Electrical Safety First has found that landlords are exposing themselves to significant financial risks, from fines and invalidated insurance, through not acting on their electrical safety obligations.
Landlords are also putting millions of UK private tenants at risk of serious accident or fire. We have clarified your obligations for electrical safety in rental properties and provide a range of resources to help you keep your tenants safe. Your responsibilities as a landlord
Landlords are required by law to ensure:
- That the electrical installation in a rented property is safe when tenants move in and maintained in a safe condition throughout its duration.
- That a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) has a periodic inspection carried out on the property every five years.
- If your property is not an HMO, you are not legally obliged to do this. However, we recommend that a periodic inspection and test is carried out by a registered electrician on your rental properties at least every five years.
- That any appliance provided is safe and has at least the CE marking (which is the manufacturer’s claim that it meets all the requirements of European law). To meet these requirements a landlord will need to regularly carry out basic safety checks to ensure that the electrical installation and appliances are safe and working.
At Landlord certs London , we encourage all of our landlords to carry out a mid-term inspection on their rental properties. As short-term tenancy agreements are generally six months long, mid-term inspections are typically carried out after three months. For some of our clients this seems unnecessary after such a relatively short time, but lettings do occasionally go wrong.
Horror stories aside, here are more reasons to carry out that mid-term inspection:
Review the inventory:
In our experience, visiting your property half way through the tenancy ensures that it is being looked after properly. It will also provide you with the opportunity to review the condition of items listed on the initial inventory report. The inventory provides detailed information on all fixtures, fittings and décor provided by the landlord at the commencement of the tenancy agreement.
Maintenance check:
Occasionally, mid-term inspections will reveal maintenance work that needs to be carried out, such as, minor repairs to fixtures and fittings or damp and mould that may need treating. Landlords who care for their property and attend to issues promptly generally enjoy more positive relationships with their tenants who in turn are more likely to take better care of your property.
Find out what’s really happening : Busy landlords who decide to manage their own property often neglect to carry out background checks or vet their tenants, leading to potential problems as the tenancy progresses. Frequent problems arising from tenants falling into this category include:
- Damage to fixtures and fittings, such as door frames, skirting boards and so on. Failure to discover any significant damage until the end of a tenancy agreement means you risk losing one or two months’ rental income as you arrange for repairs to be carried out
- Gardens filled with rubbish
- Pets being kept in properties with a ‘no pets’ clause. While this clause is common in some areas, surveys suggest that the number of London based landlords allowing their tenants to keep pets has risen by around 75% in recent years
- Tenants who cause disturbances or problems with their neighbours
- Properties that have been sub-let
- Additional people living at the property without notification
- Smoking in a non-smoking property
Without a mid-term inspection, landlords may not be aware of any problems until the damage is extensive.
Enable you to make a decision on renewal:
With the growing number of private rental properties in the UK, the trends is moving towards long-term tenancies. Finding a reliable, long-term tenant is every landlord’s dream but the only way to assess their potential is to carry out a mid-term inspection, especially during those first six months.
Build a positive relationship with your tenant:
A tenant who treats your property with respect and pays your rent on time is worth keeping hold of. Your mid-term inspection will be able to assess whether your tenant falls into this category.
At Redstones, we offer a fully managed property service to our landlords which includes carrying out the mid-term inspection at a mutually convenient time with your tenant. Once the inspection is completed, we provide a detailed assessment of the condition of your property together with recommendations for any necessary maintenance and highlighting potential causes for concern.
Make your life easier. With LCL’s fully managed option you know your property is in safe hands. Call us today to discuss our full range of lettings services.