Published: 07/12/2016 By Penny
The cold weather has now officially arrived in the UK and that means winter is soon to follow. With many tasks on Landlord’s minds this time of year, many may be forgetting one important aspect that could save their tenants lives. I am talking about fire safety and ensuring their rental properties are free from fire hazards.
Landlords in the UK are legally required to protect both the property and the people who live in it by keeping all electrical equipment safe and working. To help our readers understand these requirements, we have created our own checklist that will help you be fire safety ready.
• A smoke alarm should be installed on every story and a carbon monoxide alarm should be installed in any room containing a solid fuel-burning appliance. At the start of every new tenancy, landlords must check all alarms are working.
• Annual tests of all appliances that have a plug, known as Portable Appliance Tests (PAT) should be made and kept up to date.
• To prevent electric shocks should someone touch live wiring, landlords should have a Residual Current Device (RCD) fitted by a professional electrician.
• Five-yearly checks of the electrical installations and hard wiring (EICR) must be made by a registered electrician.
• Chimneys should be swept at least once per year.
• Fire extinguishers must be placed in all high-risk areas.
Landlords are held liable for any injury or fatality in their rental property through fire safety. Many Landlords could potentially overlook any of the items on the above checklist which is why hiring a responsible and up to date property management service is so important. A good property management service can ensure a Landlord is informed of their obligations and that all safety checks are performed correctly saving time and money as well keeping in line with legislation and helping to keep their tenants and their properties safe.
Chamberland Residential offer a superb property management service to take care of you and your property, whilst being personable and helpful. If you have any queries on our Property Management service, please feel free to call us on 020 8704 1313 or email nicole@chamberlandres.co.uk
Wishing you all a safe and Happy Christmas & New Year!