing my room, there are no locks so apart from saying that I don't want others in there, there is little I can do.

pinkshoes

What sort of contract do you have? When does your contract officially end?

You'll be responsible for the room until the end of the contract.

FireWyrm

Hmmm...this is a tough one. Legally, you're responsible for the condition of the room regardless of your actual presence. You say that you cannot keep people out of it, so, either you need permission from the landlord to fit a lock (which frankly, you should have anyway since it's a multi-tenancy household), or, you are going to have to get heavy with your housemates. You could threaten them I suppose, but that never leads to a happy ending. The way I see it, you have a number of choices.

1) Get permission and fit a lock - any entry after that is illegal
2) Surrender your tenancy, pay the whole lot up front and get it over with - expensive and painful
3) Trust your housemates to respect your privacy and stay out....well...not really
4) Dont leave the room unattended....not really an option
5) Formally warn your housemates that any damage will be treated as a criminal act and you will report it to the police...may or may not hold water....the legal beagles can advise on that. Either way, you're going to stir up some bad feelings.

A lock is probably the cheapest and easiest option. You may have to pay for a replacement door if it is damaged by fitting the lock, but that's about what...£50?

thegirlintheattic

We all asked for locks at the start of the tenancy (it's a uni run house), we were told that the insurance does not require them and we are not allowed to fit them.

I am all paid up and as long as all rent is paid there is no fine for ending the tenancy early. We only have a month and a half to go now in any case.

may_fair

Ask the LL to conduct the check-out inventory and to put something in writing stating that you are not liable for any damage not noted on the check-out inventory, and that they accepted the keys back on [date].

Tell your housemates that they may be held liable for any damage done to your former room.

(Mind you, if there was no check-in inventory, then the LL has no evidence of original condition to prove any subsequent damage, so a check-out would be rather pointless).

allybee101

Can you ask LL to inspect on the day you move out and confirm in writing that condition is acceptable? If not, perhaps dated photos to send to LL showing condition?

When I moved out of my uni house, I cleaned it, locked the room and posted key back to landlady. One of my housemates bf was going to be moving in, but LL couldn't get there on the day I left. That £50 deposit was worth a lot to me and although I was being a bit obtuse by not giving keys to housemates I wasn't going to lose my cash by him moving in and immeidately trashing it.
LL actually rang me to say she'd never had a room left so clean and tidy when someone moved out! And asked if my Mum had done it for me!

princeofpounds

I don't understand your original question. When you hand your keys back it normally coincides with the end of your contract. Are you on an individual room contract or a joint and several contract with the other tenants?

If the former then your tenancy should finish, either through explicit agreement or a surrender by operation of law (depending on precisely what happens when you depart in how the landlord treats the room). If the latter then there is nothing you can do as your tenancy has not fininshed.

You can get separate lock attachments which retrofit to doors, preventing them from being opened but without modifying the door, but only if you can find oue that fits the door and frame properly. But then if you are keeping it locked you haven't handed your keys back after all, if you see what I mean.

thegirlintheattic

Thanks to those who have provided advice. As the information was conflicting I decided to ring my LL who was very helpful and said that if I arrange a date to return my keys they will come and check my room for damage that day.

The woman said that it is very common for people to move out before the tenancy agreement ends (it's uni run accommodation).