Cleaning and disposal of rubbish

Cleaning

At the start of a tenancy, each unit of accommodation must be in a clean condition and in good repair before the tenants move in. Similarly, any common parts of the house must be clean and in good order.

In shared houses, it is recognised that the cleaning of shared facilities is usually the tenants’ responsibility.

However, the cleaning of communal areas in properties occupied as bedsit-type or bedsit HMOs (where the tenants have separate tenancies) are the responsibility of the landlord or manager.

The manager should ensure that all common parts and shared facilities are cleaned on a regular basis, e.g. by employing a cleaner.

Plug sockets must therefore be provided in communal areas so that these can be suitably and efficiently cleaned, e.g. by using a vacuum cleaner.

Disposal of rubbish

The regulations specify that the storage and disposal of household waste should comply with any scheme which is provided by the local authority.

To comply with the regulations:

• provide suitable rubbish containers of adequate size for the number of occupants
• site containers in the kitchen and in other appropriate locations
• ensure that tenants are aware of collection days for refuse and recycling (other than in areas where communal street bins are provided)
• make arrangements for extra collections if there isn’t adequate space to store rubbish within the boundaries of the property
• make arrangements for the additional collection and disposal of refuse from the property if this is found to be necessary to avoid causing a nuisance to the neighbourhood
• at the end of each tenancy any rubbish or unwanted household goods left behind by tenants should be removed and disposed of appropriately by the landlord before the start of the next tenancy
• in particular, any rubbish or goods left in front or back gardens or on the pavement in front of the HMO must be removed immediately