Landlord Responsibilities
Check list
keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme check your tenant has the right to rent your property give your tenant a copy of the How to rent checklist when they start renting from you (you can email it to them)
Gas Safety certificate – every 12 months all gas appliances must be checked by an certified gas engineer.
EICR – Electrical installation condition report – it is recommended that periodic inspection and testing is carried out at least every five years or at the end of a tenancy, whichever comes first.
PAT – Portable appliance testing – Any items left in a rented property need to be checked. These are extension leads, microwaves, kettles ect.
EPC – Energy performance certificate –They are an requirement to advertise & rent/Sell a property – On 1st April 2018, it became a legal requirement for residential landlords to ensure their Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have a minimum rating of E. They last for 10 years.
Fire safety
Fit and test smoke alarms & carbon monoxide alarms on each floor of the property.
Fire safety tags – Items such as sofas, mattresses, cushions
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
If you let your property to several tenants who are not members of the same family, it may be a ‘House in Multiple Occupation’ (HMO).
The rules about HMOs are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Your property is an HMO if both of the following apply:
- at least 3 tenants live there, forming more than one household
- toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities are shared
A household consists of either a single person or members of the same family who live together. It includes people who are married or living together and people in same-sex relationships.
If someone in an HMO becomes ill with coronavirus (COVID-19), you do not have to find alternative accommodation for the other tenants. You also cannot make someone leave their home because they have coronavirus. Read the coronavirus and renting guidance for tenants and landlords.
Licences
An HMO must have a licence if it is occupied by 5 or more people. A council can also include other types of HMOs for licensing.
Find out if you need an HMO licence from your council.
Risk assessment
The council has to carry out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) risk assessment on your HMO within 5 years of receiving a licence application. If the inspector finds any unacceptable risks during the assessment, you must carry out work to eliminate them.
Reporting changes
You must tell the council if:
- you plan to make changes to an HMO
- your tenants make changes
- your tenants’ circumstances change (for example they have a child)
Smoke alarms & co alarms
Landlords are required by law to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every floor of their properties and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance (eg a coal fire, wood burning stove, gas boiler). You must also make sure the alarms are in working order at the start date of each new tenancy.