Would you rent a flat where the communal zones look dirty?

sheramber

When my son lived in th first block of flats each householder  was responsible for cleaning the whole communal area each week. The broom and mop got passed to each in turn.
In the block he is in now nobody takes responsibility . Most of the flats are short term lets.
He replaced the broken front door lock and 'sold' a key to each flat occupant.

saajan_12

vtoea said:

So who is responsible for cleaning the communal areas then if its a big building with multiple flats?
Someone for sure is responsible 

Depends on the lease between the freeholder & leaseholders (flat owners) or on the management agreement (if there's a management company). It may be the freeholder, or leaseholders, or a separate management company, or no one.

All the legislation you've quoted is about a HOUSE of Multiple Occupation. The entire block of flats isn't a house. The flat you would rent is a 'house' (aka dwelling) so if that was let to multiple groups, then the LL would need to keep the corridors inside the flat clean etc.

Consider the hallways and stairways outside the flat like the street / area you live in - you can use it for access, but you're not renting that and the LL isn't responsible for them. If you decide you don't like the area (or street or stairways or hallways outside flat) then that's up to you, but you don't get your holding deposit back as a result. You could have double checked / asked about that before placing the deposit, but now its just a change of mind which is exactly what the holding deposit is for. 

seven-day-weekend

In my son's block of flats (120 flats in blocks of six, all have the same freeholder), they  management company employ cleaners to clean the common parts.  I assume the management company work on behalf of the freeholder, although I am not sure.