LANDLORD REGULATIONS

Regulations that apply to Landlords with property to let

From the 1st October 2008, it became mandatory that 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.

An Energy Performance Certificate gives information on the energy efficiency of the property and also the impact the property has on the environment and remains valid for 10 years.

As a landlord, should you fail to provide an EPC to your tenant or show an Enforcement Officer if requested to do so, you could be fined a penalty of £200 and still be required to provide a valid Certificate.

Please note that as your Agent, we are unable to market your property until we are in receipt of a valid Energy Performance Certificate.

If you do not currently have an Energy Performance Certificate, we can arrange for a local assessor to visit your property and produce the said Report.

Should you like more information on EPCS, please visit:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/866773.pdf

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulation 1994 now require landlords to ensure that all gas appliances and flues are safe.

Landlords are required to:-

• ensure gas fittings and flues are maintained in a safe condition. Gas appliances should be serviced in accordance with manufacturers instructions. If these are not available, it is recommended that they are serviced annually unless advised otherwise by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• ensure an annual safety check is carried out on each gas appliance/flue. Before any new lease starts, you must make sure that these checks have been carried out within one year before the start of the lease date, unless the appliances in the property have been installed for less than 12 months, in which case they should be checked within 12 months of their installation date.
• have all installation, maintenance and safety checks carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• keep a record of each safety check for at least two years
• issue a copy of the latest safety check record to existing tenants within 28 days of the check being completed, or to any new tenant before they move in.

In order to comply with the gas safety regulations, we can arrange for all your appliances to be serviced on an annual basis and for a Gas Safety Certificate to be produced.

Should you like more information on the gas safety regulations, please visit:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg285.pdf

Unlike gas appliances, there is no legal requirement to have an annual safety check. You do have a duty, however, to make sure that all appliances are safe. We would recommend that you arrange for a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) to be carried out before you let your property.

Operating and safety instructions for all electrical equipment should be given to tenants.

If you would like us to arrange for a qualified electrician to visit your property and carry out the necessary safety checks, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Should you like more information on this subject, please visit:
http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/electrical_safety.htm

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1993 require that all furniture provided in a rental property must meet safety standards. All furniture MUST have a permanent label clearly showing that they are fire resistant.

Should you like more information on this subject, please visit:
http://www.firesafe.org.uk/furniture-and-furnishings-fire-safety-regulations-19881989-and-1993/

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