Being a Bradford landlord brings certain responsibilities. We’ll help you meet them.
Before and during the life of a let, every landlord needs to ensure the property – and their processes – are compliant with certain regulations. It can seem as though there are a huge number, and the penalties for getting things wrong can be severe, but don’t worry. Let your property with Locate Homes and whenever there’s a compliance requirement, we’ll be there to help you meet it.
Compliance requirements include:
Each Bradford property you let (and each apartment in a block of self-contained flats) needs an Energy Performance Certificate. We can arrange this for you, and you can find out more here.
Every deposit a tenant pays needs placing within a government backed scheme. You can find out about our scheme, and the way we manage your deposits for you, here.
You must fit a mains powered smoke alarm on every floor where there is at least one room that is used (in whole or in part) as accommodation. This includes bathrooms.
If the room also contains a “solid fuel burning combustion appliance” (ie fireplace, boiler etc) then you should also fit a carbon monoxide detector, and ensure both are working at the start of every new tenancy.
At the start of a tenancy, you must provide a copy of the current Gas Safety Record to the tenant. You need to provide a new Gas Safety Record to tenants annually, and within 28 days of the expiry of the previous one.
Keep all records for two years from the date of the check. Failure to comply with the Gas Safety Regulations could result in imprisonment, a fine of up to £20,000, or both.
Electrical equipment in the Bradford property you are letting must be safe. To ensure that’s the case, a ‘competent person’ such as an NICEIC qualified electrician, must make a check of all electrical equipment annually, or whenever a new tenant moves in.
You should leave instruction booklets or written instructions for all electrical equipment in the property, and make a note of the date of the safety check in the inventory.
Accidents that are the result of electrical equipment that does not comply with the regulations could lead to six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine.
Any electrical installation work (whoever carries it out) should meet the British Standard for electrical installations: BS 7671. You will need a certificate (from a qualified contractor or a local authority) to show that any work carried out meets the standard.
The furniture in any Bradford property you let must comply with these regulations, which apply to all upholstered furniture manufactured after 1 March 1989. The regulations include soft furnishings, loose and stretch-fit covers, foam fillings, mattresses etc, but not bed linen, carpets and curtains.
You can find more here.
There are additional compliance issues for houses in multiple occupation (properties let to three or more unrelated people). To find out more, please contact us.
For more on complying with any of these issues, and to find out how managed lettings with Locate can make compliance easy, call us on 01274 720 900.