Landlord responsibilities

If you are planning to buy a rental home, or you're thinking about what to do with one you have just acquired, this is the place for any questions about starting out in the rentals business.
Happylady
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Landlord responsibilities

Post by Happylady »

To date am aware that when renting you need insurance to cover renting out including liability insurance.
Electrical items need PAT testing once a year unless new. Need to have gas checked.
In the kitchen need to have small extinguisher and fire blanket which can be seen (not put into a cupboard).
Need smoke alarms.

Our property is in the UK would welcome comments if there's anything else we need to be aware of.
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

We have some guidance.

You do not need to contact us for an information pack or anything like that to get the information... it is all there.

I do hope it is of use.

http://www.countryholidaylets.co.uk/lan ... o-pack.htm

If you find errors please tell us in this forum so we can correct them... Thanks and good luck.
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Advice about holiday letting
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

If a property was previously a dwelling but is now to be a holiday let, most requirements will be laid down under the planning consent and building regs required for change of use.

With existing lets it can be difficult to nail down exactly what is and isn't a "requirement". AFAIK it is a requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment, which isn't really a big deal to do yourself. If you pay a "consultant", the chances are that they'll be covering their own backsides and make recommendations that go beyond reasonable. I don't know that it's necessary to have both an extinguisher and a fire blanket in the kitchen, IIRC I was advised to have a blanket (much safer to use than an extinguisher in a kitchen environment).

Some form of emergency lighting is a really good idea; people in a strange place will be very disorientated in darkness. A few of those mains charging torches that light automatically if there's a power failure should cover that need (again, change of use may well require something more sophisticated). For the same reason of unfamiliarity with surroundings, some fire exit signs would be a good idea, and a fire procedure notice is a must. I'm assuming you've got a copy of the standard reference for all accommodation providers called "Do you have paying guests?"

PAT testing is an interesting area. The requirement is that any electrical appliance should be safe; the simple way to prove that this has been considered is by formal PAT testing with records, but that in itself is not a requirement. It's not easy to see an alternative however, although many appliances that are two-wire (or Class II) only require a visual check - particularly if they have a moulded plug. Formal PAT testing notwithstanding, the owner still has a responsibility for any appliance that is obviously unsafe; a frayed lead (dog chewed?) is a very common failure and doesn't need any special knowledge to see. I also get the microwave ovens leak tested annually, and if you have any sort of fire or flame boiler then a CO alarm is a good idea.

Do regular checks of any alarms (weekly or monthly?) and everything else you can think of such as gauges on fire extinguishers and keep simple records, just in case the unthinkable should ever happen.

ETA - posted before I saw Charles' post.
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

Good stuff.

I bang on quite a bit... but I know, only too well, that the stuff on that page is not always up to date and can, certainly, never be complete.

I've just updated the information page to include the link to the government information mentioned. Many thanks.
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Advice about holiday letting
Happylady
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Location: Filey

Post by Happylady »

thanks both for your responses - very much appreciated :)
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