Loft Access For Tenants

[Onoff]

@Ferdinand, @pocster. Do you allow your tenants access to properties lofts for storage etc? Thinking having a loft full of stuff might help them and even encourage them to stay long term.

 

I've a quite spacious loft in a 2 bed terrace, old CWS and header tanks removed. Nothing up there tbh. No loft ladder as yet. 

 

There's 4 purlin braces which I'd figure to leave in situ and not touch. If nothing else to discourage use as a habitable room. 

 

Insulation is probably only 100mm. If I were to board out I'd maybe look to improve that.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Onoff

[daiking]

Hell no, that’s where they store the previous tenants.

[Gav_P]

Nope... they just leave loads of rubbish behind when they move. 
 

I had someone break a bed up and leave it in the loft. 
 

Also it’s a popular place for tenants to have a recreational herbal farm! 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Gav_P

[Ferdinand]

In my book: don't touch this with a bargepole.

 

Before long you will probably need 250-270mm insulation in the loft anyway to meet your EPC D or C requirement, which is most likely coming down the track for 2030 and 2025 respectively.

 

I have a couple of setups - my normal rule is that lofts have 250mm of insulation in them, as it has been mainly free for years and therefore completely nuts not to do as part of 1st renovation. If it has that in it they can't put stuff up there without being stupid or reckless. I don't normally fit loft ladders so there can be no claim that access is encouraged (H&S potential liability in case someone falls through).

 

The exception setups are one property where the  boiler was up there before I bought it, so I installed an OSB walkway over the bottom insulation to the boiler, with a removable section of top insulation over it, and a notice on the wall above the loft hatch for gasmen. And a bungalow with a small fitted storage area and a high quality loft ladder; there is a bit of service gubbins and spares up there too, and it happened in a floor out drains-up reno without me having a say. T does not use it.

 

And one where they asked me for a proper storage loft, as they were having a third sproglet and the dad's fishing gear and other things were being 'temporarily filed'. Used loft legs over the normal 250mm of insulation and created proper storage and a designed base for a ladder in a cupboard. Very long term tenants.

 

Some LLs have a "no storage in loft" clause in the contract, or even padlock it. I have not gone that far, for reasons of emergency access etc.

 

In your circs I would spend the small amount of £££ to put the correct insulation in, and literally "bury" the issue. You can sell to T as an upgrade, and lower bills should help keep T.

 

Or go the whole hog and make a loft room if you want to upgrade the house (current grants can apply?), and it adds up. But then  you will need to remove T. 

F 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

@Ferdinand, @pocster. Do you allow your tenants access to properties lofts for storage etc? Thinking having a loft full of stuff might help them and even encourage them to stay long term.

 

I've a quite spacious loft in a 2 bed terrace, old CWS and header tanks removed. Nothing up there tbh. No loft ladder as yet. 

 

There's 4 purlin braces which I'd figure to leave in situ and not touch. If nothing else to discourage use as a habitable room. 

 

Insulation is probably only 100mm. If I were to board out I'd maybe look to improve that.

Do not do this !

Been there seen that ! Fire !!!! Aaaaaggghhhh

 

DO NOT DO IT

 

Put a lock of the loft hatch so only you have access 

[Onoff]

Needs a bit of a clear out. Roof seems to have been reinforced / repaired when tiles were put on (would have been slates originally). Insulation is very thin tbh and I guess compressed through age:

 

 

 

 

[Pocster]

4 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Needs a bit of a clear out. Roof seems to have been reinforced / repaired when tiles were put on (would have been slates originally). Insulation is very thin tbh and I guess compressed through age:

 

 

 

 

No Tenant Access Ever ! ( just in case I didn’t make it clear )

[ProDave]

I would not give tenants access to an UNFLOORED loft.  In the course of my work I see loads of lofts and some, with not a floor board in sight and the amount of junk piled up, mostly resting on the plasterboard, I am amazed the ceiling has not given in.

 

But in our rental house the tenant has access to the floored loft space.

[Onoff]

15 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I would not give tenants access to an UNFLOORED loft.  In the course of my work I see loads of lofts and some, with not a floor board in sight and the amount of junk piled up, mostly resting on the plasterboard, I am amazed the ceiling has not given in.

 

But in our rental house the tenant has access to the floored loft space.

 

I haven't got the time now anyway to reinsulate and board out so other than getting rid of the lagging etc it's staying as it is. 

[recoveringbuilder]

Had to give my friend a stern talking to today. She bought a little house a year ago but couldn’t get her flat sold so to save on paying two lots of council tax she rented out the house through an agent. Her flats sold now so the tenant was given his notice and moved out middle of last week. Place has been left dirty , garden overgrown, radiator off the wall etc and a garden shed which he was to have no access to has had its padlock drilled out and door left wide open.. Agent has been in and listed everything and intends to keep back some of the deposit to put things in order but when I heard from her this morning she wasn’t wanting them to do this as she was afraid he would come calling when she is on her own. I’ve managed to talk some sense into her and explained that the agent won’t have given him any details about her living arrangements and whether or not she lives alone and I’m sure he’ll know he won’t be getting all his deposit back but it amazes me how some people live.