Is the health and safety of your tenants being unwittingly compromised?

As a landlord you will undoubtedly be aware that you are responsible for the safety of your tenants, and that includes ensuring that gas appliances, fittings and chimneys/flues provided for tenants are safe, in accordance with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

But fresh research from Cover4LetProperty.co.uk, the landlord insurance specialists, suggests that some private landlords may be unwittingly breaking the law and potentially comprising the health and safety of their tenants.

Some 6% of private tenants surveyed said that their boiler was last serviced over a year ago, while one in five (20%) of tenants are unaware when their boiler was last serviced.

Somewhat surprisingly, 86% of private tenants are unaware of their rights regarding the energy efficiency of their rented property.

Richard Burgess, director at Cover4LetProperty, commented: “While it is the responsibility of a landlord to ensure that the boiler is serviced annually - and an obligation under their landlord insurance policy - our research highlighted that 6% of tenants said the last time their boiler was serviced was over a year ago.”

He added: “Our study also showed that just 14% of tenants were aware of the new legislation relating to energy performance ratings which come in to force April this year.

“Landlords whose properties do not meet minimum requirements for energy performance standards by April 2018 may face very stiff penalties.

“While we specialise in helping landlords with protecting their property portfolios, we urge them to understand their legal obligations relating to health and safety and energy efficiency.”

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