Whether renting a room or a family home, there are a number of legal requirements that a landlord must meet so that your rented accommodation is safe. With a recent change to the law in October 2015, here’s what your landlord is legally required to do when rented a property or room to you.
Any rented accommodation
If you’re renting a house or a flat, you landlord is required to make sure that it is safe to occupy. Any gas equipment must have an annual gas safety check carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Your landlord must provide you with a copy of the gas safety check before occupying the property, or within 28 days of the check being carried out.
Your landlord must also make sure that any electrical equipment that are included with the property are safe to use and that the electrical system is safe.
New regulations introduced on the 1st October 2015, now means landlords have to install both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in a premises, with landlords that fail to install alarms facing a civil penalty of a maximum of £5,000. The new laws mean that rented properties must have a working smoke alarm on each floor of the property, and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms where there are solid fuel burning appliances.
House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
If you’re moving into a HMO (usually a shared house with a minimum of three unrelated tenants who share facilities), then your landlord may have to meet additional requirements. Large HMOs, with 5 or more unrelated people sharing a house, must be licensed by the local council and have additional standards they must meet to reduce the risk of fire.
Deregulation Act 2015
Laws introduced under the Deregulation Act now prevent retaliatory evictions, meaning that landlords can no longer evict tenants if they request for reasonable repairs to be made.
If you’re about to move into rented accommodation and are looking for a removal company to help you move, then get in touch with a member of our friendly team. We can help you move into a room in a shared house, or move your family into a rented home. To find out about how we can help and to receive a no obligation quote, please get in touch by calling 01225 759200.
