Alarmed and scared

Our Experts Answer:

If the alarm was working when you moved into the property you have a right to expect that it will continue to work. If, however, the alarm was not working (and you accepted it was not working) at the start of your tenancy, you can’t claim that it is a condition of the tenancy. The basis of this is that you can’t require the landlord to improve the property. The way I read your question is that the alarm used to work, but became faulty and was disconnected. If that is the case the landlord has a responsibility to restore the alarm to a working state. If the landlord / property manager refuses to do so, you can serve the property manager with a 14-day notice to remedy, requiring that the alarm be restored to its original working condition. If that doesn’t bring the result you want, then you might apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for a range of orders, including an order to have the tenancy terminated.