Landlords

 

 

 

   

All our properties must meet the minimum legal requirements for rented property.   These standards are set out within the following Regulations:

Housing (Scotland) Act 1987: It is the Landlords responsibility to provide a property that meets the “tolerable standards” test of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. Structural faults, such as roof repairs, collapsed drains etc fall to the Landlord to fix. In some extreme cases the Landlord may also be required to either compensate the tenant for the inconvenience and disruption of any repair, or temporarily re-house the tenant whilst building work is being carried out.

The Landlord is also responsible for those items listed in an inventory that require replacement due to normal “wear and tear”.  Equally general maintenance such as decorating also fall to the Landlord, unless permission is given to the tenant to carry out the work.  Landlords are responsible for security and maintenance between rentals when the property is unoccupied.

Furniture and Furnishings Regulations 1988: sofas, mattresses, pillows etc. should be checked by looking for a label stating that they meet the regulations. Furniture that does not meet the regulations must be removed from the property prior to any tenant moving in.   Occasionally furniture labels may have been cut off or the items are imported without the statutory UK labels.  A receipt from a UK retailer may be acceptable evidence that the furniture meets the Regulations as it is an offence for any furniture seller or reseller, including charity shops, to retail furniture that do not meet these safety standards.

Gas Safety Regulations 1994 : all let property requires that every gas appliance has an annual safety check by a CORGI registered gas engineer.  All gas engineers have to be registered with the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) to carry our gas related work. To check if a CORGI registration is valid, phone CORGI on 01256 372300 - we always do!

The Health and Safety Executive, the governmental body that polices the Gas Safety Regulations web site is worth a visit  at: www.open.gov.uk/hse/gas/index.htm

Electrical Safety Regulations place a duty of care on landlords to ensure that the electrical circuits, appliances, plugs etc. are checked and safe to use. An electrical safety check should be carried out prior to the tenant moving in.

Landlords have a legal 'Duty of Care' with regard to the safety of their tenants. We strongly recommend that at least two smoke detectors are fitted and that a fire blanket and/or extinguisher is supplied in the kitchen. An insurance claim could be adversely affected where such preventative measures are ignored.

If the property is heated using oil or solid fuel, there is a duty of care to ensure that the heating system is properly serviced and flues/chimneys etc are regularly maintained.

Finally please remember that under the various consumer laws currently in force, appliances supplied within a property must be 'fit for the purpose' and safe to use.

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