Gas Safe Register has the official list of gas engineers who are qualified to work safely and legally on gas appliances. Only a Gas Safe registered engineer should fit, fix or service gas appliances.
Visit https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/ for more information.
Landlords have responsibilities for gas safety. By law your landlord must keep all gas appliances supplied for you to use in good condition. They must arrange for a Gas Safe registered engineer to carry out a gas safety check on them every 12 months and provide you with a copy of the landlord’s gas safety record.
Does the property have a carbon monoxide alarm? If not, ask the landlord to install one in every room which has a gas appliance. By law, the landlord must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in all rooms used as living accommodation which contain a fixed combustion appliance. This will include coal or wood burning stoves, but in England, does not include gas cookers (although it does in Wales). However, if there is a gas cooker but no carbon monoxide alarm in the kitchen, it is a good idea to ask your landlord to fit one anyway.
If you have gas appliances in your house, Carbon Monoxide is a possible danger. Badly fitted and poorly serviced appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which can kill quickly with no warning. Know the six main signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness. Don’t mistake the symptoms for a hangover. It’s invisible and odourless, but it can kill.
If you think a gas appliance is faulty turn it off and let your landlord know immediately. In an emergency call the gas emergency helpline on 0800 111 999. If you feel unwell, seek medical help immediately. Click on the Gas Safe logo link for more info! The Health & Safety Executive has a Gas Safety Advice line on 0800 408 5500 In the event of an emergency call 0800 111 999
From 1 July 2020, landlords of all new tenancies in England must have had the electrics in their property inspected by a competent electrician and landlords must provide you with a copy of the inspection report. Landlords must deal with any issues raised by the report within 28 days and then provide written confirmation of this to each tenant within 28 days. These rules do not apply to student lettings in halls of residence or in Wales, but these may hold an NICEIC certificate which will prove that the property has been inspected within the last five years. HMOs in Wales are legally required to have the electricity installations inspected every 5 years.
The relevant regulations are the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988. “The regulations provide for all furniture manufactured after 1 January 1950 to be fire retardant and carry the proper labels”. This means that furniture and furnishings supplied in let accommodation must comply with the fire and safety requirements in the Regulations. All residential premises, including flats, bedsits and houses where furniture is supplied as part of the let are covered by these regulations. The type of furniture covered by the regulations are: any upholstered furniture including chairs, sofas, children’s furniture, beds, head boards (if upholstered), mattresses, scatter cushions, seat pads, pillows and even garden furniture if it is upholstered and can be used in the dwelling. Carpets, curtains and duvets are not covered by the regulations. All furniture, manufactured after 1 January 1950, and supplied in a let property must have a label attached which is clearly visible and gives information on manufacture and materials. If the original label has fallen off the landlord should have it re-tested.
Private landlords are required to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every storey of their properties used for living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliances (e.g. a coal fire, wood burning stove). If your property is an HMO (see HMO section below) your landlord will also have to comply with standards set by the Local Authority which will include the provision of fire extinguishers and blankets. If they are not provided you should ask for them. Also contact your local fire brigade for free advice on making a fire action plan and further information on fire safety.It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that alarms are in good working order on the first day of the tenancy and to replace any alarms that are faulty. However, it is generally the responsibility of the tenant to test the alarms on a regular basis and replace batteries. But read your tenancy agreement and see what it says.
You should have access to escape from the property in case of fire, so check that this is the case. Note that it is important that you do not block the fire escapes at any time, for example with bicycles. As this could cause safety issues in case of fire.
We would always recommend viewing a property in person, rather than relying on the information on the web. You will need to check that the landlord and the property are bona fide. We would never recommend transferring any monies to anyone before doing so in person, and if you feel that there is no alternative due to shortages of accommodation, always pay with your credit card as that offers protection. For your own personal safety, it is always advisable for you to view a property accompanied and try to arrange the appointment at a reasonable hour. However, there are advantages to viewing it after dark so that you can get an idea of how you will feel when walking home at night. It is important that you contact your University Accommodation Department if you feel that you were in any way subjected to sexism or harassment during the appointment.
Here are a few pointers in checking the security of the property:
The Housing Act 2004, which was introduced in April 2006 in England and Wales, was created with the intention of providing a fairer and better housing market for renting properties. The legislation provides special rules for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) which are essentially properties where people who are not family members share accommodation or live in the same building, as these types of property are considered to be higher risk.
Some HMOs need an HMO license (see below) but all HMO landlords must comply with the HMO Management regulations. The management regulations are basically health and safety related and require landlords to comply with additional safety standards, including:
The landlord/agent must also ensure that a notice giving the name address and telephone number of the landlord or person managing the property is clearly displayed in a prominent position in the property.
This is now covered by The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (England) Order 2018
The government’s new guidelines, which came into effect on 1st October 2018, state that a property must be licenced by their local housing authority if it is let to:
The key change is that HMO licensing is no longer only for properties 3 or more storeys high (although this still applies in Wales).
A licence may still be required in certain areas even if it is smaller and rented to fewer people than set out above. This will be the case if the local authority has an additional or selective licensing scheme covering the area where your property is situated.
There are also new rules alongside this that enforce:
Note that it is the individual HMO which requires the licence, and not just the building within which it is situated. So if a building hasmultiple flats and each flat contains five or more persons from two or more households they will each require a HMO license.
To find out more click here or contact your local authority.
For further information on tenants rights generally see the Shelter site at https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives home owners, tenants and buyers information on the energy efficiency of their property. It gives the building a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency grade from ‘A’ to ‘E’, where ‘A’ is the most efficient and with the average to date being D. In addition to the rating for your building’s current energy performance, part of the EPC report will list the potential rating that the building could achieve (using the same ‘A’ to ‘E’ scale), if the recommendations that are provided within the report were to be made. It is not mandatory for anyone to act on the report’s recommendations. However, doing so may cut your energy bills and reduce your carbon emissions.
As a tenant moving into a property, it is the legal requirement of the existing owner to provide you with a full Energy Performance Certificate, free of charge. This law came into effect after 1st October 2008. Agents/Landlords and owners are only required to produce an EPC for a property that is self-contained and the certificate is then valid for 10 years. However, an EPC isn’t required when a tenant rents a room from a resident landlord and shares facilities. So, you will be entitled to an EPC if you are renting the whole of a house or flat either alone or with a group of friends.
As of April 2020 it is unlawful to let any residential property that doesn’t meet an E. For further information, please visit the Government EPC website here.
Note that at the timeof writing the government is consulting on changing the EPC system and rules. Landlords may be required to ensure that their property has an energy rating C (or equivalent). The date for this is uncertain, but is probably between 2028 and 2029.
At that time landlords who rent out rooms in a shared house may also be required to obtain an EPC Certificate for the whole property.
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