We publish this blog on a regular basis to underline how important it is that landlords are fully compliant.

With record fines being issued by local authorities and an ever changing lettings legal landscape, I would like to reiterate what every landlord should consider to ensure they are compliant and won’t be fined. This is especially relevant for those landlords who manage their buy-to-lets themselves.

To start, there around 170 pieces of legislation governing the private rental sector and the following are some of the most important ones that landlords should be aware of, especially if, as I have already stated, they choose to manage their property themselves.

Every single landlord - or their agent - needs to register the tenant’s deposit. It is believed that one in six tenants' deposits are not registered, leaving the landlord liable to a fine three times the amount of the deposit. This is the landlords liability whether they use an agent or not. As well as a hefty fine, it also makes it very difficult to potentially evict the tenant should this be necessary.

When your tenant pays their deposit, it has to be protected in one of the government approved schemes within 30 days.

Even if you do register the deposit, you must also give your tenant proof of being in the scheme. That must include information on which of the three schemes you chose; The Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). You must also give the tenant details on how they can get their deposit back at the end of the tenancy.

 

Every landlord must provide a safe rental home for their tenants. Every rental property must have an annual Gas Safety Certificate. The certificate, issued by a qualified and registered Gas Safe engineer, is only valid for 12 months. All certificates must be retained for 24 months, and you MUST give your tenant a copy of the existing, valid certificate prior to the tenancy starting. Again, not doing this will could render any eviction procedures null and void.

These regulations require landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a person who is qualified and competent, at an interval of at least every 5 years. Landlords have to provide a copy of the electrical safety report (EICR) to their tenants, and to their local authority if requested.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is just like the colour coded energy rating diagrams you see on fridges and washing machines. In this case, it shows the energy efficiency rating of your rental property. If you don’t have an EPC, you cannot even advertise your property for rental, never mind let it out.

Also, since this Summer, rental properties have had to achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of 'E'. If your property doesn't meet this requirement, you'll be unable to rent it out, although there are a handful of exemptions. Again, you also must give your tenant a copy of the up-to-date EPC certificate. 

There are also upcoming changes to EPC regulations which are yet to be formally announced by the government with proposals to have a minimum rating of 'C' for all rental properties.

 

Every landlord can only let their property to a tenant who has the legal right to rent in the UK. You have the legal responsibility of checking the prospective tenant’s identification and confirming that the tenant is legally in the British Isles. If you let your property to someone in the UK illegally, you may face a substantial fine.

 

How about...

The list goes on!

 

As you can see, there are many things a landlord must consider when it comes to being compliant. As well as the logistical nuisance that adhering to these regulations offer, there are quite substantial financial penalties involved if your landlord obligations are not met. 

 

Landlords can make sure they are fully compliant by having a 'Landlord Compliance Health Check' with our letting experts at Professional Properties.

The cost of this Health Check... absolutely nothing!

All we want to do is give you peace of mind that you and your property are compliant. You may be a landlord that manages your rental property yourself or you may be with another agent - lets be honest, landlords using of the most prominent Estate Agents in the UK was no guarantee that they would be safe from prosecution!

Call our team and we can arrange a no obligation chat with one of our letting experts. If you prefer, fill out the form on this page and send it to us.

What have you got to lose? Apart from potentially thousands of pounds!