Light obligations
Question from Naomi updated on 26th April 2018:
Are we as landlords obligated to have motion sensor lights repaired as requested by our tenants? Our front door has lighting and there are other lights in the garden leading to the door. The motion sensors are a nice extra, but we don't feel they are essential to the workings of the house.
Our expert Bernard Parker responded:
There are health and safety issues that could come into play here. You say the sensor lights are “a nice extra”. Why were they installed in the first place? If they serve a purpose, and that purpose is to prevent people falling in the dark, then you could be running a risk if you don’t have them fixed.
A landlord is required to put right any defects which could cause anyone to have an accident. If a tenant is arriving home after dark and the front door is unlit does that pose a risk of tripping to anyone walking up the path? You can probably work out the answer yourself.
Bernard is principal of Quinovic – Kapiti-Mana. Quinovic's outstanding people and systems provide the most professional, effective and reliable residential property management service in the NZ market for over 30 years.