Date Published 09 October 2019
Did you know that there are 170 rules and regulations, landlords should be aware of when renting out a property?
If you are a landlord and you manage your own property or properties, this article will be of interest to you. We are come across landlords almost on a daily basis who currently manage their own tenancies, for want of a better word - 'unintentionally badly'. Maybe you are an accidental landlord or you simply do not have the time to spend as a property manager. Legislation now imposed on landlords is lengthy and ongoing - 170 items to be exact.
It is abundantly clear from our seminars and workshops that private landlords are unaware of what their obligations are and legal liabilities.
In the event of an incident where non compliance can be proved - the consequences could be far reaching. We have known landlords across Essex to be taken to court and heavy fines imposed and in some cases, particularly in London, prison sentences have been levied. Local Authorities are now carrying out spot check inspections on properties and issuing fines where they deem necessary. Fines could be as high as £30,000.
We specialise in managing properties for the last 10 years. We take the hassle and worry out of many of the things, you as a landlord have or will encounter whilst managing your investment yourself, these being:
• Remaining Law and Legislation compliant - to encompass Gas Safety, changes to Electrical Check Regulations, proposed changes to tenancy lengths, Legionella Checks, HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System) Complaint, Mees (Minimum Energy Efficiency Systems)
• Aware of all pending government changes and how it impacts you as a landlord and the requirement to pass all necessary information onto the tenant
• Ensuring renewal agreements are created correctly in light of the Deregulation Act for tenancies after 2015
• Ensuring Deposits are correctly registered with an approved Government Scheme, we use the Deposit Protection Scheme.
• Ensuring non discrimination. - Race Relations Act & Disability Discrimination Act
• Aware of Rent collection procedures. We pay all rent to our landlords within 48 hours of the due date.
• Managing rent arrears so as not to jeopardise servicing of a Section 6a notice.
• Arranging and conducting property inspections and to comply with the Equality Act 2010 (harassment) we do this at least every four months.
• Dealing with maintenance issues and logging all events inc due diligence for contractor liability insurance
• Fully aware of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 Section 11 Landlords Repairing Obligations
• Deposit dispute resolution & timelines involved and we are happy Handle a claim on your behalf.
• Dealing with eviction in the event of non-payment and aware of the Prevention from Eviction Act 1977
• Dealing with complaints from neighbours
• GDPR compliance - are you registered with the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) - have you issued your tenant with a Privacy Policy?
The common issue that arises every time a landlord deals directly with the tenant is that they feel it's often difficult to address delicate situations such as rent arrears, untidiness, complaints from neighbours and the eviction process or the landlord has not visited the property at all during the tenancy and the property is in a poor state or condition.
If you would like a schedule of all the legislation you need to be aware of we are offering a free document that sets out all the current regulations you as a landlord need to adhere to.
Please email us at info@tylerestates.co.uk and we will happily send you one.
