Buy To Let Guide
For many buy to let investors securing a tenant as quickly as possible is the top priority in order to enjoy a good rental return. However, a leading residential letting agent is advising amateur landlords of important legislation that they should be aware of before taking the plunge.
Failure to adhere to the wealth of legislation surrounding property letting and in particular the safety regulations could have a devastating affect on a rental investment.
There is a wealth of safety requirements a landlord has to check before renting out a property. These refer to many areas including gas installation and fire safety all which have their own regulations outlining a landlord’s responsibility. However, there are two main laws that underpin all the rest. These are the Defective Premises Act 1972 and the Health & Safety at Work 1974. Both are of equal importance and failure to understand or adhere to them could land a landlord in deep water.”
Safe from personal injury
Under the Defective Premises Act a landlord must ensure their property in well maintained and all necessary repairs carried out quickly and properly. He or she has a duty to ensure that tenants and their guests are reasonably safe from personal injury caused by defects in the property. A landlord will be held liable if they are aware of a fault or maintenance problem and fail to repair them.
A defect could mean many things. For example a leak in the property ruining the tenant’s possessions. If the landlord knew or should have known of repair need and failed to remedied the matter before it caused damage they could be liable for the replacement or repairs of any damaged belongings.
Protection from harm
The Health and Safety at Work Act makes landlords aware of their responsibility to protect their tenants against major concerns such as gas related problems. Landlords can contract a managing agent to carry out these types of duties. The agent will be held liable if they fail in the duties to ensure a property is safely maintained.
It is not only tenants and their guests who landlords have to protect from harm, if you are employing an outside contractor or workman to undertake work in your property you have a duty of care to ensure the work they carry out is done properly. For example, if they leave wires exposed to disconnected light fittings, thus exposing the tenants to needless risk, the landlord could be found guilty of committing a criminal offence.
With so many health and safety laws to take into consideration, it is vital for the investor to ensure they are aware of these issues when buying a rental property, as well as the costs involved in making good any defects and the continuing maintenance required.
When considering buying a rental property it is advised to first speak to an ARLA registered letting or managing agent. They will be able to offer specialist advice and also put them in touch with the appropriately qualified people to carry out a full inspection of the property. By doing so it could save a would be landlord a lot of money and provide them with piece of mind.
|
