Valuation

25 July 2021

As a Landlord you need to be aware of current legislation and stay up to date with regular changes and amendments.

When it comes to Landlord regulations, getting it wrong to save a few pounds can have major implications.

If a Landlord has not complied with all the relevant and important regulatory steps at the start of the tenancy, they may find themselves in a vulnerable position should anything go wrong. For example, Landlords will not be able to evict tenants in the unlikely event that they need to; it takes 6-8 months on average to regain possession of a property from the Court and can be a very complicated process.

Here is our selection of top tips and advice for Landlord's Safety Responsibilities

 

1.       Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms
It is a legal requirement that all rental Properties in England follow the Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Regulations. These Regulations require that you install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of the Property where a room is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and a Carbon Monoxide Alarm must be installed in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance. All alarms will need to be in good working order at the start of each Tenancy.

2.       Gas Safety Checks
As a Landlord, you are legally responsible for the Gas Safety within your rental Properties.
It is a legal requirement to;
* Maintain any pipe-work
* Maintain any appliances and Flues
* Complete an Annual Safety check
* Keep a Gas Safety record

3.       Electrical Safety Checks
As a Landlord, you have a legal duty to ensure that your rental Property, and any electrical equipment that you have provided, is safe before a Tenancy begins and throughout its duration.
You must ensure that:
* All electrical systems are safe (Sockets, switches, light fittings) and
* All appliances they supply are safe (Cookers, kettles etc)
Tenants should flag electrical problems as soon as they appear, and they have the responsibility to maintain any electrical items that they bring into the Property.
From the 1st July 2020, it is now legal requirement that an electrical certificate is conducted on the Property before Tenants move in. A new certificate will need to be completed every 5 years.

4.       EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)
From 1st October 2008 all Landlords letting a property need to provide a valid EPC certificate to any prospective Tenant. The EPC must be accessible to prospective tenants from the point that the Property starts to be marketed.
A certificate will remain valid for up to 10 years regardless of the number of tenancies in that period.
Regulations state that from the 1st April 2020 all Landlords of privately rented domestic and non-domestic properties in England or Wales, must ensure that their Properties reach at least an Energy Performance Certificate rating of E or above.

5.       Legionella
Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia like infection caused by Legionella bacteria, commonly through the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water.
Landlord must assess and control the risk of exposure of Tenants to Legionella.

If you are not confident with the on-going changes and do not want to risk ten or thousands of pounds in fines and potential prison sentences, then we recommend you use an ARLA Propertymark Protection agent, like At Home Estates, who will guide you through the process and ensure that there are not any mistakes made.

For more help and advice, contact:

At Home Estate and Lettings Agency
01403 886288
lettings@athomeestates.co.uk

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