Flat I own got broken into. Renting going forward

TriggerCut92

Hi,

I own a flat in a building which had been having some issues. There is 6 flats all in (2 on each floor) but there was no lock on the main door for the building due to having no factor for the building.

This meant anyone could just walk straight into the close and due to this a flat I own was broken into and some stuff stolen. This was around 10 days ago and since then the tenant has moved out. The door has now been replaced and the front door of the building now has a lock on it with a key being given to each flat.

Just looking for some advice on renting it again.

Should I tell potential tenants of the break in or not?

Has this happened to anyone else here?

Thanks

G_M

Can't help with the Scottish factor system but there must be a mechanism in Scotland for managing buildings. Pursue this and get the main entrance secure!

Did the tenant end the tenancy properly, or just walk away? Do you have a deposit? A break-in is not a justification for a tenant to end a tenancy (unless Scotland is even wierder than I thought!)

What was the cost (of damage/thefts)? To you? To tenant? Do either/each of you have insurance?

I would not tell prospective tenants unless they ask. But I would ensure the building was secure.

TriggerCut92

G_M wrote: »

Can't help with the Scottish factor system but there must be a mechanism in Scotland for managing buildings. Pursue this and get the main entrance secure!

Did the tenant end the tenancy properly, or just walk away? Do you have a deposit? A break-in is not a justification for a tenant to end a tenancy (unless Scotland is even wierder than I thought!)

What was the cost (of damage/thefts)? To you? To tenant? Do either/each of you have insurance?

I would not tell prospective tenants unless they ask. But I would ensure the building was secure.

Tried the council and they only deal with major repairs. An owner who lets his flat through an estate agency got them to replace the main lock so that's all secure now

The tenant is a good friend so I let it slide with her. Plus she's paid up until the end of March and there's a good demand for renting in the area

I had to pay £200 excess to get the door fixed to my insurance.
She had contents insurance for all her stuff. Couple of high end camera lenses and a macbook

Good advice, cheers.

theartfullodger

Call SaL for advice, free to members...
https://www.scottishlandlords.com/

G_M

TriggerCut92 wrote: »

Tried the council and they only deal with major repairs. An owner who lets his flat through an estate agency got them to replace the main lock so that's all secure now

Glad its secure, but seems starnge.

Who's paying? Certainly nor the EA, they'll pass the cost on to their client (the other owner). Why should he pay, if there are 6 flats, all using the same front door? What's the mechanism for sharing costs?

If the issue was simply replacing the locks (rather than allocating the cost), would it not have been cheaper (and possibly easier) just tobuy a new lock and fit it yourself?

I assume the EA provided 6 keys. Who is distributing them to the other occupants?