Testing and Regulatory
An essential area of our service, our professional tradesmen are fully qualified to provide comprehensive testing reports, gas safety inspections, CP12, and portable appliance tests. Electrical testing can take the form of electrical periodic inspections and we can provide Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and statutory Local Authority Building Control notifications. We are well versed in all regulatory issues, but for further information and free advice please contact one of our team.
Landlord Legal Requirements
Anyone who lets residential accommodation (such as houses, flats and bedsits, holiday homes, caravan and boats) as a business activity is required by law to ensure the equipment they supply as part of the tenancy is safe.
Landlords have specific legal responsibilities to their tenants when it comes to gas safety. If you let a property, you must make sure that pipe work, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition. As a landlord, you are also legally responsible for making sure that a Gas Safe registered engineer checks the gas appliances in your rental properties every 12 months and gives you copies of the gas safety records. This record confirms the gas appliances have been checked and are safe. You are also obliged to show your tenants how they can turn off the gas supply in the event of a gas leak.
You must give your tenant a copy of these gas safety records within 28 days of the checks being done, or give a copy of the gas safety record to a new tenant before they move in, and you must keep a record of each safety check for two years.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 requires that all mains electrical equipment (cookers, washing machines, kettles, etc), new or second-hand, supplied with the accommodation must be safe. Landlords therefore need to regularly maintain the electrical equipment they supply to ensure it is safe.
The supply of goods occurs at the time of the tenancy contract. It is, therefore, essential that property is checked prior to the tenancy to ensure that all goods supplied are in a safe condition. A record should be made of the goods supplied as part of the tenancy agreement and of checks made on those goods. The record should indicate who carried out the checks and when they did it.
It is therefore strongly advisable to have the equipment checked before the start of each let. It would be good practice to have the equipment checked at regular intervals thereafter, and you should obtain and retain test reports detailing the equipment, the tests carried out and the results.
For more information about all regulatory testing, or to arrange the appropriate test for your property, please call London Property Services on 0207 186 0270
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0207 186 0270
