Rental house repairs, who pays

In general, all properties must be maintained at least once every eight years. As a rule, in rented houses, conservation works are the responsibility of the landlord and carried out on his own initiative. It is up to the owner to keep the property in good condition and carry out all the necessary works to maintain safety conditions.

The tenant can only carry out works if this is provided for in the rental agreement, has a written authorisation from the landlord or in more urgent cases, for example to avoid imminent or serious damage. Outside of these situations, tenants can only make minor changes or improvements, for which they might not be entitled to compensation or reimbursement. 

For example, a tenant can make minor changes that ensure their comfort (holes to install an air conditioner or paint walls in different colours or hang several pictures on the wall) but these should be checked with the landlord, as they might not see them as improvements or as desirable and in fact might be seen as a deterioration by the landlord. However, unless you have agreed otherwise, you must repair or put it back as it was before you return the property. Of course it is always better to ask for approval for any decoration or modification.

Urgent repairs are an exception to the rule. If a flood occurs due to plumbing breaks for example, the tenant may be forced to resolve the matter swiftly. In this case, you will be entitled to reimbursement of expenses if you notify the landlord when you start the repair. To avoid problems, in addition to a phone call, consider sending a registered letter, with acknowledgement of receipt explaining the situation. For instance, periodic gas inspections are the responsibility of the landlord. If the tenant makes the payment at the time of the inspection, this amount must be reimbursed by the landlord. We take this opportunity to remind you that in gas installations that are more than 10 years old and have not yet been remodelled/verified, the inspection must be carried out every 5 years. 

Another very common situation is if the tenant has problems with locks or broken keys, if replacement is necessary for accidental reasons or wear and tear and not for lack of care of the tenant, then it will be the responsibility of the owner to make the replacement or repair.