Are landlords obliged to provide a cooker in an unfurnished property?

Interesting as inventory clerks unfurnished properties we do inventories and check ins for normally have fitted kitchens which always include a cooker at least, so a cooker is not something you would expect a tenant to provide, we do a lot of work in Berlin Germany and many apartments don't have fitted kitchens at all but there the law is you have to provide a working cooker and sink at least in all apartments even if they don't have a fitted kitchen or even a kitchen so there is probably an EEC saying something similar for the the UK I would think.

It's ironic in Berlin tenants can sign to say you provided a cooker but they asked you to remove it as they sometimes bring their kitchen with them form a previous apartment thank goodness younger Germans want fully fitted kitchen these days..

John Aitken

020inventories.com

NO.

In an unfurnished property there is no legal obligation to provide a cooker, though if one is provided it must meet the requirements for the Gas Safe certificate and thus be tested as such. Obviously it makes sense to have a place for a free standing one, and no tenant will expect to rent a house without this, but the cooker itself is down to the tenant.

I don't know what the law says but I think it will probably let quicker with a cooker regardless.

There is currently no legal obligation to supply a cooker in a privately rented property.

Local Housing Authority/council properties are not normally supplied with a cooker.

However, as a letting agent and landlords ourselves, we advise our landlords that their property would be let more quickly if it has one fitted and always ensure that we fit one in our own properties. I wouldn't want to take a risk with a tenant getting a 'mate' to fit a cooker in one of my properties I would prefer to use a correctly qualified tradesman to ensure the safety of the tenant and that we are covered as far as insurance is concerned should something go wrong.

Our tenancy agreement states that where any appliance is to be fitted by the tenant it must be carried out by a professional qualified tradesman and we can supply a list of such to the tenant if required. We would expect to see the relevant documentation if any appliance is supplied and fitted by the tenant and where this cannot be supplied we would arrange a safety check on the appliance immediately at cost to the tenant.

So no legal obligation but a moral one as a good landlord.

No.

It should depend on your area and your market. Long termers and house-renters tend to have their own white goods in my experience.

My policy is to supply one on request, unless it is a built-in, otherwise you end up with shedloads (literally) of nearly new cookers. I have had several experiences of having to remove new cookers.

I usually supply a basic plus one level cooker with a warranty, and if I can get one an annual pro-oven-clean as part of the deal.

Fortunately the headquarters of Appliances Direct is in our area.

No they are not obliged to supply to the best of my knowledge. I wont put one in as a matter of course when I buy a property. When I do a viewing when they pick up on it and ask do I supply a cooker I will say `it depends`. Some want gas , some electric. Some have there own fancy ones and want to bring it with them. If i had bought one and installed it they may want to take mine out. Everything is negotiable.

I wont spend £250 unless I have to but if I warm to a prospective tenant on the strength of our initial meeting and the lack of a cooker is a sticking point then I will offer to install one as quick as a flash if they ask me too. If they say its not a problem and they will pick one up at their own expense then my £250 stays firmly in my pocket

It may let quicker but if it is Landlord equipment then so is the servicing and repair unless tenant fault!!

I'm always amazed because if I rented an unfurnished property I'd only expect to find carpets and curtain tracks (if lucky) and maybe curtains (if very lucky). Unfurnished surely means unfurnished, doesn't it?

There is no Law on this, though various tenants may demand one, such as local authorities renting from you and companies etc. The reason in the LA case is that under the old DSS Regs unfurnished properties still had to have something to cook on, something to eat off (table not plates!!) and something to kip on (bed not the floor!!). I think this definition may survive and that is possibly where those thinking there is some obligation on it get that idea from.

Sound like. The Gas Safe Register is the official registration scheme in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Guernsey for installers and maintenance engineers dealing with natural gas appliances. http://www.local-plymouth-plumber.co.uk/

I provided most white goods, even a dishwasher as I find this can mean less wear and tear on the sink and surrounding working surfaces. It also keeps the kitchen tidier. However with cookers I find many tenants abuse them by failing to clean them (I've even heard some tenants expect the landlord to do the cleaning at end of let). It's our most common deposit deduction at around £70. Sometimes when they have broken the glass door it's cheaper to replace the cooker especially as built in ones are pretty reasonable these days and many just plug in. Occasionally I have come across tenants who prefer their own white goods but I find if you keep the white goods up-to-date clean and safe they usually accept or want them. And it usually speeds up re-letting.

You may not be legally required to supply a cooker, but it makes perfect sense to do so. Put yourself in the shoes of the tenant: would you really want to lug a cooker around with you from property to property, with the risk that the next property you move to has its own cooker, leaving you with a useless piece of heavy equipment? I am a tenant myself as well as a landlord, and I would steer well clear of any property where the landlord expected me to provide a cooker (and pay to get the blasted thing connected and then disconnected). I regard it as the bare civilised minimum that a landlord should provide a cooker, fridge and washing machine: these are not expensive items in the scheme of things, and I don't think it's fair to expect the tenant to provide them.

If these items are damaged, well that's what inventories and deposits are for.