Safety Regulations for Landlords

The following requirements are the responsibility of the property owner (Landlord). Where you have signed our full management agency agreement, they are also our responsibility, and we will ensure compliance.

Health and Safety – Gas

Annual Safety Check

Under the gas safety (installation and use) regulations 1998, all gas appliances and flues in rented accommodation must be checked for safety within 12 months of installation and thereafter at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered gas engineer.

We can arrange for this safety check to be carried out for £70inc.

Maintenance

Ensure all gas appliances, flues and associated pipework are always safely maintained.

Records

Full records must be kept for at least 2 years of inspecting each appliance, the flue of any defects found, and remedial action is taken.

Copies to tenants

A copy of the safety certificate issued by the engineer must be given to each new tenant before the tenancy commences or to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection being carried out.

Health and Safety – Security

Landlords are responsible for ensuring their tenant’s living space is secure by law.

Over 350,000 burglaries are reported yearly in the UK, with over half of these being from rented homes.

Rented properties are generally less secure than owner-occupied ones, with council-owned properties reported as less secure.

To improve the relationship between landlords and tenants, it is advised that landlords install security systems. Not only to improve tenants’ peace of mind but to avoid damage and theft that could be rather costly. Ip security systems provide reliable and cost-effective solutions for building security.

Health and Safety – Electrical

Under the electrical equipment (safety) Regulations 1994 and certain other regulations, electrical appliances and equipment provided in tenanted premises must be safe.

It is, therefore, necessary to make a visual check to ensure all electrical items, plugs, plug sockets, light switches and leads are completely safe and undamaged. Any faulty or unsafe items must be removed and replaced.

Although there is no legal requirement to have electrical appliances PAT tested, this is expected to change in the future, and we recommend that all appliances are tested. We can arrange for PAT testing to be carried out for £60inc (for up to 5 appliances).

Smoke Alarms

All properties built since June 1992 must have been fitted with mains powered smoke alarms from new.

Although there is no legislation requiring smoke alarms to be fitted in other older tenanted properties, it is generally considered under common law ‘Duty of Care’ that Landlords or their Agents could be liable should a fire cause injury or damage in a tenanted property where smoke alarms are not fitted.

Consumer Fire Protection

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (Amended 1989 & 1993) provide that specified items supplied while letting property must meet minimum fire resistance standards.

Click here to read the full regulations.

The regulations apply to all upholstered furniture, beds, headboards, mattresses, sofa beds, futons and other convertibles, nursery furniture, garden furniture suitable for use in a dwelling, scatter cushions, pillows and non-original covers for furniture.

These regulations do not apply to antique furniture or furniture made before 1950, bed covers, including duvets, loose covers for mattresses, pillowcases, curtains, carpets or sleeping bags.

Items which comply will have a suitable permanent label attached. Non-compliant items must be removed before a tenancy commences.

What if you own a holiday let or holiday home?

All of the above is still relevant for holiday homeowners renting out their property on sites like Airbnb and Booking.com.

We briefly interviewed holiday letting management company HelloGuest, who commented that:

“Holiday let owners must remember that even though they’re not renting out their home long-term, it’s still critical to have certain regulations in place like Smoke Alarms, Carbon Monoxide Alarms, fire retarded furniture, electrical safety, and so much more.”

For more information on starting an Airbnb, continue to read their guide here.