Being a Landlord: Responsibilities that are yours to Upkeep

As a landlord, it’s your job to maintain the functioning of a property so that your tenants live in a habitable place and you adhere to the many regulations and stay above board. The rental market is a competitive place and anyone who has had experience with letting out their property, or indeed being a tenant in one, will know that as long as everything runs smoothly and stays legit, neither the landlord nor the tenant will run into problems. 

As a landlord, you have a number of responsibilities, as does the tenant, that you need to upkeep. Stay legit and in the best position possible by keeping up your end of the bargain. 

• Repairs – both internally and structurally, are your responsibility. You will need to organise a suitable time to pop over to the property to analyse the problem and make the necessary arrangements to ensure it’s fixed. 
• Heating System – including hot water and radiators. You may wish to organise cover for boilers from British Gas so that your back is covered. You can apply for dedicated landlord cover which gives you the peace of mind you’ll need. 
• Hygienic installations – i.e. baths, showers, toilets and sinks need to be maintained, as well as the pipes and drains that are connected to the house. You can extend your boiler cover to include plumbing and drainage at www.britishgas.co.uk too. 
• You need to ensure that the property has an up-to-date gas safety certificate (CP12) while all gas appliances, flues, pipes and ventilation need to be looked after as well. 
• Electrical appliances and wiring needs to be ensured its all safe and any furniture that you provide needs to be fire safe as well as meeting EU regulations. 

It’s also imperative that you put your tenant’s deposit into a government approved scheme, so that it’s safe until the time when they vacate the property. Remember that if you have a mortgage on the property, it’s your responsibility to amend it to a Buy to Let mortgage so that everything remains above board. 

Being a landlord needn’t be stressful – make sure that all your responsibilities are taken care of and hopefully, you’ll have a tenant that meets their end of the bargain too!