Question: Does a landlord need to itemize outgoings?
Answer:Not necessarily. It is a good idea to itemize outgoings, so as to provide you with clarity, but you may have to specifically request that they be itemized.
Many landlords will want to pass on operating costs such as rates, maintenance, insurance, security costs and so on to the tenant. Outgoings of this kind will either be included in the rental payment or be payable as an additional amount. If outgoings are not included in the rental amount, negotiate a cap or fixed fee for all outgoings.
Ensure that the outgoings are clearly defined in the lease agreement and ask for periodic statements that itemize outgoing fees such as gardening, maintenance, advertising costs etc.
