Safety

The safety of tenants has to be paramount..

There are now some very important obligations placed upon Landlords to ensure that all gas-supplied appliances in a rented property have a CORGI certificate of safety. This means central heating boilers, water heaters, cookers, fires and gas refrigerators etc. An engineer who is registered with CORGI for domestic appliance work, following which a safety certificate must be obtained and a copy issued to the tenant must service all such appliances. A CORGI qualified fitter must carry out any work required. The safety certificate must be renewed annually. (Once a year just like a car MOT) and the tenants are entitled to receive an updated copy. Non compliance with the Gas Safety Regulations could result in a heavy fine or imprisonment, or both. As these provisions apply equally to the managing agent as well as the Landlord, you will understand that we must take a clear stance.

We can accept the first Certificates but thereafter to avoid any confusion we will carry out GAS, ELECTRICIAL, SOFT FURNISHINGS and SMOKE DETECTOR with the battery replacements. We are unable to accept and/or retain a property with our agency unless: -

• A current certificate is already in force OR
• The Landlord is obtaining a certificate which is given to us before a tenants moves in OR
• The Landlord authorises us to take the necessary action and obtain a certificate via one of our authorised maintenance personnel

The above is Law of the land – if its not done it can come with a £5000 fine, imprisonment or both. Because we have a large investment portfolio we are able to provide a special rate.

• Boiler – including a basic service
• Electrical – items i.e. cooker, fridge, washing machine etc get a P.A.T. test.
• Soft furnishings - checked.
• Smoke detectors – installed or battery changed.
• The cost…£119.00 plus vat. (If no gas then the cost is less etc. )

Further advice on this vital issue is outlined in Landlord fact-sheets, which is available on request. The landlord is responsible for ensuring that all electrical appliances supplied in the accommodation must be safe for use. The law requires that all new houses built after June 1992 have electronically linked, mains operated smoke detectors installed on each floor. Although older properties are exempt from this requirement, we strongly recommend that smoke detectors be installed on each floor in all rental properties.

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety)(Amended) Regulations 1993 require that all upholstered furniture and furnishings in rented properties pass the "cigarette test". If any property is found not to comply the landlord faces fines or imprisonment, or both.

Any Landlord placing a property on the rental market for the first time must comply with these regulations immediately, and any furniture not complying must be removed before the tenancy commences. Similarly, if any items in a property subject to an existing rental are replaced, either during a tenancy or a void period, then those replacement items must continue to satisfy the requirements of these important Regulations.

Generally, most furniture purchased from reputable suppliers after March 1990 should comply with the regulations and will be labelled accordingly.

Further advice on this important issue is available on request.
It is appreciated that no landlord would wish to put a tenant in a safety risk situation….

Renting a property is not a difficult thing to do but like owning a car certain things must be attended .

PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE FURNITURE & FURNISHINGS
REGULATIONS

• Furniture intended for private use in a dwelling, including children's furniture
• Beds, head-boards, mattresses
• Sofa-beds, futons and other convertible’s
• Nursery furniture
• Garden furniture which is suitable for use in a dwelling
• Pillows, cushions & seat-pads
• Loose and stretch covers for furniture

PRODUCTS USUALLY NOT COVERED BY THE REGULATIONS

• Curtains, Carpets, Sleeping bags
• Bed-clothes (including duvets)
• Loose covers for mattresses and Pillowcases
• Furniture made before 1950 (usually has horse hair filling)
  

SAFETY TIP: Ensure that all instruction booklets and manuals for appliances are available at the property for the tenants' reference. If you can take a photocopy and make up a booklet..

If you wish to avail yourself of this service or require more information, you can e-mail Landlord Safety Testing by contacting us.