Your Obligations

As a landlord in England and Wales, there are a number of regulations related to letting should be observed and be compliant. Non-compliant landlord will be subject fine and/or prosecution.
The following landlord responsibility you should be aware of:

Gas Safety Certificate

According to Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulation 1998, a mandatory yearly check to assess whether or not the system and appliances are safe and meet current standards. A check on the meter to make sure there is no escape of gas. A Gas Safety Certificate should be produced every 12 months and it should be provided to new tenant upon new tenancy. 

Electrical Safety Checks

According to Electrical Equipment (Safety)Regulations 1994 legislation, any electrical appliances in the property should be check for safety by a qualified contractor before supplying to the tenant. It is considered best practice to have electrical systems formally checked and tested every five years in a similar way to gas safety checks.

Furniture and furnishings fire safety

The Furniture and Furnishings Safety Regulations 1988 legislation were introduced to protect furnished goods against fire and it applies to manufacturers, retailers and letting agents & landlords. Furniture and furnishings should be fire-resistant, new upholstered furniture must also be properly labelled with set information and a fire safety warning.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Each property should have a valid Energy Performance Certificate before marketing for letting. The certificate provides your property’s energy efficiency rating between A(highest) to G(lowest). Each certificate is valid for 10 years.  

Tenant Fees Ban

Starting from June 2019, Tenant Fees Act has been implemented.

According to the new Act, letting agents in England and Wales cannot charge any tenant fee, certain fees such as inventory check in/out and tenant reference check which was previously paid by the tenant should be covered by the landlord going forward. Also, the Act has provided more clarity on deposit registration and return which was previously unclear. For tenancy with annual rent less than £50,000, no more than 5 weeks’ deposit should be taken; for tenancy with annual rent over £50,000, no more than 6 weeks’ deposit should be taken.