With a rented house, maintenance is included in the rent. At least, that’s the theory. In practice, we regularly see that landlords do not carry out sufficient maintenance, as a result of which parts of the house break down and defects arise. This is a major problem, as it prevents tenants from using the property properly. From a legal point of view, we then speak of ‘impairment of the enjoyment of the rental‘.

What are defects?

Defects are shortcomings in the rental property. There are various requirements for a rental property. These requirements are usually there to protect your health and safety. In principle, you must be able to use the house without complaints. Is something broken? Then you as a tenant are obliged to report this to the landlord. The landlord, in turn, is obliged to proceed with the repair. The costs for the repair will be borne by the landlord.

Defects cause an unsafe and unhealthy living situation

An example of a requirement that a rental home must meet is the presence of ventilation options. For example, if no window can be opened, ventilation is not possible. This sometimes creates a smell, but in any case it creates an unhealthy living situation. Another example of a defect is the lack of a lock on the front door. For your safety, it is necessary that you can close it.

What are the most common defects?

The defect we encounter most often is mold on walls or ceilings. The mold is caused because there are too few or sometimes even no ventilation options. If ventilation is not possible, a house quickly becomes too humid. This then causes mold and an unhealthy living situation. Sometimes the mold is caused by the outside wall of the house not being watertight. After a shower, the water penetrates the wall and creates mold spots on the inside.

Another example of a defect that we often see is the missing or non-working front doorbell. This may sound a bit crazy, but the presence of a front doorbell is mandatory. Is your bell not working? Please contact us, because this can result in a significant rent reduction and possibly a new bell.

What can you do about defects?

Are there defects in your rental home? You can do this against it. The first step is to inform your landlord. Ask him in a letter or an e-mail to fix the defect within six weeks. Point out to him that you will go to the Rent Committee if the defect is not repaired. Does the landlord do nothing? Then you can go to the Rental Committee. An employee of the Rent Committee will then visit you and assess the situation. Subsequently, the Rent Committee makes a decision. If the Rent committee decides that there is a defect, your rent will be temporarily reduced considerably. The rent reduction is an incentive for the landlord to make repairs.

Bumarang helps with defects

Do you suffer from defects in your rental home and do you want Bumarang to help you with this? Then contact us as soon as possible. Send us photos and a short description of the defect. We will then investigate how we can best help you. If necessary, we will start a procedure with the Rent Committee or tell you how you can remedy the defect yourself at the landlord’s expense.