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Chard London Lettings Agents - Your tenant's safety

Important safety information for landlords when letting property in the United Kingdom

As a landord letting a property you have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of your tenant.

In an increasingly safety conscious and litigous society it is essential that you (or your managing agent, if not managed by Chard) are aware of these responsibilities and act accordingly.

Failure to do so can lead to substantial fines and even imprisonment.

Given the scope of the extensive legislation covering these issues the following notes below are intended as a basic, introductory guide to safety considerations for landlords.

To arrange gas safety and electrical safety checks on your property contact Chard Property Management 0845 203 2500

Tenant Safety and Landlords' Obligations

Furniture fire safety

The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations (1988) (amended 1989) imposes fire resistance levels for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishing and other upholstered products present in a residential letting. The regulations include any of the following upholstered items: Furniture intended for private use in a rental property, including children's furniture, beds and headboards, futons, sofa beds and other convertibles, nursery furniture, garden furniture which may also be suitable for use in a home, scatter cushions and seat pads, pillows, loose and stretch covers for furniture. The regulations do not apply to furniture manufactured before 1950, and re-upholstery of furniture made before that date, bed clothes (including duvets), loose covers for mattresses, pillow cases, curtains, carpets. All new furniture (exceptmattresses and bed bases) must carry a permanent label in accordance with the regulations. Although the above may sound particularly onerous, generally speaking, most furniture manufactured since 1988 will comply with the regulations, nevertheless it is always the landlord's responsibility to check.

Gas safety

BY LAW all gas appliances in rental property must be checked annually by an engineer recognised by the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI). The scope of the act covers all chimneys and flues as well as central heating boilers, water heaters, boilers, ovens and hobs present in residential lettings. The landlord or landlord's letting agent is obliged to supply to the tenant a record of the gas appliances in the property together with details of the annual inspection, including any works done to the gas appliances in order to comply with the legislation

Never

• Buy or install second hand gas appliances in rental property
• Attempt DIY repairs to any gas appliances

Always

• Have all gas appliances in residential lettings checked by a CORGI registered engineer
• Obtain a "Landlords Gas Safety Certificate" before letting.
• Leave instruction booklets in rental properties for tenants for all gas appliances.

Electrical Safety

Landlords should also ensure that electrical appliances and fittings within the property being rented are safe and in working order. Unlike the CORGI Gas Safety Regulations (see above), there is no absolute statutory requirement for landlords to possess a Landlord's Electrical Safety Certificate. Landlords should be aware however that should any electrical fittings or appliances within the rental property harm a tenant you could be held legally accountable. Your tenant could sue you for damages and or worse you can be brought before a court for negligence under the regulations.

This should not affect diligent landlords who manage their properties conscientiously and professionally, yet failure to take account of electrical safety can prove highly damaging to both landlord and tenant.

Landlords are advised to make regular visual checks on all electrical appliances and installations within the property and better still, have a qualified electrician check too periodically.

Tips For Landlords

• Keep supplied electrical appliances to a minimum.
• Make sure electrical appliances in the property are complete and serviceable
• Retail all receipts when buying or servicing electrical appliances in rented property
• Be especially careful if buying second hand equipment and always have these items checked by a qualified electrician. Better still, don't supply old or used electrical appliances when you let a property
• Ensure that operating manuals or instructions together with safety warning notices are supplied with the electrical appliances in rented property
• Check that that flexes/cables are in good order and properly attached to appliances and plugs and that plugs are properly fused
• Make sure earth tags are in place.
• Make sure that plugs are of an approved type with sleeved live and neutral pins.
• All plugs and sockets should conform to BS1363 or BS1363/A for heavy duty uses.
• Make sure that your tenants know the location of and have access to the main consumer unit, fuses and isolator switch within the property
• Make a note of all fuse ratings on the inventory.

If you are in any doubt about the wiring or the safety of any appliances consult a qualified electrician.