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ADVICE FOR LANDLORDS
Advice that Dwell Residential offer landlords....
Gas Safety Regulations
Electricity
Furniture and Furnishings
Smoke Detectors
Inventory / Schedule of Condition
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s)
Rental Guarantee & Legal Expenses Insurance
Gas Safety Regulations
If you are a landlord letting a property equipped with gas appliances your most important obligation is to comply with the law relating to gas safety.
If you let a property, the pipe work, appliances, and flues provided for tenants, must be maintained in a safe condition. As a landlord, you are legally responsible for making sure that a Gas Safe registered engineer checks the gas appliances in your rental properties every 12 months. Upon having a Gas Safe registered engineer check all of the gas appliances, they will issue you with a gas safety certificate. This certificate confirms the gas appliances have been checked and are safe.
Electricity
There are a number of pieces of legislation which relate to the supply and maintenance of electrical equipment, household appliances and/or the cables, plugs and sockets which connect them. Examples of such items might include –
- Electrical cookers, microwaves
- Toasters, kettles, TV’s, video players
- Washing machines, dishwashers
- Immersion heaters, electric blankets
- Fuses, circuit breakers
- Electric lawnmowers or similar garden equipment
The basic concept is that a landlord has an obligation to ensure that any such items supplied as part of the property letting are safe. This could be extended to include the mains supply. Whilst there is not at present a specific statutory requirement placed upon a landlord to prove that such items are regularly checked or tested by a qualified electrical engineer, we strongly recommend to landlords that appropriate ongoing checks of such equipment should be scheduled and kept up to date.
Furniture and Furnishings
From the 1st January 1997 any furniture supplied as part of a new letting which commenced after 1st March 1993 must comply with The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989 and 1993). The regulations require that the cover fabric and filling material of the upholstered furniture be made of fire resistant material and be able to pass the “smouldering cigarette” and “match flame” resistance test and carry a label confirming this.
Generally, items manufactured in the UK after 1990 are likely to meet the required standards and display the appropriate permanent label confirming its compliance. The items the regulations apply to are as follows –
- Three piece suites, sofa’s, arm chairs
- Scatter cushions, seat pads, bean bags
- Beds, padded headboards, mattresses, pillows
- Convertible sofa beds, futons
- Loose and stretch covers for upholstered furniture
- Nursery furniture, garden furniture suitable for indoor use.
Some items are exempt from the above and do not have to comply, these include –
- Antique furniture or any furniture manufactured prior to 1950
- Carpets, curtains
- Pillow cases, duvets, bed linen
- Loose covers for mattresses
If you have any items that do not comply with this legislation then they should be removed from the property before it is let.
Smoke Detectors
All new homes built since June 1992 must be fitted with mains operated smoke detectors on each floor of the building.
There are currently no specific statutory regulations relating to the provision of smoke detectors in older buildings. However Dwell Residential along with ARLA support the recommendations of the Fire and Safety Officers Association for current BS standard battery operated devices to be fitted to stairways and halls on each floor.
Inventory / Schedule of Condition
This is an invaluable document that provides you with a written benchmark you will need to rely on. A properly constructed Inventory/Schedule of Condition details the fixtures and fittings and describes their condition and that of the property generally.
The Landlord will meet the cost of preparing the inventory itself and the Landlord and tenant share the costs of a professional check in at the start and a check out at the end of the tenancy. Such costs are a necessary investment that helps protect the interests of both landlord and tenant. In the potential instance of arbitration over a dispute, the absence of a professionally produced inventory and check in and out report, would undoubtedly prejudice your position.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s)
Since 1st October 2008, an EPC is required whenever a property is let to a new tenant. Landlords must provide an EPC free of charge to prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity and must provide a copy of the EPC to the person who takes up the tenancy. For us to be able to start the marketing of your property we must be in possession of a valid and up to date EPC. This is something we are happy to arrange on your behalf should you so wish, please ask us about this and we’ll be happy to advise.
Rental Guarantee & Legal Expenses Insurance
These products are now readily available in the market place and can provide a low cost peace of mind for a landlord. Quite often the company who checked the references of the tenant have the ability to offer such insurance and if the very worst does happen then these can prove invaluable.
