What Landlord Electrical Safety Certificate Need to Keep in 2023?
Landlord Electrical Safety Certificate, Finding a tenant and handing over the keys are only two parts of the rental process. You are legally compelled to offer certain pieces of information to your tenants.
Certificate of Energy Performance (EPC)
An EPC assigns an energy efficiency rating to a property ranging from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient), allowing prospective tenants to calculate and compare the relative financial running expenses of renting your property, Landlord Electrical Safety Certificate.
To conduct the EPC inspection, you must hire an accredited assessor. Landlords of privately rented houses in England and Wales must get an EPC rating of at least E before letting or continuing to let their premises. Read our blog post on how to enhance your energy efficiency rating for more details.
All new and prospective renters should be given the property’s EPC certificate.
Certificate of Electrical Safety
New regulations that went into effect on June 1, 2020, require landlords to have their rented buildings’ electrical installations inspected and tested every five years. The inspection includes the wiring, plug sockets, lighting, fuse box, and fixed components such as electric showers and extractors. The inspections must be performed by a trained electrician. You must submit a copy of the report to your tenants before they move in, or to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection.
If the report indicates that remedial work is needed, it must be completed within 28 days. Landlords should acquire written confirmation from the electrician of the completion of the remedial works and deliver a copy to the tenants within 28 days of the work being finished.
Portable electric appliances, such as cookers, refrigerators, and televisions, are not covered by the restrictions. However, landlords should do portable appliance testing (PAT) on any electrical appliances provided.
Read our guide on electrical safety for landlords and visit the gov.uk website for additional information on the new electrical safety laws.
Certificate of Gas Safety
Any gas appliances and flues in your home must be inspected for safety on an annual basis. A certified Gas Safe-registered engineer must do the checks. You can now perform the checks between 10 and 12 months after the last check, while keeping the prior check’s expiry date. If the checks are not completed within this time frame, the new cutoff date will be 12 months from the date of the most recent check.
You must submit a record of the safety check to your existing renters within 28 days of its completion. This should be sent to new renters at the commencement of their lease. You must keep copies of the record for at least two years, and if you used the flexible time frame, you must keep the record of any checks until two more checks are performed.
Legionella Risk Evaluation
Legionnaire’s disease is a type of pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella prevalent in water. Legionella bacteria can be found in domestic water systems and storage tanks, particularly where water is held between 20°C and 45°C.
As a landlord, you should analyze the risk of Legionella exposure to your renters. A basic examination may reveal that there are no significant dangers and that no additional action is required.
There is daily water usage, which is unavoidable if your property is occupied
If you do your own risk assessment, you should generate or download a template that you can fill out and give to your tenants. You can also employ a legionella risk assessment business, Landlord Electrical Safety Certificate.
Risk Assessment for Fire Safety
Landlords are required by law to install at least one smoke alarm on each floor of their property, as well as a carbon monoxide alarm in any room that contains.
The landlord is responsible for ensuring that the alarms are operational at the start of each new rental. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) now have stricter fire safety regulations. According to the Regulatory Reform Order 2005, the responsible person for multi-occupied residential structures must conduct a fire risk assessment in communal areas, ensuring that safeguards and procedures are Landlords and multi-occupied buildings can do their own fire risk assessment or employ a third-party Fire Risk Assessor.
Paperwork for Deposit Protection
You must deposit your tenant’s deposit in a tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme within 30 days of receiving it and provide your tenant with the ‘Prescribed Information’ listed below:
The amount of the deposit
The address of the property
The name, address, and contact information of the tenancy deposit scheme where the deposit is maintained.
The name, address, and contact information of the landlord, tenant, and any third party who contributed to the deposit.
A printable Prescribed Information form should be available from the supplier or your tenant deposit protection scheme.
If you live in England or Wales, you can use any of the following schemes:
Scheme for Tenancy Deposits
Governments Checklist for Renting
Landlords should distribute a copy of the government’s guide How to rent: a checklist for renting in England to their tenants. The handbook can be printed and handed to your tenant in hard copy, or it can be emailed to you as a PDF. Obtaining proof of receipt is a good idea.
This booklet is intended to help tenants and landlords understand their rights and duties. It includes thorough information and check lists that cover all areas of renting a property, such as:
What to look for before renting
Living in a leased home
What happens at the conclusion of a tenancy?
What to do if something goes wrong
Going the Extra Mile:
Before and during any rental, you must guarantee that your property is safe for your renter to occupy. You are responsible for certain aspects of safety, but certificates of testing are not necessary. For example, you must install and test smoke alarms. It is critical that you save proof that any checks were performed in order to protect yourself and reassure your tenant. You should consider the checks and testing required by law to be the absolute minimum. Maintaining the greatest safety standards will protect your tenant and your property.
More information regarding landlord responsibilities can be found on the gov.uk website:
If you are new to letting out a property or want to change letting agents in Central London districts such as Marylebone, Regents Park, St. Johns Wood, and Maida Vale, please contact us now. We’d be pleased to go over your legal duties for landlord documentation and certificates, as well as other landlord difficulties.