Having a qualified Propertymark or RICS member agent like Reeds Rains manage your rental property means you can be confident that both your property and tenant are being looked after in a professional manner, and a big part of operating a professional let is ensuring it remains legally compliant.
There are two key certificates to obtain:
Gas Safety Certificate
An inspection of all parts of the gas system – including the boiler and flues, gas appliances, hot water cylinder and gas meter – must be carried out every 12 months by an engineer who is Gas Safe registered.
It is illegal for someone who is not on the register to carry out work on any domestic gas appliance. The gas engineer must also be authorised to carry out the specific work they are being asked to do, so check this.
If any repairs are needed, they must be carried out as soon as possible, to ensure everything is in proper working order. The engineer will issue a Gas Safety Certificate, a copy of which must be given to new tenants before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of the check. The original certificate must legally be kept for at least two years, and ideally until the tenancy ends.
For more information, see our article, ‘Who should be making gas safety checks for your rental property?’.
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
You must have an inspection and test of the full electrical system carried out at least once every five years by a suitably qualified electrician – sooner if required by the last report.
You will then be issued with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), and if any investigations or repairs are required, they must be completed with 28 days. As with the gas safety certificate, a copy of the EICR must be supplied to the tenant within 28 days.
While any electrical appliances you’ve supplied do not legally have to be tested or certified, you are obliged to take reasonable steps to ensure they’re safe, so it is recommended that you also have a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) carried out every one to two years.
For more on the testing and how to find an appropriate contractor, see ‘Who should be making the electrical checks on your property?’.
Other key checks
While there are no specific certificates to secure, two other important areas of safety that must be checked are:
Fire alarms
Smoke detectors must be tested to make sure they are working at the start of the tenancy – and, ideally, checked during periodic inspections, along with any Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector. This should be recorded on the inventory.
Legionella
Part of ensuring your rented property is safe for tenants is minimising the risk of legionella. This is a bacteria that can form in any hot or cold water system when the water is standing within a specific temperature range. When the property is in use, the risk is very low, but checks should be made between tenancies and when a property is vacant.
For more information on what’s involved in legionella checks, see our separate article.
If the required checks are not carried out when they should be, and certificates gained where appropriate, not only are you breaking the law and endangering the lives of your tenants, but it can impact the let in other ways.
For instance, if the current gas safety certificate is not given to the tenant, any section 21 notice issued will not be legally enforceable.
Of course, you can arrange for these inspections, checks and certifications yourself. However, using a professional managing agent can not only save you a lot of time and effort, but also take some of the legal responsibility off your shoulders.
We have systems in place to ensure that appointments are always made in good time with reliable, suitably qualified engineers and contractors.
If repair works are required, we can arrange for them to be carried out efficiently and will make all other health and safety checks on your behalf, both before and during every tenancy. You can access all the information and documentation via your RR//Online account at any time.
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The Reeds Rains Content Marketing Team
