As one of our landlords, we will make sure you are always up to date with ever changing regulations in the rental market. If we manage your property you can be 100% confident you will be 100% compliant at all times.
Landlord guide to safety responsibilities
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Electrical safety
Since the 1st June 2020 a Landlord must make sure that their property electrical system is safe prior to a new tenancy starting and from April 2021 this has included existing tenancies. We can arrange a qualified electrician to carry out the 5 year condition report so you are covered.
Gas Safety certificate
A registered engineer must carry out an annual check and provide a certificate. Our computerised system means if you’re a managed landlord the check will never be missed.
Fire Safety
A relatively recent change that means a Landlord must provide a smoke alarm on each story and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance. We can arrange for our tradesman to install the alarms in the relevant rooms if required.
Furniture
If you decide to let your property furnished then items made after 1950 such as sofas, beds and mattresses must comply with The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire safety) regulations 1988 Act.
Legionella Risk Assessment
Landlords have a legal obligation to carry out an assessment in respect of legionella bacteria. We can arrange for the assessment to be done prior to your new tenant moving in so there’s no risk of you not complying.
Energy Performance certificates (EPC’s)
Any residential property offered for let must have an EPC which is carried out a professional assessor and covers elements such as heating, insulation and glazing. We can arrange your property EPC using our own qualified assessor.
Landlord responsibilities for their tenant’s bond
Since 2007 Landlords must protect tenants bonds by registering them with one of the Government approved schemes either opting for a custodial scheme or insurance based scheme. Bonds have to be protected within 30 days of being paid by the tenant and what is known as the ‘prescribed information’ given to the tenant and anyone who has paid the deposit on the tenant’s behalf. Non compliance could result in the tenant taking the landlord to court resulting in a fine of up to three times the bond amount plus the landlord cannot serve a notice to end the tenancy and regain possession their property under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.
If we manage your property we will automatically protect the tenant’s bond using the TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) giving you peace of mind that you are fully compliant and if any disputes should arise at the end of the tenancy they will be handled by Belvoir Harrogate.
If you opt for our Let only service then you would have to join one of the approved schemes, providing the tenant with the relevant prescribed information within the set time frame and deal with any potential disputes at the end of the tenancy. We can relieve you of this complicated burden via our fully managed service.
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