Important Safety and Legal Requirements
IMPORTANT SAFETY AND LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
GAS SAFETY
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 state landlords must ensure that gas appliances, fittings and flues are safe for the tenant’s use, and that installation, maintenance and annual safety checks are carried out by a technician registered with the Gas Safety Register (which superseded CORGI on 1st April 2009).
The landlord must keep a record of the safety check for two years. They must issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed and issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY
As of 1 April 2021, all rental properties must have an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report). These regulations require all landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years. They must obtain a report from the qualified person and provide a copy of this to their tenants, and to the local council if requested.
The aim is consistent electrical safety across every rented home. Faulty wiring causes fires and electric shocks, and before 2021 the standard varied hugely from one rental to the next. The Regulations set a single benchmark so that every tenant lives somewhere that has actually been checked.
All electrical certifications should be carried out by a registered electrician for example, one who is registered with the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installers and Contractors (NICEIC).
FIRE SAFETY
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 and 1993) sets minimum fire resistance standards for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings and other products containing upholstery that remain in a dwelling during a tenancy.
These include any of the following which contain upholstery:
Furniture intended for private use in a dwelling, including children's furniture
Beds, head-boards of beds, mattresses (of any size)
Sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles
Nursery furniture, garden furniture suitable for use in a dwelling
Scatter cushions, pillows, seat pads and loose and stretch covers for furniture
The Regulations do not apply to:
furniture made before 1950
sleeping bags
bed-clothes (including duvets)
loose covers for mattresses
pillowcases
curtains
carpets
For items that do apply, a suitable label must be attached to the furniture in a prominent position so that the label will be clearly visible to a potential purchaser of the furniture and the wording on both sides can be read with reasonable ease. Examples of these labels can be seen above.
SMOKE ALARMS & CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
After 1st October 2015 the landlord must ensure that a smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of the premises on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation. Additionally, landlords must ensure that there is a carbon monoxide alarm fitted in any room that is used partly or wholly as living accommodation which also contains any appliance which burns, or is capable of burning, solid fuel. This would include log and coal burning stoves and open fires.
ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE
With effect from 1st October 2008, all new tenancies require an Energy Performance Certificate. Their purpose is to determine how energy efficient homes are on a scale of A-G. The most efficient homes - which should have the lowest fuel bills - are in band A. The certificate uses the same scale to define the impact a home has on the environment. Better-rated homes should have less impact through carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The average property in the UK is in bands D-E for both ratings.
The certificate includes recommendations on ways to improve the home's energy efficiency to save money and help the environment.
INSURANCE
The landlord must insure the building and any contents which will be listed on the inventory. The tenant will also insure their own belongings.