Legislation

Gas Safety Certification

As a Landlord it is your duty to make sure all gas appliances in the property are in safe working order. This must be checked on an annual basis.

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Portable Appliance Tests

Portable appliance testing (PAT) is recommended for all rental properties. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition.

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Electrical Installation Condition Report

All tenancies in England require a valid Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR) which is when the electrical installations are tested by a ‘skilled’ person to ensure they are safe and they will not cause any fire risks or electric shocks.

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Energy Performance Certification

An energy performance certificate (EPC) is a report which shows how energy efficient a property is. This is needed whenever a property is built, rented or sold. An EPC must be in place prior to the marketing of a property and a rental property must have a minimum rating of E. The Government has recently introduced legislation advising that by 2030 all rental properties must have a minimum rating of C.

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Furniture and Furnishings

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (FFRs) were introduced to save lives threatened by highly flammable materials used to manufacture upholstered furniture. It is UK law and is designed to ensure that upholstery components and composites used for furniture supplied in the UK meet specified ignition resistance levels and are suitably labelled.

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Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Landlords must ensure at least one smoke alarm is installed on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation. This has been a legal requirement in the private rented sector since 2015. They must also ensure a carbon monoxide alarm is installed in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). These alarms must be repaired or replaced once found that they are faulty.

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House in Multiple Occupation Licence

A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is a property rented out by at least 3 people who are not from 1 ‘household’ (for example a family) but share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen. It’s sometimes called a ‘house share’.
If you want to rent out your property as a house in multiple occupation in England, you must contact your council to check if you need a licence.
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Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation)

The Act came into force on 20 March 2019. It is designed to ensure that all rented accommodation is fit for human habitation and to strengthen tenants’ means of redress against the minority of Landlords who do not fulfil their legal obligations to keep their properties safe. For more information, please Click Here.