Not only do landlords who rent out their properties have a moral obligation to make sure that they are safe places to live, there is also a legal requirement to make sure that several aspects of the property are in good working condition. Before letting out your property, you must consider the following;
·
If any part of the property could have a
negative impact on the tenants health. The most commonly be anything that would
create cold or damp conditions in the property.
·
There must be sufficient provision for waste
drainage, so there must be sinks and toilets where water can hygienically
escape the property.
·
The tenants must have access to clean drinking
water.
·
There must be a toilet that is for sole use of
the tenants living in the property.
When the property is let out, the
landlord still has a responsibility to keep certain aspects of the property in
good working condition, both inside and outside. Externally, the landlord has a
responsibility to maintain the structure of the property, including walls, roof
and foundation. On top of this they also need to ensure that the drains,
gutters and pipes are all in working order. Inside the property the landlord
must ensure that installations
for gas, electricity, water and sanitations are maintained, meaning that
basins, sinks toilets and
baths must be working
or replaced if broken. Finally, the landlord must ensure that the installation
for heating and hot water are in working order. This will often mean maintaining
the boiler and central heating system.
The majority of the legal requirements can be
found in law. For more info see Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
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