As a Landlord you are responsible for certain safety requirements within the property that you are letting out. I have put together a brief summary of your responsibilities and have also included a link to the corresponding website responsible for the individual regulations for further information. If you are unsure about anything please speak to us and we will discuss your concerns further.
The regulations place legal duties on landlords. The regulations state that you as landlord must carry out a mandatory yearly check to assess whether or not the system and appliances are safe and meet current standards. The regulations also cover appliances using bottled gas and the external storage of gas (propane gas). The following items must be safe:
It is a legal requirement to comply with the regulations and failure to do so is a criminal offence. The maximum penalty for non-compliance is six months imprisonment, and/or a £5,000 fine.
Please note: If a tenant or occupant dies as a result of the Regulations not being adhered to, a more serious charge may be brought.
If you are appointing an engineer to carry out your gas safety record the engineer must be registered with the gas safe Register. Contractors must renew their registration each year. The contractors must also be qualified to check and work on specific appliances. The contractors have to work to an approved accreditation scheme which is over seen by the gas safe register. This is called the National Accreditation Certificate Scheme (ACS). This details what the contractor is allowed to work on, e.g. gas boilers, gas fires etc. If you instruct Sarah Faulkner Lettings and Management Limited to carry this out on your behalf then we will check that the engineer is allowed to work on the necessary appliances.
The law states that a current gas safety record must be produced and given to a tenant before they move in. Later checks must be done within a year of the previous check and a copy of the new gas safety record must be given to the tenant within 28 days of the check.
If you would like further information regarding the regulations then you can do so by clicking here www.gassaferegister.co.uk
There are two current sets of regulations that cover the supply of electrical equipment with a working voltage of between 50 and 1,000 volts. These are:
It is not mandatory to have electrical equipment checked each year but good practice. Failing to make sure that electrical equipment and appliances are safe is a criminal offence. It is an offence to supply any electrical equipment that doesn’t comply with the regulations which state that any electrical equipment supplied should:
• Be safe
• Be made in line with safety measures
• Meet safety objectives
The 1994 regulations require that the electrical equipment itself, the packaging, the printed instructions or the guarantee must be marked with the letters ‘CE’ to show they comply with requirements.
As a landlord you should make sure that appliances are regularly serviced and instruction manuals are given to tenants. Although there is no requirement to have electrical items checked there is a legal duty for them to be safe. You can make sure they are safe by regular checks. If there was an injury or fatality in a property where there was a fire due to an electrical fault it would be up to the landlord and or agent to prove retrospectively that the electrics were safe. This is impossible without documentary evidence that safety checks had been carried out.
The regulations are enforced by the Trading standards Office. Failure to comply could lead to a fine and or a prison sentence.
If you require further information regarding these regulations then please visit www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
Since 1 March 1993 new or second hand furniture in rented properties must meet all fire resistance requirements. The regulations cover the following items:
The regulations do not apply to:
Upholstered furniture that meets the requirements of the Regulations will normally carry a permanent label with the heading ‘CARELESSNESS CAUSES FIRE’. In the case of mattresses, look for a label stating compliance with BS 7177.
Non-compliance of the furniture and furnishings fire safety regulations is a criminal offence and may lead to a fine of up to £5,000 and /or a prison sentence.
The regulations do not allow non-compliant furniture to be gifted or sold when the property is let. This is against the regulations.
These regulations are enforced by local trading standards officers. If in doubt contact your local trading standards office or www.tradingstandards.gov.uk