When Landlords Get It Wrong
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
A landlord’s life is not an easy one. Apart from the paperwork, red-tape, bureaucracy, rent and mortgage issues to consider, there’s still the upkeep and maintenance of a property to consider as well as responsibility to tenants, not to mention employees and contractors.
Last year one property company in Bristol was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay the £6,679 costs when they breached a health and safety regulation when they failed to appoint a co-ordinator to review and implement a plan to manage materials containing asbestos. They were found guilty of exposing workers to asbestos and also contamination of units being renovated.
In May this year, landlord, Michael Billings was sentenced to 2 ½ years imprisonment for breaching health and safety regulations. He was found guilty to the breach when his tenant almost burned to death.
Under landlord responsibilities, he/she must:
- make repairs to maintain structure and exterior of property
- that the property provides adequate heating
- electrical systems and appliances supplied with the let are safe to use
- gas appliances and installations are maintained and in good order, unless they are the property of the tenant.
- gas boilers get an annual safety check by someone registered with the Gas Safe Register.
- Keep a record of safety checks and issue them with 28 days of each annual check
- Any furniture a landlord provides with the let meets fire resistance regulations
- HMOs meet fire safety regulations
- Type 3 survey carried out before refurbishment or demolition and information must be passed onto builders/contractors regarding asbestos queries.
By
Madalena Penny