Waste Responsibilities that Landlords and tenants should be aware of

If you are a tenant or landlord you might have asked yourself what waste you are responsible for. In this article, we will assist you in clearing up any confusion by explaining the waste responsibilities of tenants and landlords for efficient rubbish clearance.

What are the responsibilities of a landlord?

If you have rented out a property to tenants you need to understand the rules and regulations. These are your responsibilities as a landlord when it comes to rubbish removal.

1. Commercial waste removal

It is important to distinguish between commercial and household waste. Household waste is the waste produced by inhabitants of a property on a daily basis while commercial waste is produced by the landlord for maintenance purposes. Since the landlord owns the property for commercial purposes the rubbish is referred to as commercial waste. The waste could be from demolition, construction, garden landscaping created by landlords, contractors, or builders hired by the landlord. The landlord is liable for the removal of commercial waste.

Councils do not collect commercial waste. The preferred way of collecting commercial waste is through skip hire. Skips are the best for disposing material from construction and garden. Some items cannot go in a skip bag like hazardous materials, electrical equipment, mattresses, and liquids. Skip bag offers professional rubbish clearance and disposal of hazardous materials and you can get in touch if you need advice for the disposal of such waste.

2. When does household waste become commercial waste?

Tenants are responsible for disposing of their household rubbish. However, when the tenants vacate the property, any waste they leave behind especially if it is in bulk becomes commercial waste hence your responsibility. A landlord could be charged a fine if waste is found lying on the street illegally.

3. Bin provision and waste removal methods.

Despite it being the tenant's responsibility to dispose of household waste, under an HMO license it is the landlord's responsibility to make sure there are enough bins and waste disposal methods and that the tenants are informed on when and how the garbage is collected and disposed of.

Responsibility of the tenant

As a tenant, it is important to know your responsibility when it comes to rubbish removal.

1. The removal of household waste.

It is the responsibility of the tenant to ensure that all, the household waste is disposed of correctly. Local area council should communicate with you to inform you about your bin days, recyclable waste, and what can be put in your waste bins. Contact the local council if unsure.

`Waste from construction rubble is the responsibility of the landlord. They should dispose of it safely and quickly.

2. Removing bulk items you do not need.

Disposing of bulkier items such as a sofa or fridge is your responsibility. The council will pick up the items from you free of charge.

I hope this article has answered your questions on the responsibilities of the tenant and the landlord when it comes to waste disposal. If you would want a professional skip hire service you should contact our Skip Bag services to see how we can help you. SkipBag is an affiliate of Clearbee and offers solutions when you want to manage your waste. You just need to order the skip bag of your choice, fill up a date that you would want it collected and the rest is left to us. This article, however, does not include proper legal advice. In the case of tenant-landlord issues, proper legal advice should be sorted.