Essential services landlords should provide

 

There’s more to being a landlord than just letting somebody live in a house or a flat in return for money. Landlords do have certain obligations to their tenants, both legally and morally, but unfortunately not all landlords meet these obligations all of the time. They can get away with it because often their tenants wont want to make a fuss. There are several reasons why this could be the case. The tenant may not realise that the landlord is breaking the law. Alternatively, the landlord may not technically be breaking the law, but is still failing to provide the level of service a tenant should expect. In both cases, a tenant might not complain for fear of a rent increase that they cant afford, or worse, eviction.

Property management

Many landlords choose to work with a property management company. Reputable managers like Hamilton King will provide a full service for landlords, which includes carrying out all necessary repairs and keeping the property maintained to a high standard. They can source the best value contractors to carry out this work, review the work and arrange payment. Hamilton King Management can also take care of accounting and administration, insurance, cleaning, fire risk assessment and liaising with tenants over carrying out major work.

Landlords financial responsibilities

Landlords need to make sure that their own finances and accounting are in order. This may not directly impact on a tenant, but certainly if a landlord starts to let out his or her own home for the first time, the mortgage lender will need to be informed, and the landlord may need to switch to a different mortgage if this is a permanent arrangement.

HMRC will also need to know when you start renting out a property for the first time, and income from rent will be taxed along with any other income, minus allowable expenses. All this needs to be properly declared. Also, if you sell your property, you will need to pay capital gains tax.

Landlords responsibilities to tenants

Any tenancy should be based on a legally compliant tenancy agreement, and any deposit paid should be registered with a tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of the start of the tenancy. The landlord is responsible for any repairs as well as the general upkeep of the property, especially where vital utilities like plumbing, heating and electrics are concerned.

It is the landlords responsibility to make sure that all gas and electrical appliances and so on are safe and regularly checked. Any furniture and furnishings supplied by the landlord also need to comply with fire regulations and should be certified as such. The whole property should meet fire safety requirements and should be equipped with at least one smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector, as well as fire doors. An energy performance certificate is also a requirement for most properties.

If tenants believe that their landlord has not been meeting their obligations, for instance by failing to carry our vital repairs, they can sue the landlord in the small claims court. Remember that legal requirements for landlords can vary between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Check yougov.co.uk for up to date information.

The relationship between landlord and tenant is built upon a financial transaction, but landlords still have legal and moral obligations to guarantee the safety of their tenants.

 

LEGAL INFORMATION

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