Rules and Regulations

In respect to safety, below are stated certain laws that the Landlord is obliged to adhere to when letting a property to a Tenant. Thereafter is a section of Terms which state the definitions as mentioned in an Assured Short hold Tenancy Agreement.

It is mandatory that these regulations are abided by and proof of this will have to be documented for archive purposes.

Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998

The landlord is legally obliged to have all gas appliances and fittings to be inspected annually by a CORGI (Council for registered Gas Installers) who holds the necessary ACOP certification registered engineer and a report provided.

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1998 as amended in 1993

All upholstery and upholstered furnishings, eg sofas, armchairs, mattresses, pillows, supplied as part of the tenancy must comply with current fire resistance standards. Items such as carpets, curtains and bedding are not included and any furniture manufactured prior to 1950 will be exempt providing that they have not been re-upholstered with an illegal filling. Such furnishings must carry the appropriate permanent labels to show that they comply. Any furnishings which do not comply with the regulations must be removed prior to the start of the tenancy.

Electricity

Whilst electrical legislation is less explicit then the above two, It is a statutory duty for Landlords and Agents to ensure that all electrical wiring and equipment present in a rental property is safe for use and maintained adequately. The two main Acts of Parliament that impose a statutory duty on Landlords with respect to the safety of electrical equipment are:

The consumer protection Act 1987

The Health and Safety Act 1974

There are also several items of secondary legislation under the umbrella of the Consumer Protection act which are directly relevant to the supply of electrical goods, including:

The Low Voltage Electrical Equipment Regulations 1989
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
The General Product Safety Regulations 1994
The Plugs and sockets (safety) Regulations 1994
 
We consider it essential that an electrical safety check is conducted prior to the letting of a property and that a regular inspection programme is implemented.

Smoke Detectors

Properties built after June 1992 must have mains interlinked smoke detectors on each floor. Older properties do not fall under these regulations. However, we would recommend that a let property have at least one fully operational battery operated detector on each floor as a minimum requirement.

The Taxes Act 1988 and the Taxation of Income from the Land (Non Residents) Regulations 1995

The landlord is responsible for notifying the Inland Revenue of the tenancy, if the Landlord of the property resides abroad, the Inland Revenue will hold us as your Agents, responsible for the payment of any Tax liability which arises on rents collected by us on your behalf, unless an approval certificate is provided by the Inland Revenue pursuant to the Finance Act 1995.