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Some interesting statistics on the rental market……
4.6 million households now live in the private rented sector, and their property is increasingly home for longer.from the recently-released English Housing Survey indicates the average number of years a private sector tenant has been in their current home is 4.4 years, up from 3.7 years back in 2010/11.
Over half (56%) of renters plan to purchase a property in the future, however this proportion is the lowest in over a decade. More than a quarter (28%) of tenants have lived in the private rented sector for over a decade and four in ten don’t expect to buy within the next five years.
Affordability, flexibility and a lifestyle choice are just some reasons why people choose to rent. A raft of government legislation over recent years has focused on improving standards for tenants in the sector, with more announcements expected in the March 2020 Budget.
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The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 will apply to new tenancies from 1st July 2020 and to existing tenancies from 1st April 2021. The new regulations require landlords to ensure that all electrical installations in their rental properties are inspected and tested by a qualified person every five years. Reports of each inspection to be supplied to all tenants of the property within 28 days of the inspection, and retained by the landlord until the next inspection takes place. Breaches of the regulations could result in financial penalties of up to £30,000.
Inspections and tests
Under the regulations, landlords need to ensure that:
- Electrical safety standards are met during any period when the residential premises are occupied by a specified tenancy.
- Every electrical installation in the residential premises is inspected and tested by a qualified person at regular intervals of at least every five years, or more often if specified in an inspection report.
- The first inspection and testing is carried out either before a tenancy starts for new tenancies or by 1st April 2021 for existing tenancies.
Distribution and retention of reports
Following inspection and testing, landlords will be required to:
- Obtain a report from the person who conducted the inspection and test, which gives the results and the date of the next inspection and test.
- Supply a copy of the report to each existing tenant of the property within 28 days of the inspection and test.
- Supply a copy of the most recent report to any new tenant to which the report will apply beforethe tenant moves in and any prospective tenant within 28 days of receiving a written request for it.
- supply a copy of the report to the local housing authority within 7 days of receiving a written request for it.
- Keep a copy of the report until the next inspection and test is due and give a copy of it to the person who is carrying out the next inspection and test.
Investigative or remedial work
If, after an inspection and test, the report requires further investigative or remedial work to be carried out, the landlord must:
- Ensure that further investigative or remedial work is carried out by a qualified person within 28 days, or the period specified in the report if it’s less than 28 days.
- Obtain written confirmation from a qualified person that the further investigative or remedial work has been carried out and whether the electrical safety standards have been met or if further investigative or remedial work is required.
- Supply that written confirmation, together with a copy of the original report which required the further investigative or remedial work, to each existing tenant of the property within 28 days of the further investigative or remedial work being completed.
- Supply that written confirmation, together with a copy of the report which required the further investigative or remedial work, to the local housing authority within 28 days of completion of the further investigative or remedial work.
This article is intended as a guide only - it is not exhaustive and should not be considered legal advice. For more information , please refer to the draft legislation atlegislation.gov.uk.
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This year we have chosen to donate to a charity very close to our hearts instead of sending out Christmas cards .
We have chosen Dementia Uk and we have donated £100 towards this fantastic Charity .
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Christmas and New Year .
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Letting Agent Service and Care
Some letting Agents see their role as just solely as a tenant finder and to negotiate attractive terms for the Landlord . But we have moved on as the industry has and as this is still a very important role .
Landlords are looking for more forward thinking and a more progressive view from their agent .
The rental market can be volatile and an emotional journey for all involved . This is someone's Investment and another ones well-loved future home .
We strive to do our best to provide a full service or bespoke if wished .
We have many important parts to the service we provide from start during and end .
We carry out important regular property Inspections followed by a detailed report including advisories where needed and that all is well for the owner and the tenant likewise.
If the management is effective then as a rule all runs smoothly and well . Looking after our landlord is paramount as they are our clients but the tenant is very much an important part of a happy duration of tenancy also .
We offer a hands on approach to vetting and the reference procedure and is a vital service and ensure commitment to securing the best tenant .
Let us help make your Investment enjoyable rather than endurable .
We are an Agent who believes in a supportive service that is personal and provides full commitment .
Kindly feel free to contact us and happy to advice for a non-obligation chat as we are here to help .
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Emergency repairs
During your tenancy, your landlord or agent should provide you with contact details including a 24-hour contact for emergencies.
Increasingly managing repairs and maintenance is done online and communicating via email is a good way to keep track of progress. Whilst it is important to get repairs completed quickly, you should also be realistic about timescales. Some repairs may not be immediate, especially if replacement parts have to be ordered, but having a contractor attend within 24 hours to diagnose the problem is not an unreasonable expectation.
Most landlords and agents will hold a set of keys in order gain access to the property for repairs (it’s also useful if you lose your keys) but you should expect them to always confirm the access with you in advance before attending and give you the option to attend should you wish. If the contractor is attending alone, make sure that they are properly vetted and are insured to be able to collect keys and have unsupervised access
Property Managers are employed as agents for the landlord and, depending on the contract that they have with a landlord, they may be limited in what they can arrange without explicit consent from the owner. Although employed by the landlord they still have a duty of care to you as the tenant and to ensure that you are kept free from any danger. Most property managers will hold some money on account to cover the cost of emergency repairs but regular maintenance will need confirmation to proceed.
Emergency repairs are generally specific to power and water and most contractors that attend to these sort of problems (power failures, major leaks and flooding) will do the minimum overnight to stem the problem and then re-attend the next day when they will cause less disruption to other residents, be working in daylight and on normal rates.
If you have an emergency you should also take what reasonable precautions you can to prevent any damage, including switching off electric or water supplies or trying to contact your neighbour if there is a leak coming from their property.
Unless specifically agreed with the landlord and agent you should not try to undertake any repair works yourself, even if you are qualified to do so. Some works may potentially cause you harm, cause additional damage to the property or possibly invalidate the landlord’s insurance. If this happens the landlord could reasonably look to you to cover the cost of the damage if they did not give consent for work to be undertaken.
