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GIBSON HONEY Lettings Safety Regulations Speak to us

Essential Safety Requirements For Landlords

Your responsibilities when renting out your property

Taking safety regulations seriously helps to protect both your tenants and our landlords. Here we outline the key safety regulations and landlord responsibilities when letting out a property.

Gas Safety Checks

Gas Safety

The Gas Safety (Installation and use) Regulations 1988 require that all gas equipment is provided and maintained in a safe condition and inspected and certified annually.

The installation and appliances must be inspected annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer and a copy of the Gas Safety Record must be given to the tenant before the start of any new tenancy and also within 28 days of completion for subsequent checks. Gas appliances should be serviced in accordance with the frequency given in the manufacturer’s instructions and all repair and maintenance work during the tenancy must also be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Meeting the fundamental needs of your tenants

Electrical Safety

Landlords are required to ensure that the electrical installation in their residential premises is tested and certified at intervals of no more than 5 years and also to ensure that any electrical appliances supplied are safe.

1

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulation 2020 require landlords to ensure that every electrical installation in their residential premises is inspected and tested at intervals of no more than 5 years by a qualified and competent person. A copy of the inspection and test report, usually known as and Electrical installation Condition Report (EICR) must be given to all tenants before the start of the tenancy or within 28 days of the latest inspection and test.

2

Where the report requires the landlord to undertake further investigative or remedial work, the landlord must ensure that the work is carried out by a qualified person within 28 calendar days or the period specified in the report if less than 28 days, starting with the date of the inspection and testing. The landlord is required to obtain written confirmation from a qualified person that further work has been carried out and that the electrical safety standards have been met. Written confirmation, together with a copy of the report, must be supplied to each existing tenant within 28 days of completion of the work.

3

The Electrical (Safety) Regulations 1994 place a responsibility upon the landlord to ensure that any electrical appliances supplied are safe. Appliances should therefore be regularly tested by a suitably qualified engineer and we recommend that this inspection and testing should take place annually. The appliances should also have the CE marking (which is the manufacturer’s claim that it meets all the requirements of European law) and full working instructions must be provided.

Energy Performance Certificate

Fire Safety

The landlord should ensure that there is an adequate means of escape in case of fire and should assess the potential risks of fire in the property.

Requirements vary according to different types of property and there will be additional requirements for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) *HMO – is a property occupied by three or more people who form more than one household, ie three people who are not all related or part of the same family. Some HMO’s will require a licence.

Protecting Tenants

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

In accordance with The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, a smoke alarm must be fitted on every floor of the let property and a carbon monoxide alarm is required in any room where solid fuel is burnt, such as wood, coal or biomas, including open fires.

A landlord must ensure that the alarms are in working order at the start of each tenancy and the tenant will be responsible for testing the alarms throughout the tenancy, replacing batteries where required and for advising the landlord of any fault with the alarm.

KEEP YOUR SAFETY LABELS ON

Furniture and Furnishings

All upholstered furniture supplied must comply with the fire resistance requirements of the Fire and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and amendments.  The regulations apply to all types of upholstered seating (including bean bags, floor cushions and outdoor furniture), beds, pillows, bedheads, mattress toppers, loose and permanent covers for furniture. They do not apply to carpets, curtains or bed linen. Furniture manufactured before 1950 is exempt from the regulations. Furniture manufactured after 1988 must have the relevant safety label attached.

Making your water systems safe

Risk of Legionella

As part of the landlord’s legal requirement to ensure that the property is safe and free from health hazards, the landlord has a legal duty to consider, assess and control the risks of their tenant’s exposure to Legionella. Legionella bacteria can grow in water systems and exposure to this can result in serious illness (Legionnaires disease).

 

Flushing the system

Flushing out the system prior to letting the property.

Avoiding debris

Stop grit getting into the system (Eg. ensure the cold water tanks have a tight fitting lid).

Setting control parameters

Setting the temperature of the hot water cylinder to ensure water is stored at 60°C.

Keep the system tidy

Make sure any redundant pipework identified is removed.

Whilst the risks from hot and cold water systems in most residential settings are generally considered to be low owing to regular water usage and turnover, the landlord does have a duty to assess the risk from exposure to Legionella to ensure the safety of their tenants.

It is important to review the assessment regularly in case anything changes in the system.

We're on your side

Working for you

Keeping up with constantly evolving regulations can be a daunting task. These rules are often amended and updated – sometimes at relatively short notice.

So not only is there a lot for landlords to know and understand, but if you don’t have a reliable way of staying up to date with changes, you could easily find yourself unknowingly falling foul of the law, which could be very costly, both financially and personally. 

This is why, here at Gibson Honey, we ensure our team are highly qualified and fully informed on any legislation changes as they come into force.

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