Rental Regulations

...Obligations

There are many obligations that a Landlord has from keeping a property well maintained, safe and comfortable for a tenant to live in. But there are also legal obligations that they must abide by as well.

Energy Performance Cert...

To even begin to market their property they must apply for an Energy Performance Certificate. These are used to determine the efficiency of a property and a tenant can use them to compare running costs of properties. These can also be handy to a Landlord as they offer advice on how they can make their property more efficient and in turn more appealing to a tenant.

...Gas Safety Cert

A Landlords Gas Safety Certificate is also required. These last 12 months so best to leave these until we have a tenant lined up, ready to move in. This is to be sure that all of the gas appliances within the property are safe to use, be it a cooker, fireplace or boiler. A registered Gas Safe Engineer will be required to do this but don’t worry, we have one on call and always happy to organise it for you.

Electrical Inspection...

Electrical inspections for a long time were not a legal requirement, it was just expected as a landlord you were responsible enough for making sure that the electrical system is safe including all sockets and light fittings. It is also the landlord’s responsibility that any portable appliances they leave within the property are safe to use; for example fridge freezers, washing machines, table lamps and any other free standing appliances. However on the 1st June 2020 new regulations were introduced making EICR certificates mandatory for all rental properties. These new Regulations require landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a person who is qualified and competent, at an interval of at least every 5 years. Landlords have to provide a copy of the electrical safety report to their tenants, and to their local authority if requested. Organising this can be done through Johnson & Jones recommended trades if we are managing your property, we will even update and inform you once we get the the 5 year renewal date.

...Smoke & Carbon

From October 2015 it will be a legal requirement for Landlords to provide working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in all of their properties. Since 1992 building regulations have deemed this as a requirement in all new build properties. So if your property was built after this date it is likely they are already installed. Again if you need assistance with this, we are always happy to help.