LEGISLATION

Landlords must stay on the right side of the law on all manner of issues...

Legal standards for electrical safety in private rented property have...

The government has now released draft legislation to amend the Smoke and...

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 all gas appliances and flues in rented accommodation must be checked for safety within 12 months of being installed, and thereafter at least every 12 months by a competent engineer.

This amendment to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 will see all rental properties within England needing a carbon monoxide alarm fitted in any room that is used as living accommodation that has a ‘fixed combustion appliance’ of any fuel type (excluding gas cookers).

What is Ground Rent?

In order to enforce the terms of a lease a ground rent must be set. Ground rent is usually an annual amount stated in the lease payable to the Freeholder for the “renting” of an apartment above the Freeholder’s land.

Landlords and letting agents managing properties are required to undertake Right to Rent checks. There have been recent updates to this legislation and further changes are on the horizon.

What is Right to Rent?

All Rented Property in England needs an EICR by 1st April 2021

If Japanese Knotweed can be treated, why is it still such a problem?

Here are 21 reasons:

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) is designed to crack down on properties in the private rented sector that are not fit for human habitation.

Incorporating the Human Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), it covers 29 hazards, such as damp and mould, electrical hazards and asbestos, that all properties must avoid in order to be labelled safe for tenants to live in.

It is probably safe to say that almost everybody finds legal documents confusing. Even lawyers find them difficult to understand sometimes!

Standard terms and conditions are even more confusing. Written in small writing making them difficult to read, and usually involve long words and unusual phrases, it is not surprising that some people don’t even read them.

Legionnaire’s Disease is a disease which is caught by inhaling droplets of water containing the Legionella bacteria. People with weaker immune systems are particularly at risk.

Landlords must have the gas installations inspected annually by an engineer registered with the Gas Safe Register. Tenants must be given a certificate provided by the engineer, both when they go into the property and on an annual basis once the tenancy has started.

According to the 2014 Immigration Act, Section 22, a landlord is not legally allowed to let somebody have a tenancy agreement entitling them to live in a rental property as their main or sole residence unless they are a UK citizen, from Switzerland or the European Economic Area (EEA) unless they have a Right to Rent in this country. All landlords renting out private accommodation in England must conduct right-to-rent checks on new tenancy agreements to confirm that renters are legally able to rent in the UK.

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended, have an impact on furniture supplied as part of a part furnished or furnished let, and needs to comply with certain safety standards.

What Does This Act Mean? Under this Act, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985...