There are a number of safety regulations in place to help protect tenants while they rent a property. These include regulations that cover:
Doyle Sales and Lettings website includes information about some of these regulations but for further information speak to a member of the lettings team at Doyle Sales and Lettings or for full details of current legislation visit https://www.communities.gov.uk/
The General Products (Safety) Regulations 1994 require that all goods must satisfy general safety provisions. The law requires that all electrical appliances are safe and strongly recommends that they are tested. In 1995 there were 27 deaths from electrocution within the home and 39 in the workplace; 23,756 people suffered electric shocks and an alarming 7,500 fires were caused by faulty electrical appliances and leads.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and The Plugs & Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 state that when an unsafe appliance is found in rented accommodation, Trading Standards check that the landlord or agent has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid supplying an unsafe item. In the event of an incident in a property involving electricity the landlord must be able to demonstrate that his supply and appliances are safe, he can only do this if it is tested professionally. Duty of care demands that this is done on a regular basis, particularly at the point at which the property first becomes available to let. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 state that all let and managed property MUST be annually tested for safety. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in a substantial fine or even, in the worst cases, imprisonment.
Only GAS SAFE registered businesses using ACOP qualified engineers can carry out work on gas appliances and piping. All landlords have a DUTY OF CARE to ensure their tenant’s safety. To this end battery operated smoke alarms are advisable. Once a landlord has supplied an alarm the tenant becomes responsible for the battery. Doyle Sales and Lettings uses only full qualified contractors to carry out both gas and electrical safety tests. These firms not only carry the right qualifications but have Quality Assured standards and Professional Indemnity Insurance. Our Contractors’ Safety Inspectors are all qualified to the latest industry-recognised gas and electrical standards. As legislation increases and qualifications evolve, these engineers keep pace because training is on-going. Safety Inspectors regularly attend manufacturer courses to enhance their knowledge of – for example – specific boilers, old and new.
Since 1 January 1997, all furniture provided in furnished rented accommodation – houses, flats and bedsits – must meet the fire resistance requirements of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, 1988.
Any of the following items which contain upholstery:
Properties cannot be let through Doyle Sales and Lettings which contain noncompliant furniture. If you require advice or further information about whether furniture complies with the Regulations, you should any agent in branch. The responsibility for compliance with the Regulations rests with the person letting the accommodation – this can be estate agents, letting agents, landlords or property managers.
Upon deciding to rent your property:
Immediately after you are notified that an application for tenancy has been received by Doyle Sales and Lettings, please:
N.B. INSTRUCTION MANUALS or LEAFLETS, in ENGLISH, must be left at your property for all APPLIANCES, THE CENTRAL HEATING BOILER AND SYSTEMS before the Schedule of Condition & Inventory can be undertaken. By LAW, copies of these must be given to each Tenant at the commencement of the Tenancy. ALTERNATIVELY, CLEAR HAND WRITTEN OR TYPED INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE REQUIRED. (Failure to provide these will result in unnecessary delays).
Section 42a Income and Corporation Tax Act 1988 and Taxation of Income from Land (Non-residents) Regulations 1995, SI 1995 No 2902.
For Landlords who live abroad the Doyle Sales and Lettings Full Management Service is available, the Let Only service cannot be used. Overseas landlords are regarded as non-UK residents for tax purposes, and need to apply to the Inland Revenue for Non-Resident Landlord status. A landlord that has already been approved to receive rents without deduction of tax from the Inland Revenue must contact the Inland Revenue and request that an NRL8 (approval notice) be issued to Doyle Sales and Lettings Ltd. 11 Broadway Buildings, Boston Road, Hanwell, London, W7 3TT. A landlord who does not hold approval will need to apply to the Inland Revenue to be approved for the non-resident landlord scheme. If the application is successful the Inland Revenue will issue an NRL8 to Doyle Sales and Lettings Ltd. Doyle Sales and Lettings hold forms for this (NRL1) and will assist landlords through the process if required. The Inland Revenue issues the following notes as a guide to this scheme.
The Non-resident Landlords Scheme is a scheme for taxing the UK rental income of non resident landlords. The scheme requires UK letting agents to deduct Basic Rate tax from any rent they collect for non-resident landlords. When working out the amount to tax, the letting agent can take off deductible expenses. Letting agents don’t have to deduct tax if the Inland Revenue tells them not to. The Inland Revenue will tell an agent not to deduct tax if non-resident landlords have successfully applied for approval to receive rents with no tax deducted. But even though the rent may be paid with no tax deducted, it remains liable to UK tax. So non resident landlords must include it in any tax return the Inland Revenue sends them.
Most applications are dealt with within two weeks (the Inland Revenue Centre for Non- Residents aims to approve 95% of all applications within this time).
From 6 April 2006 mandatory HMO licensing came into force across England. The Government hopes that this new legislation will raise the standard of accommodation for people living in HMO’s.
Under the national mandatory licensing scheme an HMO must be licensed if it is a building consisting of three or more storeys and is occupied by five or more tenants in two or more households. Local Housing authorities have discretionary powers to widen the remit of licensing to also include other smaller HMO’s if they think that enough of them in an area are badly managed. IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHETHER A HMO NEEDS A LICENCE CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITY
Mandatory licensing came into force on 6 April 2006. HMO landlords are encouraged to apply immediately for a licence to avoid the penalties, which were introduced on 6 July 2006; Failure to register for a licence. Failure to register for a licence is a criminal offence and can result in a fine of up to £20,000. For more information on HMO’s contact your local housing authority and visit https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/houses-in-multiple-occupation-hmo
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