Guidance For Landlords Renovating Occupied Apartments

1. Guidance For Landlords Renovating Occupied Apartments

2. While it might not be ideal, landlords often have to carry out renovation work within their apartment buildings while the tenants are living there, since it’s simply not practical for them to move them all out and keep the building empty and unoccupied while the work is completed. However, it’s essential that landlords do everything they can to minimize the disruption for their tenants, and here is some guidance on how to achieve that:

3. What are tenants entitled to when renovation work is underway? All tenants are legally entitled to the ‘quiet enjoyment’ of their space, irrespective of whether renovation work is going on, or not. This legal standard specifies that “the landlord will not take any action or make any omission which disturbs a tenant’s right to possession and quiet enjoyment of the premises,” and if you do any of the following, you could be deemed to be in violation of that right: • Evict a tenant unlawfully • Prevent a tenant from entering the property • Have a third party prevent the tenant from entering the property, or evict them • Be responsible for making the apartment unusable

4. The property must be habitable at all times, and this is the sole responsibility of the landlord. If renovation work is essential, such as to repair a leaking roof or replace damaged flooring, for example, the disruption this causes isn’t likely to violate the quiet enjoyment covenant, and tenants will usually be grateful that the repairs are taking place. Unless renovation work is of an emergency nature, such as a leaking roof, the landlord must give their tenants at least 24 hours’ noticebefore they enter the apartment, and should – wherever possible – limit the renovation work to normal business hours.

5. Fire exits and safety equipment must be accessible at all times, and the supply of utilities such as water and electricity, shouldn’t be interrupted for more than a few hours at the most. How can landlords avoid problems with renovations when tenants are in the building? The best way to minimize the disruption and get the work completed efficiently and professionally, is to work with an experienced general contractor. They will be able to give, and stick to, a strict timeline for the work to be carried out in, giving tenants the peace of mind that they can soon get back to normal, and hopefully, with improved living conditions.

6. What should a contractors timeline include? Once you’ve found an experienced general contractor to carry out the renovations, you should look for the following things on the timeline they present you with: • A list of all major steps in the project • Blocked out sections of when each step will occur • Information as to when utilities might be interrupted • Mindfully scheduled renovations that aim to cause the least disruption

7. Timelines are critical when it comes to renovation work in occupied apartment buildings, and landlords must take care to hire the right kind of contractor to carry out the work, in order to protect the rights of the tenants.

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