Legalities of Letting – Landlord Discussion
There are many laws that a landlord must abide by if he or she is to rent their property. At My Place Properties, we are experts in the legalities of letting. To summaries, we have listed a few below for you:
Under the Housing ( Wales ) Act of 2014 there is to be a national register of landlords, with a payable fee to register. The registration lasts for five years and will be enforced at the end of November 2016 meaning that it will be a legal requirement. This will be need to be done online under Rent Smart Wales– if you have a managing agent you link your property to the agent.
Tenants will be able to check if landlords are registered and if they are not it is a criminal offence – they may have to pay rent back to the tenant.
It is an offence for an agent to take on an unregistered property.
An EPC- ( Energy Performance Certificate ) is required for any tenant moving into a property- this is a legal requirement- and the certificate needs to be available to tenants upon moving in- if not this can null an agreement- they last for 10 years and cost around £60 per property
Legionella- tenants need to be informed of this risk when moving into a property- it is a water borne respiratory infection caused by stagnant water
Gas Safety- plus carbon monoxide testers- this a legal requirement and certificates must be issues every 12 months.
Plugs and sockets to be checked at every tenant move in – a qualified electrician needs to be used at all times.
Fire labels needs to be attached to nay items of furniture left in a property to be used by a tenant.
Landlords and Agents must abide by the Equalities Act regarding sex, race and disability.
Unlawful Evictions are a Criminal Offence.
If you have any questions about the legalities of letting we would be delighted to chat to you about them. Please contact us.