Month: October 2018

As a landlord there are a number of safety obligations you must follow to keep your tenants and property safe. Failures to follow the regulations could lead to hefty fines, invalid insurance and injury to the occupants. So here’s our easy guide on how to be a responsible and compliant landlord.

Do landlords need to have all their electrics tested annually?

• By law you must ensure that all electrical installations in your rental property and in a safe condition at the beginning and end of each tenancy. Whilst an EICR or Electrical Installation Condition report is not legally required for smaller rental properties, getting an electrician to carry out this testing every 5 years is the best way to ensure the electrics are safe and haven’t deteriorated or been damaged.
• If you are the landlord of a house of multiple occupants (HMO) defined as a property occupied by 3 or more people who form more than two households such a student house, then a EICR needs to be carried out every 5 years by a registered electrician to comply with the law.

Do landlords need to PAT test?

• Whilst Portable Appliance Testing is not a legal requirement, the law does state that all electrical equipment within a rental property must be safe to use. If you’re a landlord who provides any white goods or a furnished property, then you are responsible for any electrical equipment you provide your tenants. Should an accident occur due to an unsafe electrical appliance you will be liable. The easiest way to avoid this to get a registered electrician to carry out annual PAT tests on all the electrical goods you provide. Although you would still be liable for any faults, a PAT test will check for both visual defects and internal. A qualified PAT Testing specialist will be able to perform tests and checks on a variety of appliances using PAT testers that will be able to show if the appliance has passed or failed testing including earth continuity, lead polarity, and insulation resistance, among others for more advanced testers.

Fire and CO Alarms in rental properties

• All private landlords in England must have a smoke alarm installed on each level of their property. The alarms must be tested and working before the start of each tenancy. A CO alarm must be fitted into any room containing a solid burning fuel appliance such a coal fire or wood burning stove. Non compliance can lead to fine of up to £5000 by the local authority.
  

  Nest Protect Co2 and smoke detector

• Smoke & CO alarms such as the Nest Protect are becoming more and more popular with landlords as they can notify the landlord when the alarm is going off, a useful feature for when the property is vacant.

The above rules don’t just apply to landlords; AirBnB hosts also fall under this umbrella as paid-for accommodation is classed as rented property for these regulations.

Our next blog on HMO’s is coming soon!

Since our last blog in June about electric cars and installing an electric car charger at home, a whole host of manufacturers have released details with their upcoming fully electric vehicles. With UK grants to PHEV (plug-in hybrids) due to end in November, the car giants are racing to bring out EV’s with the newest battery technology ensuring a longer journey time and avoiding the dreaded range anxiety.

One of the most regular complaints we hear about electric cars is how they always look different to the standard petrol or diesel models. Cars such as BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf are reviewed as quirky and futuristic, whilst consumers are screaming out for vehicles that look normal. It appears that manufacturers have listened and the new releases on to the market look, well, like normal cars!

Trying to compete with Tesla, Audi have released their first standalone electric model the Audi e-Tron. With two motor’s jointly producing 300kW of power, this full sized SUV is capable of 0-62mph in less than 6 seconds. This car can go the distance as well with a range of up to 248 miles per charge. The model debuts Audi’s virtual wing mirrors, replacing traditional glass mirrors with a camera that streams onto a display mounted into the front doors.  And this isn’t the last of its innovative technology – the e-Tron route planner calculates your route showing electric car charger stations and incorporates the estimated charge time into the traffic data to calculate your arrival time. The e-Tron is currently available for pre-order, we anticipate this car being very popular so placing a deposit is advised.

Also debuting its first fully electric performance SUV, Jaguar has released the I-Pace. A bold move by an established premium car manufacturer, Jaguar have produced the first car in the market that can rival Tesla’s premium EV dominance. Containing two motors this SUV can manage 0-60mph in a swift 4.5 seconds and claims a mammoth 298 mile range. A sportier alternative to the Tesla model X, this car is definitely worth a look if you’re after a high tech family SUV that’s packed with futuristic features.

Tesla’s model 3 due to be released into the UK in 2019, is the brand’s first sensibly priced fully electric car. Smaller than the Model S and Model X, there are already half a million paid deposits. The Model 3 is designed to be the safest car in its class. With a range of up to 310 miles per charge and 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds, a price of $35,000 makes it one of the most affordable cars for its range on the market. Unfortunately, you cannot use the Tesla Superchargers (Tesla’s own electric car charger) for free, unlike the other models. But this well engineered car will definitely persuade more people to switch to EV’s.

For details of how to install electric chargers at home if any of these models have prompted you to make the switch to electric get in touch!

How to reduce your winter electric bill

As the days get shorter and the temperature slowly starts to drop, our homes use more and more electricity. The need and desire to stay inside and keep warm means that our central heating goes on and our lights come on earlier and earlier in the day. Bills can escalate over the winter but there are easy energy saving tips you can follow to minimise your use of electricity, keep your bills down and help the environment.

Here are Opulous’s top energy saving tips to get your home ready for winter and help you save

• Switch your old fashioned halogen lamps over to LED – LED technology has come a long way over the last couple of years, meaning that all standard halogen house lamps can now be upgrade with there more energy efficient younger cousin LED.
• Upgrade your heating controls to include a smart thermostat – devices such as the Nest Thermostat learn your behaviour and controls your heating and hot water whilst the app enables you to turn it off and on, up or down when you’re away from home.
• 90% of your washing machine energy is used to heat up the water so washing your clothes at a lower temperature is an easy way to save electricity.
• Switch energy providers every time your contract ends – you can use comparison website to find the best deals for your usage.
• Ensure empty spaces like your loft are as insulated as possible – for some properties it is possible to save the money spent on loft insulation the following year.
• Make sure your boiler is serviced annually to ensure it’s running as efficiently as possible.
• Deal with the draughts – gaps in your doors, windows and floors can let the cold air in and the warm air out.
• Avoid leaving appliances on standby – switch unused device off on the socket to avoid unnecessary electricity from being used. Even unused mobiles chargers use power when left plugged in.

For more energy saving tips at home and to find out how we can help you with all your domestic and commercial electrical needs please get in touch!