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!
