Compensation to tenants for disruption?

Mossfarr

I rent out a two bedroom home to a lovely family who have been my tenants for over 3 years. They are very good tenants.

We recently had to spend two months in Canada and, as luck would have it, a week after we left there was a serious leak from the roof which caused extensive damage to the bedroom ceiling and decoration.
After unsuccessfully trying to deal with the situation from Canada a friend took over but was not able to get tradesmen to turn up and actually carry out the work (apparently plasterers are notorious for not turning up)!
We have now returned from Canada and only yesterday the ceiling was replaced. The room still needs to be redecorated so the bedroom will still be unuseable for at least another two weeks as the plaster needs to dry first.
So, the issue is that my tenants have not been able to use the bedroom for six weeks (and counting), have had to put up with the disruption and mess in addition to losing time from work for workmen who haven't turned up. They have been very patient, my tenant is a very houseproud woman so this has been torture for her!

I want to compensate them but don't know how much - I was thinking of repaying them one full months rent. I know they could have been much much more difficult about this but they have continued to live there and the rest of the house is unaffected.

Any views??

marliepanda

I think that seems very fair.

missbiggles1

I'd make it two, given that they haven't had the use of the bedroom for over six weeks.

G_M

Legally, since (I assume) the property was not uninhabitable, and you took reasonable steps to resolve the problem (home-owners too suffer from contractors failing to turn up!), you have no obligation at all.

From a business perspective, it makes sense to keep tenants happy, so they stay longer and cooperate in return, and some compensation will help this.

Morally and on a personal level, it is also an understanding gesture.

Have they given any indication? Made any requests? Complaints?

I might have suggested half rent for the 6 weeks duration, but a month free is only a bit more. It's entirely up to you.

theartfullodger

Agree. But speak/write of it a a "goodwill gesture" not compo, legally safer

hazyjo

I think that's more than fair and a very nice 'gesture'.

Jx

AdrianC

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I'd make it two, given that they haven't had the use of the bedroom for over six weeks.

One month is perfectly fair, to the point of generosity.

They've had no use of a minority portion of the house, for a little over one month.

The room IS now usable, albeit undecorated.

missbiggles1

AdrianC wrote: »

One month is perfectly fair, to the point of generosity.

They've had no use of a minority portion of the house, for a little over one month.

The room IS now usable, albeit undecorated.

For most people, their bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house.

You also seem to have misread the OP who says "The room still needs to be redecorated so the bedroom will still be unuseable for at least another two weeks as the plaster needs to dry first." By my reckoning, 6 weeks plus 2 weeks (minimum) is 2 months.

Argghhh

offer them a month free at xmas, they will appreciate this as this is when money is tightest. give you time to put money away for then too.
my friend used to have a tenancy where he only paid 11months, got the december free as a bonus for being a good tenant - i think the rent was slightly higher to make up for some of this but he was happy and stayed there for about 15yrs before buying his own

Mojisola

Mossfarr wrote: »

The room still needs to be redecorated so the bedroom will still be unuseable for at least another two weeks as the plaster needs to dry first.

So, the issue is that my tenants have not been able to use the bedroom for six weeks (and counting), have had to put up with the disruption and mess in addition to losing time from work for workmen who haven't turned up.

So the bedroom will have been out of use for two months and they have lost wages through waiting in for workmen - I would suggest that the idea that the rest of the house was unaffected is debatable. When we had ceilings taken down and replastered, the mess that spread through the rest of the house was a real pain. Plaster dust was still settling out of the air for weeks afterwards.

I think a month's rent is the minimum to offer. I'd also give some flowers or a bottle of something nice.

Good tenants are worth keeping.

AdrianC

missbiggles1 wrote: »

For most people, their bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house.

Yes, it is. But they still have one bedroom available.

You also seem to have misread the OP who says "The room still needs to be redecorated so the bedroom will still be unuseable for at least another two weeks as the plaster needs to dry first." By my reckoning, 6 weeks plus 2 weeks (minimum) is 2 months.

No, I didn't mis-read it. I just don't regard a room with unpainted plaster as "unusable".

The plaster will have dried initially overnight, sufficiently to move things back in there, especially in current ambient temperatures. Two weeks is massive overkill before painting fresh plaster anyway. Watered-down emulsion for a primer coat, a few days to a week after plastering, then paint as normal.