Often, a tenant will want to buy and affix an item to a property to enhance his/her enjoyment of it. It can be a mounted television, an air conditioning unit, or a cupboard. These and other items are referred to in law as fixtures. A fixture is any previously movable property that has now become affixed to the residential property.
This can happen in various ways. Bolts, nuts and screws are the most common ways televisions and air condition units are affixed, and in some cases, installation may require perforations to the property.
The way in which such items are commonly affixed to the property usually means that they cannot be removed without, at the least, leaving unsightly holes. For this reason, some landlords insist that anything affixed to their property must not be removed by the tenant at the end of the tenancy. Usually, an offer is made to compensate the tenant.
Did you know, however, that there are laws regulating such matters? Section 15 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, Cap 61:01, Laws of Guyana, is instructive.
