Page 7 - John Payne Letting Guide

SAFETY
1 GAS SAFETY
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords have a legal obligation to make sure all gas pipework, appliances, fittings and flues are safe to use and maintained in a safe condition. Every gas appliance and flue must be tested for safety every 12 months. A Gas Safety record must
be provided to existing tenants within 28 days of the annual safety check, or to new tenants before they move in, and you must keep copies yourself for two years. All installation, maintenance and safety checks must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. We can arrange this for you.
2 FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS (FIRE) (SAFETY) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2010
Upholstered furniture and soft furnishings supplied in a rented property must comply
with current regulations. This includes, but is not limited to, bed frames, mattresses, headboards, sofabeds, pillows, cushions, seat pads and any garden furniture that may be used indoors. Items which comply will have a suitable permanent label attached. All non-compliant items must be removed before a tenant moves in. Bedding, carpets, curtains and any furniture made before 1950 are exempt.
3 ELECTRICAL SAFETY STANDARDS IN THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR (ENGLAND) REGULATIONS 2020
The Government have set The Electrical
Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 meaning landlords must ensure every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person. The Regulations also state that a landlord is required to obtain
a report of the results of the inspection and test, supply it to each tenant within 28 days and retain a copy until the next inspection is due.
4 SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
New regulations introduced in October 2015 require landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor of their rental property and test them on the first day of every tenancy, and
to install carbon monoxide alarms in high risk rooms such as those where a solid fuel heating appliance is installed. Stricter standards apply to HMO’s.
5 HOMES (FITNESS FOR HUMAN HABITATION) ACT 2018
There is now a legally implied covenant in all tenancy agreements covered by the Act that
a property should be fit for human habitation both at the start and during the tenancy. Landlords (or their agent) will be responsible for attending to disrepair/fitness issues once they are notified although where this is in a communal area the responsibility begins immediately
any such issues occur. A failure to deal with applicable problems may result in the tenant taking direct court action against the landlord which could result in the court ordering works (specific performance) and compensation. It is vitally important that documented routine visits are carried out in order to identify disrepair or potential problems before they give the tenant any cause to go to court. Those landlords who respond promptly and implement an ongoing maintenance regime will mitigate the likelihood of action being taken against them.
We will try and identify any issue which is apparent to us, however, if you have any concern about issues that are not so obvious, we recommend that you discuss the situation with us at the earliest opportunity.
Council inspectors look at
29 health and safety areas during an HHSRS inspection!
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