Your responsibilities as a landlord: what you need to know

The new safety legislation that took effect in October 2022 states that all rented properties must have smoke alarms fitted on each floor, and carbon monoxide alarms in any room where solid fuel is being burnt. This rule applies to all current tenancies, and all James Anderson rental properties are compliant to this regulation. James Anderson will not provide any services if your property is breaking this rule, so please speak to our Property Management team in our Lettings office for advice in how to proceed.

Landlords have the responsibility to check that their tenants have the legal right to reside and work in the UK, according to the Immigration Act 2014. A review of this declaration has been made, and new sections have been added since then to include the Immigration Act 2016. James Anderson carries out this check prior to the start of any tenancy, as part of our detailed vetting, to ensure that our landlords are compliant with this law.

Landlords are now restricted in ending tenancies in certain circumstances – where they failed to protect the deposit or to supply information to the tenant at the start of a tenancy. This includes the Energy Performance Certificate, the Gas Safety Certificate, details of the Deposit Protection, a signed Tenancy Agreement with detailed information of the terms agreed and the Government’s How to Rent checklist. Without the correct serving of these documents a knowledgeable tenant would be well within their rights to refuse to leave the property.

Under the Gas safe Regulations 1998, all landlords are obliged to perform gas safety check on their properties. These checks should be at intervals of no longer than 12 months and must be carried out by a specialist gas engineer, registered on the Gas Safety Register. A copy of the gas safety certification should be given to the tenant before moving into the property.

Failing to do this will ensure as a landlord you will face a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and be punished by fines or imprisonment.

Landlords are responsible for ensuring that their property has safe electrical circuits and fittings, EICRs are a mandatory legal obligation since 1st June 2020.. Please click here for more information.

All rented properties must have an EPC, with a minimum energy performance rating of E. According to the new rules, from April this year, all tenants have the right to request energy efficiency improvements to their properties. This regulation will take effect for new lets and renewals of tenancies from the 1st of April 2018 and for all existing tenancies from 1st of April 2020. If your property is affected by this legislation, please contact James Anderson Property Management services for advice on how you should proceed.