Landlord Legal Responsibilities & Regulations (England)

Landlord Legal Responsibilities, Obligations & Regulations (England)

So, here we have it. A list of landlord legal responsibilities and obligations which MUST be complied with. Failing to comply could result in prosecution.

Please note, this article is for Single Let private residential properties in England, Governed under the Housing Act and Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

For HMOs, please go the HMO Landlord Legal Requirements & Regulations blog post.

Before getting into the meat and potatoes – of course – my obligatory disclaimer (so my solicitor will throw me out the window): I’m just a simple landlord blogger, I am not qualified to give legal advice. Any information I provide is my opinion based on my experience, and is never legal or professional advice. You should always get professional advice on any legal matters!

Page contents

Electrical Safety

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations

The regulations require landlords to ensure any electrical equipment and products supplied with the rental property are in safe working order. There is currently no mandatory legal requirement for any inspections for electrical appliances for landlords in England or Wales (PAT testing is not a legal requirement), but they should still be tested and checked to ensure they are working as they should be.

The best way to prove that any electrical appliances provided with the rental premises are in safe working condition is by using a qualified electrician to conduct a PAT (Portable appliance testing). A Portable appliance testing is when electrical appliances are checked for safety. Once again, PAT is not a legal requirement, but is a sensible precaution to ensure appliance safety.

Here’s a more detailed guide on electrical safety for landlords in England & Wales.

Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations 1994

This regulation requires that any plug, socket or adapter supplied for intended domestic use complies with the appropriate current standard, and specifically that:

  • the live and neutral pins on plugs are part insulated so as to prevent shocks when removing plugs from sockets and all plugs are pre-wired.

Electrical Safety Inspection/Report (EICR)

With the introduction of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, from July 2020, landlords in England have been legally obligated to ensure national standards for electrical safety are met. In order to comply, landlords are legally required to ensure the “fixed” electrical installations (e.g. plug sockets, light fittings, fuse box etc) in their rented properties are inspected and tested by a qualified electrician, at least every 5 years.

Landlords must have an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), which will ensure their electrical installations are inspected and tested. A copy of the report must be provided to a new tenant before they occupy the premises.

The inspection will check for:

  • any electrical installations are overloaded
  • there are any potential electric shock risks and fire hazards
  • there is any defective electrical work
  • there is a lack of earthing or bonding – these are 2 ways of preventing electrical shocks that are built into electrical installations.

For more information on Landlord Electrical Safety Regulations & EICRs.

Fire Safety

Gas Safety Regulations

The Gas Safety Regulations 1998 place a statutory duty on all landlords of residential property to ensure that all gas appliances, pipe work and flues are maintained in a safe condition.

A inspection of all gas appliances that is provided with in the property by the landlord must be inspected annually by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer. After inspection a warranted Gas Safety Certificate will be issued for proof of inspection; both tenant and landlord should keep a copy.

New tenants should receive a copy of the certificate at the start of the tenancy, while existing tenants of premises should be served a copy within 28 days of the date of the check.

If your rental property does not use gas, then this regulation does not apply.

Fire Safety, Housing Act 2004

This area of law is covered by both the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Landlords are under a common law duty to ensure that the property they provide is safe. All residential properties in England and Wales should comply with building regulations.

Furniture and Furnishings Regulation 1993

Furniture provided by the landlord must meet the fire resistance requirements in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

Furnishings and upholstered furniture supplied by landlords must meet fire resistance requirements, which includes:

  • beds, headboards of beds, mattresses
  • sofas, sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles
  • nursery furniture
  • garden furniture which is suitable for use in a dwelling
  • scatter cushions, bean bags, window seats and seat pads; pillows
  • padded stools and padded chests
  • put-u-up beds and garden loungers/seats
  • loose and stretch covers for furniture

Furniture manufactured since March 1989 will comply with these regulations and most will be marked with a label showing compliance.

The regulations do not apply to:

  • sleeping bags
  • bed-clothes, duvets and pillowcases
  • loose covers for mattresses
  • curtains and carpets
  • furniture and furnishings manufactured before 1 January 1950 as the inflammable materials were not in use prior to 1950
  • properties let continuously to the same tenant since prior to December 1996 until there is change of tenancy

Non-compliance with the above regulations is a criminal offence and carries penalties of a £5,000 fine, 6 month’s imprisonment, or both. In the event of a death, charges could extend to manslaughter.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 & 2022 Amendments

Landlords in England, from 1st October 2015:

  • Install a smoke alarm on each floor of the premises on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation.
  • Equip a carbon monoxide alarm in any room of the premises which is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and contains a solid fuel burning combustion appliance.
  • Check that each prescribed alarm is in proper working order on the day the tenancy begins if it is a new tenancy.

Landlords in England, from 1st October 2022:

  • Install a smoke alarm on each floor of the premises on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation.
  • Equip a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed/fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers).
  • Check that each prescribed alarm is in proper working order on the day the tenancy begins if it is a new tenancy.
  • Ensure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once informed and found that they are faulty, which must be carried out by or on behalf of the landlord as soon as “reasonably practicable”.

More information can be found on the Landlord Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulation page, along with a useful free downloadable acknowledgement form (which gets confirmation from the tenant that the property is provided with the alarms).

Property Condition & Maintenance

Fitness for human habitation

Landlords are required to ensure their properties are “fit for human habitation” at the beginning and throughout the tenancy.

Section 10 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sets out the factors that are taken into consideration when determining if a house is “unfit for human habitation”, which are as follows:

  • repair (i.e. the building shouldn’t be neglected and in bad condition),
  • stability (i.e. the building shouldn’t be unstable),
  • freedom from damp (i.e. if there are serious damp issues),
  • internal arrangement (i.e. the property shouldn’t have an unsafe layout),
  • natural lighting (i.e. there should be enough natural light),
  • ventilation (i.e. there should be enough ventilation),
  • water supply (i.e. there should be a supply of hot and cold water),
  • drainage and sanitary conveniences (i.e. if there are problems with the drainage or the lavatories),
  • facilities for preparation and cooking of food and for the disposal of waste water;
  • and the house shall be regarded as unfit for human habitation if, and only if, it is so far defective in one or more of those matters that it is not reasonably suitable for occupation in that condition.

Repairs & Maintenance- Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985

The landlord is responsible for the structure and exterior of the property; baths, sinks and other sanitary items; heating and hot water installations.

However, this only applies if the tenant has a fixed tenancy contract for under 7 years, else these issues become the tenants responsibility. The landlord is not responsible for damages caused by the tenants.

Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the landlord is responsible to:

  • keep the structure and exterior of the property in good repair, including drains, gutters and external pipes
  • keep installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity and sanitation in good repair and proper working order
  • keep installations for space heating and water heating in good repair and proper working order

Here’s a more detailed guide on the Landlords Responsibility to Repair and Maintain.

Minimise Risks of Legionella

This is a bit of an odd one. It’s fairly new, and probably the most unknown and neglected legal requirement.

The person responsible for managing the property, whether it be the Landlord or letting agent, is responsible for combating Legionnaires Disease.

Health and safety legislation requires that risk assessments for the Legionella bacteria which cause Legionnaires’ disease are taken. The assessments must identify and assess potential sources of exposure, and steps taken to prevent/control any risk that is identified.

Anyone can be appointed to assess/monitor Legionella as long as they have the relevant skills to implement the control measures and strategies i.e. they are suitably informed, instructed, trained and assessed. There must be evidence to show that the risk assessment has taken place, and records showing what precautions were taken.

Here’s a more detailed article on the Landlord Legionella Legislation

Consent to let

Before letting a property, landlords must obtain permission and/or inform the following:

  • mortgage lender
  • In respect of leasehold properties, the head landlord
  • Any housing association or other body which has regulations applying to the property, e.g shared ownership
  • Any adult who has been living in the property with the landlord as husband, wife or partner who may have occupancy rights.
  • The landlord’s insurance company must confirm that cover will be maintained if the property is let.

Landlord License

Sections 79, 80 and 81 of the Housing Act 2004 provide for the introduction of a “landlord licensing” scheme.

Landlords with properties in selective areas are required to get a “landlord license” from their local council before being permitted to let their property. These areas are selected based on low demand for housing and significant or persistent anti-social behaviour problems. Failing to do so can result in punishable fines of up to £20,000.

To qualify for a licence a landlord must be able to demonstrate that they are acting within the law and taking appropriate steps to manage their properties, which is defined by the local council. If you’re unsure if your property is in a landlord license zone, you can call your local council or speak to local letting agents.

Go here for more information on the landlord licensing scheme.

Taxation & Finances

Taxation of Income from Land (Non-Residents) Regulations 1995

Being a landlord is like any other profiteering business, which means any profit made is subject to taxation.

Generally speaking, this can work in two ways…

  • If you’re not operating your properties through a limited company, you’ll need to file a Self Assessment tax return form for each tax year. The standard income tax rules and price brackets will apply.
  • If you are operating through a Limited company (because it can be more tax efficient), then your company will be subject to business taxation rules.

Needless to say, it’s always best to discuss your finances with a specialist tax accountant.

More information on Landlord tax

Tenancy Rights

Tenancy Deposit Protection

Landlords must secure their tenants deposits into one of three government approved Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) schemes with in 30 days of receiving the deposit, and they must also serve their tenants with Prescribed Information related to the deposit, within 30 days.

Over the years a lot of tenants have complained that they have unfairly lost their security deposit, and consequently the government introduced the deposit legislation to help apply protection and unbiased moderation to the disputes. For more in-depth details about this ‘landlord obligation’, please go to my Tenancy Deposit Protection Easy Guide article.

Failure to comply can lead to financial penalties, and also impede on your ability to repossess your property, which means you may not be able to repossess your property unless you have grounds for eviction e.g. the tenant falls into rent arrears.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Landlords must provide an Energy Performance Certificate to all new and prospective tenants during the viewing, or at least before the tenancy agreement is signed.

The certificate will give each building a SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure – out of 100 possible) rating, and this will equate to an energy rating from A to G, similar to those seen on white goods. Essentially, the report shows the energy efficiency levels of a property, so tenants can assess how much they will need to spend on utility bills e.g. heating.

A certificate is valid for 10 years, and then property needs to be reassessed again and issued with a new and valid certificate.

Since April 1st 2018 it has been a legal requirement for landlords to ensure their rental properties in England & Wales have a minimum EPC rating of E for new tenancies and renewals.

As of 1st April 2020, all existing tenancies must have a minimum EPC rating of E, not just new ones or renewals.

More information on Energy Performance Certificates

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

GDPR came into effect on the 25th May 2018, and it applies to ALL landlords.

In layman’s terms, GDPR is a new set of rules designed to give EU citizens more control over their personal data.

Essentially, as landlords, we need to process and control our tenants information in a transparent fashion, which includes explaining:

  • What personal information we collect.
  • Why we need their personal information.
  • How we might use their personal information (including who the information might be shared with), and ensuring we only use it in that way (unless there are overriding legal precedence requiring the information).
  • How long their personal information is retained for.

In practical terms, it means that the documents we use to gather personal information from our tenants (e.g. tenancy agreements, application forms etc) need to have a privacy policy which clearly addresses the points above.

All the landlord documents available on this website have been updated taking GDPR into consideration, including our tenancy agreements.

Here’s a more detailed article on Landlords and GDPR

‘Right to Rent’ immigration checks

Under Section 22 of the Immigration Act 2014, Landlords in England should not authorise an adult to occupy property as their only or main home under a residential tenancy agreement unless the adult is a British citizen, or EEA or Swiss national, or has a “right to rent” in the UK.

All private landlords, or their agents, in England, including those subletting or taking in lodgers, will have to check new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property.

You can use this tool provided by the GOV to check if the legislation currently applies to you.

Essentially, the landlord is required to check for proof of ID and citizenship. More details can be found on the landlord ‘Right to rent’ guide, including how to fully comply.

“How to Rent: the checklist for renting in England” Guide

Landlords should provide their tenants with a document titled “How to rent: the checklist for renting in England”, as published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, at the beginning of new tenancies that start on or after October 2015 in England only.

It’s important to note that the guide will get updated over time, so you need to provide your tenants with the most up to date version at the time the tenancy begins. If a ‘new’ tenancy agreement is granted with the same tenants and a new version of the guide has been released, you should supply a copy of the latest version.

Serving the booklet isn’t a legal requirement, however, it is part of the ‘Deregulation Act 2015’ (more on that below), and failing to comply can impede on your ability to repossess your property.

You can either email your tenants a copy or provide them with a hard copy (i.e. provide them with a printed version).

You can download the guide from here and read more about the requirements on the main ‘How to rent’ guide for tenants post.

Tenant Fees Act 2019

On the of 1st June 2019 the “Tenant Fees Act 2019” came into force, which is a legislation that focuses on banning and restricting letting agents and private landlords (in England only) from charging tenants with certain fees, which includes referencing fees, oversized deposits and end of tenancy cleaning services.

In short, if your tenancy (in England) started on or after 1st of June 2019, you are only permitted to charge tenants the following “Permitted Payments” as set out by the Act:

  • Rent
  • Tenancy deposit (capped at five weeks’ rent if rent is less than £50k per year, or six weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is £50k or above).
  • Holding deposit (capped at one week’s rent)
  • Payments to change the tenancy when requested by the tenant (capped at £50).
  • Payments associated with early termination of the tenancy, when requested by the tenant.
  • Payments in respect of utilities, communication services, TV licence and council tax.
  • A default fee for late payment of rent and replacement of a lost key/security device, where required under a tenancy agreement.

If you charge your tenants with anything other than what is listed above, such as referencing fees, inventory cost, or costs associated with professional end of tenancy cleaning services, then you’ve most likely unlawfully charged your tenants with a “Prohibited Payment”, which is punishable by hefty fines, starting from £5,000.

For more details, refer to the “Tenant Fees Act 2019” blog post.

Information Commissioner’s Office

Under the Data Protection Act individuals and organisations that process personal information need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Basically, if you store, use or delete personal information of your tenant(s) (e.g. name, email, telephone, address etc.) on any electrical device (i.e. computer, phone or tablet) – which is almost all landlords in the 20th century- then you should be registered with the ICO. You can register here.

Registration currently costs £35-40 per year (depending on payment method).

There are a few exemptions, but it most likely won’t apply to you. If you want to double check, you can use this tool on the ICO website that will help you determine whether you need to register or not.

On a side note, from my experience 1) most landlords aren’t aware of this requirement so aren’t registered 2) many of those that are aware of the ICO don’t think it’s even necessary for landlords to register – there’s a bit of an ongoing debate among landlords on the issue.

One thing is for sure, I’ve yet to hear of a case where a landlord has been prosecuted for failing to register. But that’s not to say it’s NOT required.

Make of that what you will, I’m “just saying” :)

I discuss the requirement for landlords registering to the ICO in more detail over in my GDPR blog post (it’s all related).

Deregulation Act 2015 (unfair eviction)

I want to end this section on a quick note, which isn’t really a legal obligation, but more so a consequence of not complying with some of the requirements above.

Providing that you abide by all the applicable requirements listed on this page, you should already be complying with the requirements of the ‘Deregulation Act 2015‘. The Act was introduced in October 2015 to protect tenants from unfair eviction and to ensure landlords have complied with certain legal responsibilities.

To comply with the Deregulation Act 2015, landlords must have:

  • secured the tenant’s deposit within 30 days
  • served the tenant’s with additional information relating to deposit being secured (Prescribed Information) within 30 days of receiving the deposit.
  • supplied the tenant with a valid Gas Safety Certificate before the tenants occupy the premises.
  • supplied the tenant with an up-to-date copy of the “How to rent” guide at the beginning of the tenancy.

As said, I have already discussed everything mentioned in that list, but just so you know, if you fail to comply with the above, it may impede on your ability to serve a valid section 21 notice, which means you may not be able to repossess your property unless you have grounds for eviction e.g. if your tenant falls into arrears.

In layman’s terms, that means, you may be stuck with tenants unless they give you a valid reason to evict them, or until they wish to leave.

Government Guidelines

Official UK Gov Websites on Landlords & Renting









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Sarah 11th July, 2015 @ 16:48

The fire alarm in question which was giving off the alarm, (was) located in the top hallway above our stairs. The second alarm installed which we have not had any issue with, as of yet. Is located downstairs in a hallway which divides both the dinning & living room areas. The alarms are also wired to our main electricity vault box in the home. As mentioned in my comment we had the fire brigade come around to inspect on the night, and had told us they would visit again the next day. Which they did and upon removing the fire alarm, they have none other than noticed a considerable amount of water. Which has gathered in the alarm. Our landlord has given us the explanation that this was due to heat rising up the proerty, and gathering within the fire alarm. And this is what triggered the alarm off.

Well upon the fire men's inspection, and having told them that this is what our landlord had said. They screwed their faces up, & stated that this was absolute nonsense. And that no such thing could occur as the device was screwed on. And so obviously their was a problem with water in the property. Now they checked for dampness of which there is some in the property upstairs, and sometimes downstairs. Upstairs in one of the rooms located next to where the troubled alarm is situated. I was informed also by the fire men who visited, that it was and is of no circumstances my obligation to have tampered with the faulty alarm. And especially given the fact that water had gathered within the device, and there was wiring involved which connects to other wiring in the house.

And so they made a note of my landlords lack of compliancy to have attended to the issue. As well as the fact that he also sometimes does not tend to other jobs right away. (For example an issue with no gas on one occasion, and no hot water or working shower on others, as well as an issue with poorly laid carpeting which resulted in a family member who had come to visit us, standng on a nail whilst climbing the stairs. Bare in mind also that our youngest was within the property during her crawling stage as well during the time of this particular issue.) We recently have now found that our boiler for hot water and heating has once again stopped working. Inconveniently a day after the debacle with the alarm.

To have reached the alarm in question it would have required myself or my fiance, to have situated a ladder used for scalling walls. To be placed at the top of the stairs near the top first step. Now not only is this a risky and dangerous balancing act. At the time when my fiance called the estate agency, and they had been unresponsive to help, he also had to go to work. Leaving myself and our youngets in the property alone. Now had i attempted the job alone, and slipped thus tumbling down our flight of steep stairs head first. There would have been no one else within the property to have called for aid, nor look after our youngest who was in the property at the time. So not only do i put myself at risk, i risk the saftey of my daughter as well. Not forgetting that there was also water and electricity involved, so had i been sucessful in reaching the alarm and attempted to remove it i could have very well electrocuted myself. To remove the alarm safely The firemen had to cut all electricity within the property. Lucky for them they are trained professionals.

Sensibly i did not tamper with anything, and let the firemen do their job. Who have advised me i did the right thing given the circumstances. One of the firemen in particular who has a young child of his own, was particularly disgusted with the landlords lack of wanting to act on the safety issue. And discussed our rights as tenants, & the obligation of the landlord and estate agency in regards to fire safety. And even advised we find somewhere else much more suitable to accomadte us. As we have our child to think about and any property where there is risk of an electrical fire, and or issues with necessities like gas and water. is not worth the hassle.

He was happy to hear that this was actually the last straw, when it comes to problems withing the property. & that we were already in the process of relocating. To be closer to my fiances new work promotion.

On question of the fire alarm the firemen upon their second visit. Have indeed asked that the alarm be removed completely from the ceiling where it was. And a new wired device be put in its place in a more accessible location, such as just outside one of the bedrooms. Which is what they deemed to be the better location. But have also fitted an alarm of their own in this very same spot which is battery operated for the time being, and given the landlords track record of not wanting to do his job.

Yet they have left the landlord a note or recipt of some kind, to be passed on to him & signed by the firemen who visited. Stating the issue that was wrong with the fire alarm causing it to have tripped off into sounding. And the dangers with water and electricity. Also outlinging in print his obligations to have a proper alarm installed and wisely situated in a smarter location.

Now my landlord upon finding out that there was an issue with our water and Gas. Stated that he would re-visit the property today to attend to the issue. He has yet to attend to the issue, and has left a wide time frame for when he would.

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Observer 11th July, 2015 @ 23:57

Good grief. Theres more holes in this dramatic tale of ne'er do well Landlords than a leaky sieve. You asked a question. You stated the firemen had informed you it was a low battery bleep. You stated the LL was uncontactable and uninterested. Youve now launched into a war and piece epic of dramatic proportions including the near death experience you may have had if you foolishly propped up a ladder with no one footing it, etc etc etc and a positive re-write now that not only has your landlord been to the property, inspeced the alarm, been notified there was a water damage issue, but then subsequently ignored that notice to repair it leading to the firebrigade making the repair and agreeing what a rogue landlord he is. How on earth did all that happen in 24 hours from the fire brigades own diagnosis it was a low battery beep??????

To save any other readers having to subject themselves to wasting 10 minutes of their lives reading your missive, Ill summarise.

You called the firebrigade for a beeping alarm which you are quite entitled to do. The firebrigade found the alarm to be faulty and inaccessible to you and therefore switched the power off (which is what you should do to change a mains powered alarm with battery back up) removed it and installed a new one. You now have a shiny new fire alarm installed in a more accessible position for you, that the fire brigade are more than happy with as they fitted it. That is the end of this Macbeth proportion saga.

Regards all your other issues, I will re-iterate the advice given by the fire service. Move out. I can guarantee there will be one far happier LL in this world when you do, who no longer has to put up with the life threatening 'what might happen' dramas his tenants subject him to. Oh, and please as well as learning that power should be switched off from the mains in order to change a back up battery in an alarm, please learn, NEVER climb a ladder without someone footing it for you. No need to thank me, Im happy knowing my advice may have saved you from future possible life ending crises.

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Sarah 12th July, 2015 @ 09:29

Wrong, you have not read my post clearly at all. So i will simplify it better for your understanding.

1. The fire brigade was called to the property about the alarm, i have neighbours naturally, As the noise was keeping them up in the night.

2. The firebrigade inspected and noted all water damage that same night, and went about installing another temporary alarm (keyword there is temporary.) In its place in a better location, and for the meantime until our landlord installed another wired one. I'm sure if you have any expertise and knowledge into the fire regulations, you are aware that a property must have a wired fire alarm that is connected to the mains of a house. So that if a battery fails the alarm will still work, they inspected the faulty alarm and noted that there was water damage. As well as informed that they would be coming again tomorrow via appointment to check that the lanlord had completely removed the device. And been made aware of the seriousness of the issue, and his need to install another wired alarm.

3. The landlord arrived the next day, and gave a very telling lie of a story that there was condensation within the property, which had caused this issue with the alarm. (The firemen have said this is not possible, Trading standards this morning have now said this is not possible.) He never removed the alarm, and also came to find that the hot water & heating was not working. He said he would fix the water and heating issue within a vague time frame.

4. The firebrigade arrived back at our property that same day in the evening via apointment. One of the firemen who had inspected and found the damp came as well as another trained fireman, with experience in fire issues and prevention. They informed us that the landlord is obligated to have installed a properly situated alarm. As well as that the story he had given us about condesation made no sense. As i have already mentioned above, they also made note of his lack of wanting to install a suitable wired device. And was happy to keep the battery operated one in its place. Which the firemen have left temporarily. They to were non impressed with the lack of action the landlord was making, and informed me i could take the issue further. As well as left a signed notice saying so & reminding him of his landlord duties.

Why you would leave an abrassive wishy washy response on my post. Has me question your duties as a landlord if one, & or your behaviour as a tenant. The firemen were clued up enough to see fault on the landlords part. Yet you would try to shift the blame towards tenants, who acted appropriately given the situation and responsibly.

Now i'm sorry but your indirect shamming tactics wont work. We already spoke to Trading standards yesterday about the issue, after dropping them a note as well as the Financial ombudsman service. Whom our landlord is registered with under the agency he has rented the property. And they all to as well as the firemen find fault with this. And have advised us to get in touch stating all as i have shared here, and they will take it further on our behalf. Now are you going to inform me that they are wrong as well? And give another wishy washy response in an attempt to look big? Because maybe then your whole websites credability is up for debate? And i don't say that lightly, I will share every detail of the issue, and will link to here as well for references.

And with that said i think had we been residing anywhere else, this matter would not have been dealt with as swiftly as it has.
Then again we also are renting and are not under some form of housing organisation or council. Therefore i would expect any health and safety issues to be dealt with swiftly & promtly. And kudos to the firemen who acted so as i can now be assured, that given the event of a fire we wouldnt have to wait hours for them to show up. Such things establish my trust within the communiity itself. As for the landlord he clearly is of another kind entirely, but lets be honest you do get the occasional bad apples from a bunch, I'm sure you know what i'm referring to.

We are also smart enough to know the Landlord is failing to do his duty. & we would be better off residing elsewhere. And which is why we have been planning to move again this year in the next coming months. Currently we have a family commitments planned, & would like to see my fiance settled into his new position. Before uprooting to where his job is in Newcastle which is another city, and so we always plan ahead. This recent incident was the last straw that enforced our decision, but after the water & Gas fiasco that was really it for us.

And with your sentiments surely my family will be better off living in better conditions, and as our landlord has shown his lack of interest in wanting to tend to the jobs he should.

As for you rather rude last paragraph. This further informs me that you have failed to read any text shared with you. No need to inform me of the proper safety required to climb a ladder. Nor the need to turn of my mains, however if you had taken the time to read anything clearly you would have noted the issues with electricity in the proprty at times. I'm starting to think that i should have wrote this in another language suitable for your understanding, just what is your first language and mother tongue. No need to answer that was rhetorical it's clearly not English i will explain.

Now to turn off the mains is fine and very possible. But to switch it back on is not as easy, as the switch used to do so often gets jammed. There was already an occasion where the landlord had to come to the property and switch back on the electricity for us to make use of. So let us not jump the gun shall we. Although i did not share that detail earlier. I can see how you would jump to conclusions after conclusions, i see you are only human afterall. And i guess a Thank you for your lack of insight is in order here.

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Benji 12th July, 2015 @ 11:11

The fire brigade turns out for a low battery in a fire alarm?

Good grief.

Seems like a prime candidate for budget cuts if they have nothing better to do.

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Charles 12th July, 2015 @ 18:33

I thought fire services were trained to investigate the sound of an alarm at a house and if her neighbours complained about it? i'd say get well rid of the landlord sounds like a nightmare.

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Benji 12th July, 2015 @ 20:01

@Charles,

The alarm wasn't going off, it was the bleep warning that the battery needs changing. As per;

"I was notified by one of the fire men who came, that it was advised that my landlord be contacted about the beeping fire alarm, as he should replace the battery."

A common occurrence that is a householder's job to replace. If the alarm is found to be full of water and defective, it then becomes the landlords responsibility.

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Charles 13th July, 2015 @ 17:15

Right you are Benji so then all in order with them ironing out the incident. Looks as if you are a frequent reader here do you have issue unsubscribing from posts. Cant through email thought that fluky. I want subscribbed to this blokes newsletter but could do without the clog of mail from the comments.

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kirsty 21st July, 2015 @ 18:04

hi, was just wondering if anyone knew about or could point me in the right direction about glass doors in a rented property?
on all my internal doors I have glass panels, they aren't toughened glass and with 3 children could be dangerous.
was just wondering if there was anywhere to say what type of glass had to be in a rented property as a bit of back up to show my landlord.
thanks

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cardifflandlord 21st July, 2015 @ 19:52

Hi Kirsty,

Yes, any replacement glass in a rented property (and now any glass replaced in 'normal' properties) below a certain height MUST be toughened.However the law is not very clear regarding existing so it seems. I personally would ensure any glass in doors is safety as the consequences do not bear thinking about. I would give your local councils building control dept a call, explain the situation and see what they say.

have a look here https://www.rla.org.uk/landlord/guides/safety_glazing_guide.shtml

Get it straight from the people who ensure the law is obeyed.

Hope this helps

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Kirsty 21st July, 2015 @ 22:10

thank you cardifflandlord I'll look into it tomorrow and get in touch with my landlord

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Angie 23rd July, 2015 @ 09:06

Does a landlord have an obligation to ensure they have locks complying to insurance requirements. I have a 3 lever mortice lock in the door to the back garden and my insurance and I suspect landlords insurance requires a 5 lever mortice lock.
Thanks

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Anna 10th August, 2015 @ 12:04

Our shower room extractor fan caught fire this morning. The landlord sent a sparky round but they have said that the whole downstairs needs rewiring to make it safe. We have been in the house for 8 months, so should this not have been checked before leasing to us? Our contents insurance also says it is the landlord's duty to repair the damage. How would you advise us to proceed with this?

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The Landlord 10th August, 2015 @ 13:38

@Anna
Talk to the landlord and explain that the sparky recommended the downstairs to be rewired, and see what he says. It is the landlord's obligation to ensure the wiring is safe.

I imagine the sparky and landlord will talk anyways.

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Claire 13th August, 2015 @ 03:22

Am a tenant with housing association been in property for over 10 years with old electric storage heaters does landlord have to check them at all please?

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David Hill 31st August, 2015 @ 12:18

Good afternoon,

I own and rent out the lower part of a converted listed Building (Grade II). The upper floor is also rented out by its owner.

My problem is that the other owner refuses to pay his share of maintenance bills. I have a phone number for him, but no address. In the past I have just had to pay these myself as the main effect (water ingress) was on my property; but caused by lack of maintenance on his part.

I am now retired and in no financial position to make full payment for the latest work (new main entrance door and more water ingress). I would be very grateful for any advice you could offer on how to deal with this situation.

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Observer 31st August, 2015 @ 15:44

Hi David, do you pay any annual leasehold or is there an annual maintenance charge? If you have shared areas, which it sounds you do re the front door, there will be a shared 'maintenance' or similar in place and it will be with all your documents when purchased. It's just not clear from your post if there's a leasehold, maintenance contract and all its previously agreed covenants.
I can't see it being freehold but more info is needed

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David Hill 1st September, 2015 @ 14:42

Observer

Thank you for your prompt reply.

There is no annual maintenance charge.

Leasehold

Deeds etc all refer to shared maintenance costs. 50/50 on exteriors (walls, roof. gutters etc). There is no doubt the majority of past and current damage is caused by roof/gutter wear and tear.

The other owner fully acknowledges his liability. But he simply refuses to pay. It is a flat refusal and when challenged he just walks away saying "I've no money". The problem is, and he knows this and exploits it, it it is my flat that is damaged, not his.

I'm told in Scotland I could go to the council, they would carry out repairs and bill each of us separately. Is there a similar route in England

Many thanks again.

David

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Obsever 1st September, 2015 @ 17:22

Contact your leaseholder. Your neighbour is quite simple in breach of his lease (which can in extreme circumstances allow the leaseholder to repossess the flat). There are masses of covenants protected within leases i.e. no commercial activity etc and any breach of lease can lead to the leaseholder repossessing. As your maintenance agreement is clearly specified in the lease, it will be the leaseholder who enforces it. At the end of the day for example, if both you AND your neighbour failed to maintain the areas youre both responsible for, the building may become unihabitable and technically worthless, hence the ability to reposess. These leases are usually owned by original builders or in your case possibly a development company who did the conversion.

Ring your leaseholder (you will have some contact details regards who you pay your leasehold charge to, and ask for their advice going forward. Do they wish you to itemise the works that need doing etc Etc . They will tell you how they would wish you to proceed, which will assist them if enforcement action is needed.

If the leaseholder is the council, then contact them and they should have clear guidance too on this. Good luck, but no, there is no need for you to foot the bill just because your neighbour says he cant afford it. If he continues to refuse to maintain the property as per his legal obligations under the lease, then the lease holder will enforce.

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Observer 1st September, 2015 @ 17:49

Whoops.....kept rfering to leaseholder not freeholder.....you and your neighbour are the leaseholders the people you pay your leasehold rent to is the freeholder..... contact the freeholder etc etc rather than rewrite the whole post, I hope you get my drift!!

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Observer 1st September, 2015 @ 17:55

and PPS. Regards the council here in England, yes they can intervene but only if the disrepair is causing health issues or is dangerous. Common maintenance they cant help you with....(unless they are the freehholder.......read and repeat :)

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David Hill 2nd September, 2015 @ 13:16

Observer

Many thanks again.

As ever, there is a "but". The freeholder is absent. Cannot be traced. The ground rent (which isn't much) is simply lodged with a solicitor pending his resurrection. He used to pay the insurance from this, but we (both leaseholders) now arrange this ourselves. In fact, it is the only thing the other guy pays for, presumably because he wouldn't be able to rent it out without insurance. We tried to buy the freehold, but as the solicitor couldn't track him down, there was nobody to agree a price with or sign anything. Until now, it hasn't really been a problem.

Real pain in the posterior.

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Observer 4th September, 2015 @ 01:40

Oh dear, sorry to read that. For two reasons. Number 1, whilst it is actually far easier now to buy freeholds in the case of an absentee freeholders, its time consuming, complex, and Im not even sure if you would be eligible, and number 2/ Even of you did manage to buy it (or had bought it when you initially enquired) your problem is still there. Owning the freehold would place you in exactly the same position you now find yourself, which is in a nutshell, possibly sueing your neighbour for shared maintenance costs that hes refusing to pay.

I can only add this, your only option is indeed to sue him for his part of the costs for maintenance. As your 'breach of lease' option is now no good (you personally have no contract with this neighbour however YOUR contract relies on his contract being fulfilled) you would be able to sue him directly. This is fraught with pit falls from the "is it an absolutely essential repair" to "did you get 15 zillion quotes from totally independant contractors" etc etc Getting a new front door for example, if the old one still fits in the hole and locks, will be pretty much unenforceable. Also bear in mind, he may at the end of the legal day, merely claim poverty (though I struggle with that whilst hes earning monthly rental income) but you may be stumped even if it all goes in your favour, and in the absence of any action for breach of lease, thats all he need do. Plead povert, and theres not much more you can do.
If its a major repair however, i.e. replacement roof, then you will have additional options in suing him. You could get a charge against his property for example, but lesser day to day stuff like gutters, is going to be a frutless and frustrating mission.

My advice, weigh up the cost (and personal upset) of pursuing a legal route, against the cost of making the repairs. Make sure you do only address absolutely essential areas, Common sense and albeit frustrated sanity says the repair bill will be much cheaper.

Just one other question though, you havent made it clear where the water is coming from?
If indeed its a leak from his flat, i.e. bathroom, not the fabric of the bulding, then thats a whole different ball game.

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Lorraine 14th October, 2015 @ 08:33

Hi I wonder if you can help I've had no heating for nearly 2weeks no hot water for 1 week can I legally withhold my rent until it is fixed.

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Observer 14th October, 2015 @ 18:33

No. Legally you still have to pay your rent to the end of your contract even if the house burnt down and was no longer there!
Im assuming youre simply frustrated at lack of action. Is it managed by an agent or the owner? If its an owner managed property, give him 24 hours notice that unless he attends to the matter within 24 hours, you will instruct a gas safe engineer to attend. Whilst the law should be the same for both owner managers and letting agents, theres a bit of leeway regards 'unobtainable' owners. I would feel confident that as long as you produce a legitimate bill from a gas safe registered engineer, for the repairs the landlord failed to attend to, that persuimg you for,paying short rent wont fly.
If its a letting agent, then theres no excuse whatsoever as to why they havent sent someone immediately. You should expect a 24 response to any heating issue in winter and you need to slap the agents hard to act. There are various routes to complain about an agent, none of which include witholding rent.

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Dean Alani 31st October, 2015 @ 22:51

I have 2 questions and would appreciate someone helping to answer.
I am in rented accommodation.

1)My fire alarm started to beep continuously throughout the night I took this down to check it & the 9v battery which is meant as a back up as the alarms are mains fed, was 6 years out of date. The property was inspected 3 times by the letting agent. Once before we moved in and twice since being here. Whos responsibility is it to ensure the battery is changed and legally are the letting agent/landlord responsible and breaking the law?

2)It states all rented property has to have a water risk assessment, what is the likelihood my property has or any other rented property? legally are they breaking the law if one has not been carried out?

Thanks

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Jon 5th November, 2015 @ 15:59

Hi All,

I's really appreciate a landlords advice on the matter and will endeavour to keep the whole thing short.

Recently all the electrics in the house have been going out. It appears that after having baths or showers the steam is triggering something in the bathroom which blows a fuse. Strangely for the entire house not just the bathroom?! Although we can flip the power back on we need to leave it about an hour or so until it will stay on without blowing the fuse again. We reported this Monday and lets be honest we can work around it.

Since this has happened our smoke alarms go off randomly. Now it's not the low battery bleep it's the constant long beep. This happened Tuesday for about an hour. Then it happened Wednesday for ten minutes in the evening. Then about 9 it happened for two hours constantly. Then at 12.30 it went off for 20 minutes. Again about 3am for ten minutes.

I inspected the alarms and the fuse box. It has both a battery and is run from the mains. I followed the guidelines and when it was going off I turned off the fuse which says smoke alarm. This did not stop it. I then switched off all mains electricity to entire property. This did not help. I then had a head torch and removed from the ceilings and removed the batteries while the mains was still off. The part I removed with battery isn't beeping but the alarm parts left on the ceiling are...without battery or mains!? Does it bypass the fuse box or have a further internal battery.

Needless to say the alarm keeps going off randomly for greatly different amount of times and I can't see a common cause. The landlord Wednesday said someone would be out first thing. Now they have said it will be Friday afternoon.

I accept the original issue Monday can be worked around but I feel that due to having dogs which really do not take to the noise, the random and long duration of sound that wakes us in the night (tired for work) and goes off during the day (unfortunately partner works from home), it is unreasonable to be left with this occurring for 48 hours without rectifying.

It is really loud, goes on for ages, and I don't know why, I'd have hoped it would be a fix in 24 hours or at least have somebody come check alarm etc. It's not a low battery beeping and have done all the checks they have asked me to do.

Advise please?

Kind regards,

Jon

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Jon 5th November, 2015 @ 16:03

Apologies. I should add it's through an agency. We reported about 6 in the evening Wednesday and they will be out 3pm Friday. Alarm been going off randomly all day, longest time for an hour. Surely they should send electric or gas engineer or just anybody to check it's ok?

Kind regards,

Jon

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margaret 17th November, 2015 @ 00:32

we have been letting a property to same tenant for 8yrs a gas fitter has been to repair boiler,he has told us we need a new gas hob because the one we have has no safety gas cut out,is this a failure.

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Lulu 21st November, 2015 @ 00:03

My tenancy agreement does not end for another month, but my landlord suddenly decided (without consulting me) to add a wall the living room to separate the open kitchen and make the rest of living room space into another bedroom. The renovation working is happening right now, I can't sit down to have a proper meal or study anymore, because there is no more space for a table. sitting in the used-to-be open kitchen is awkward, because there is not legroom due to how table is shaped.

Can my landlord do all these? What should I do?

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Lorraine 23rd November, 2015 @ 17:50

I have been renting my house from my landlord for 5years now, he is a very fair landlord but recently he removed all the loft insulation to put in his friends shed??? Saying that coz am on benefits I can get new insulation for free,, is this legal? My home is now freezing even with the heating and fire on..... getting damp too on my son's bedroom ceiling... please help

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blackcloud 12th June, 2016 @ 13:20

What happens if you serve notice on a long time tenant,who is the only name on the agreement,but the spouse isn't.Does the spouse have occupancy rights over you?.
How would this be affected if you had rolled an expired tenancy?

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salty 12th September, 2016 @ 14:21

Hi this morning the housing assoc gas fitter came to my house to repair the gas fire l was told it will be removed as its no longer safe to use they are not replacing it with another heating appliance l already have gas central heating in the property surely as a pensioner they must provide alternative heating if the other breaks down where do l legally stand as an housing association tenant thank you

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Observer 14th September, 2016 @ 00:33

Why do you believe you should have secondary heating? If you have special needs or specific medical requirements, it would be for you to accomodate those requirements. The only requirements on your landlord are, if a heating system is provided (and some properties have no installed heating at all) its the LLs responsibility to ensure it is tested and certified on an annual basis.

If you wish to have secondary heating in your front room (would you expect a LL to install gas fires in all the bedrooms too in case the central heating broke down?) it would be reasonable to simply ask for permission to say put a second heater in yourself. You need to ask what secondary fire would be acceptable to the LL, (I personally would refuse gas, but allow an electric wall fire or plug in dragon radiator for example). But expecting your LL to provide one is not a given right.
In short, they have provided a perfectly serviceable central heating system so any secondary fires are simply a matter of personal choice.

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Mary 2nd October, 2016 @ 00:35

Can a landlord rent a property without disclosing that all of the windows are sealed shut and can't be opened in the event of a fire or emergency

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Henrique Santos 22nd December, 2016 @ 12:14

Hi,
I am living in a house containing six flats, and from the past month I've been without hot water supply most of the days.
I spoke with my housing agency and they told me that the property have only one old boiler tank providing water to all six flats, but as the temperatures drops, all my flat neighbor's are using all hot water in the tank through the day, and when I got home every evening after work, there's no hot water left for me to shower and wash the dishes.
As I understood from them, this is a mater of upgrading the boiler tank to a bigger one rather than carry a normal repair, which they are not willing to do.
Please can you advise me if in that case they have the obligation to carry the upgrade?

Thanks

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Stella 28th December, 2016 @ 21:51

I own an HMO myself and the heating this time of year is on full 24/7 throughout the building and the cost is included in the rent my tenants pay me. I was therefore shocked to hear the plight of a friend of mine who is residing in an HMO provided by his workplace for which he pays £300 a month rent. His landlord does not have the heating on in mid winter as all radiators are stone cold. The boiler is set to hot water only and there is a notice on the boiler telling the tenants not to adjust the controls. Because of this my friend bought a plug in heater to heat his room but apparently that is not allowed either and the landlord has in fact put up another notice saying there is a hefty fine to be paid to him by tenants if any plug in heaters are discovered in their rooms! Should my friend report the landlord to the health and safety executive?

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Pat 7th January, 2017 @ 15:53

Hi I have had superb tenants for the past three years last week I had repair work done to a section of roof and unbeknown to me the roofer interfered with the gas central
heating boiler flue that is installed in the loft and goes thought the roof to outside.
The boiler after a couple of days stopped working ( for safety reasons) the heating engineer was called and found that the ' roofers ' had interfered with flue and there was a discharge into loft of carbon monoxide .
One of the small children has
been complaining of headaches and sickness for a few days and although no readings of carbon monoxide were present in the house below loft level the tenant took children to A & E to be tested but results were negative. The hospital had said that as boiler had switched off 24 hours ago any traces I
( if there had been any) could have dissipated)
The roofer denied touching flue bot photos show before and after condition also just before Xmas all gas appliances had been service and landlords safety certs issued.
Although engineer re- fixed flue safely tenants never turned boiler on so it was decided to replace flu with a brand new one.
I have asked roofer to compensate me for the engineers bill 'Im not holding my breath,
But engineer
feels that tenant might well wish to take the matter further and wishes the engineer to assist him.
The engineer is going to check with Health & Safety as he feels he will have to report incident.
As the landlord what should I do next. All is now safe and I am relieved that the health of my tenants has not been affected.
But I am worried nevertheless
I am an extremely conscientious landlord.
I have said to the engineer he must do whatever is necessary re report to satisfy the requirements of his Gas Safe accreditation etc but as I employed him to investigate and
Then make everything safe that I feel he is not to act independently with my tenants without my knowledge
Am I correct?
At this time my tenants have not indicated they wish to take things further ' with the roofer' but as I employed the roofer I feel it all comes back to me anyway ( even his negligence)
Can anyone advise me ?
Thank you

P.

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Observer 8th January, 2017 @ 00:14

Just posted a reply Pat, but not appearing so this is a test post. Basically, nothing to worry about in the slightest.

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Observer 8th January, 2017 @ 00:17

Hi Pat, dont worry about it. Things like this happen and they are utterly out of the control of the landlord. One point though, from the outset regards costs/damage during building works, you should have notified your insurers you were having building work done. (Im guessing you didnt , I wouldnt have bothered either, but it does mean you will have to stump up for any damage a builder does) as lets say the roofer actually brought the roof down, if insurers arent notified in advance, they wont cover the costs of bulding work damage.

Outside of letting your insurers know that you were having a roofer in, (and that risk is entirely your own) Youve done absolutely everything correctly.

You had a valid current safety cert.
The roofer DIDNT report damaging the flue.
The boiler then stopped working.
You correctly got an engineer out (pretty quickly it sounds).
Engineer identifies problem and corrects it.
Tenants decide they want to do an a&e visit (which they are entitled to do) to be sure little one ok, which he is and quite probably had a headache from the excessive amount of chocolate hes scoffed over the christmas hols.

What exactly is it you believe is an issue here and is concerning you?
What exactly should you have done to avoid this or done differently? If the roofer didnt notify you that hed damaged the flue, how on earth were you supposed to know?
What do you believe the tenants may 'sue' you, or for that matter, the roofer for? No one was injured. 'What if' isnt a law suit.

Personally I was interested to read youve decided to replace the flue with a new one, when the engineer stated the original fix was fine. Why did you do that? Also, it does sound like the gas engineer involved has shit stirred somewhat with your tenants, so I certainly wouldnt be giving him any further business. Either hes fixed it and its safe to use, or hes shut it down and notified all parties of an unuseable/dangerous appliance.

My understanding is, its only when and aplliance has been issued with a 'do not use' notice, that hes obliged to notify the gas safe peeps. (But happy to be corrected here, I may be behind the times a tad) But you say he fixed it. ..............

(Will continue in 2nd post as having difficulty)

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Observer 8th January, 2017 @ 00:20

continued.............

The issues been resolved. its debatable whether you needed to go as far as a new flue (so if your looking at the roofer, he could argue unneccesary costs there, and to be fair, you should be insured for builder damage) but Im not confident in your gas safe engineer to start with. He says its the roofer, the roofer is utterly unaware of any damage. Who exactly would be suing who for what here?

What I would do is, get a second engineer our to re-do your gas safety cert and check the works.
Tell your original gas engineer this is what you are doing, for yours and your tenants peace of mind, as youve lost confidence in him, and then Id never use him again.

Its extra expense, but gives you a totally clean bill of health, post repair works and is more than would be expected of a landlord under these circumstances.

Stop worrying. Everything is absolutely fine.

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Observer 8th January, 2017 @ 00:46

.....and finally, if youre still worrying, heres the current gas safe legislation.

8.2 What to report under RIDDOR 11(1) – Gas incident
RIDDOR regulation 11(1) applies when someone has died, been unconscious or taken to hospital in connection with gas, as a result of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, exposure to un-burnt gas, fire and/or explosion incidents. Incidents where people have taken themselves to hospital, or have been taken to another medical facility are not reportable.

Absolutely nothing to report here, and even if your original engineer did, by then assuming some possible injury, he then did everything wrong according to his own gase safe certification. No repair works should have been completed and the HSE should have been informed BEFORE any repair works are completed.

Forget about it and get a new gas man.

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Rebecca 17th March, 2017 @ 21:01

Hello,
Just looking for some advice, I have been living in this property for nearly three years now. Have constantly been going to the letting agency to find out when work that needed to be done will be done. Got in touch with them recently again as one of the jobs that needed doing has become more urgently as the orgnial problem has gotten worse. Then today I have had to call the national grid emergancy number as I believed I could smell gas, an engineer came out did all the checks and stated that there wasn't any pipe leaks, but stated that since the only gas appliance that was on was the fire in the back living room, he believed that was the problem. I contacted my letting agency, they informed me that the gas safety engineer they use was on holiday so would send someone else out to look at it. The person they sent was the builder whom I have already meet once this week when he came to look at all the other issues with the property, he then contacted another gas safe engineer who isn't contacted by the letting agency as both the gas safe engineers are on holiday. That engineer came out and said that he wasn't even going to touch the fire as the black marks on the wall behind are from soot burning which is probably the smell I was smelling and that the fire needs replacing and should of been a while ago as I have a 2 year old living here and shouldn't of been risked. However, the problem I have is I know that the letting agents have to get the okay and funding from the landlord to do any work and since there isn't an emergency number for me to contact and I am unsure as to whether they are open on a Saturday, What can I do? We have no heating to warm the house, it is a very cold house as it is, due to the single glazed rotten wooden windows, which we are still waiting to find out if they'll be fixed before the glass drops out of some with how rotten they are.

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Paul fewell 13th April, 2017 @ 14:28

The housing association have removed a fire escape gate from our property. They refuse to reinstate the gate. In spite of our protests. What are their legal obligations in this issue?

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Abdul Haque 4th February, 2018 @ 12:50

If a seller had arranged Gas, Electrical and EPC in the last couple of months, will the new purchaser (landlord) be required to arrange these again under their own name to comply for letting?

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Sandi 13th April, 2018 @ 09:01

My letting agency has just written to tell me that I am "required" to purchase a ladder for them to check the smoke alarm. Is a this a new regulation? They previously checked it by standing on a chair as its easily reachable. Just curious about the wording. I am the landlord.
Many thanks

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Simon Pambin 13th April, 2018 @ 11:27

The only legal requirement is to check that the smoke detectors are working on the first day of the tenancy. If your agent is too much of a shortarse to reach the button and too much of a tightarse to buy a folding stool that they can use at every property, then maybe you need to find an agent who's less of an arse all round!

As for your tenants, they can make their own arrangements for reaching the button. I wouldn't want to start providing equipment or advice as it's just putting yourself at unnecessary risk of a lawsuit if something goes awry.

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Katalin 13th April, 2018 @ 22:53

I’m in the process of buying a property that’s already let, there is a tenant living in. Can I demand the vendor to provide me with an EPC and a Gas safety certificate?

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Penny 14th October, 2018 @ 19:26

Can anybody advise me who is responsible for bees/wasps at a rental property, the tenant or landlord?; the tenant has been at the property for 6 months

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SusanaSpona 5th February, 2019 @ 08:00

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Louise 6th June, 2019 @ 08:43

Could someone advise me please. I have been renting a property for two years. If there is a hole in the external wall that has not been caused by the tenant and has allowed honey bees into the cavity of the wall and eventually find there way into the house. Who’s responsibility is it to fill the hole or holes? Due to the mortar being old and crumbling and who’s responsibility is it to pay for the cost of getting rid of the bees? Unfortunately although they are protected, once they enter brick work they cannot remove the hive and have to put powered down for them to return to the hive.
Thank you.
Louise

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asif hussaian 1st February, 2020 @ 22:53

Hi ive just had my new kithcen installed but ive used the old appliance hoob which had a nob missing and the ignition doesnt start up does that mean i dont get a gas safety certificate, can someone please help me here very frustrated ?

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