Electrical testing

The Electrical Equipment Regulations require landlords to ensure that every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person from 01 July 2020 for all new private tenancies and 01 April 2021 for current tenancies. Although not a legal requirement, it is good practice to have a portable appliance test (PAT) where applicable.

Legionella naturally occurs in water supplies, so every house is potentially a risk. The risk is increased where there is standing water, water tanks for example. As a landlord, it is your responsibility to ensure your tenants risk of exposure is as minimal as possible. A risk assessment can be carried out to highlight any areas of concern.

HMO guidelines

A house of multiple occupancy is classed as any property where there are three or more unrelated households. A large HMO needs a license if there are five or more tenants of three or more households sharing a basic amenity. Different local authorities can have different requirements depending on the size and type of property. We work with HMO officers at Cambridge City Council and South Cambs to ensure all our HMOs meet or exceed their requirements.

Before we begin

Consent to let

The Furniture and Furnishings Regulations 1988 requires all soft furnishings provided in a privately rented property to comply with fire safety regulations. This includes sofas, chairs, mattresses, cushions, upholstered headboards etc. All furniture purchased after March 1st 1990 should comply and if it does, fire safety labels will be attached.

Where a property has a mortgage, you will need to check you have consent from your mortgage lender to rent out the property. If applicable you will also need to ensure you have permission from any Freeholders/ block management at the property.

Lastly, if the property is jointly owned all co-owners must be named on our landlord agreement and on the Tenancy Agreement.

Before we begin

5.0

As a landlord you are required to pay tax on any rental income earned from renting out a property in the UK. Landlords based overseas for more than 6 months of the year will need to apply to the HMRC to pay tax on their rental income via self-assessment. This is an NRL1 form. The HMRC issue a certificate that allows us, the Agent, to release the whole rent.

Where this certificate is not obtained, we are legally obliged to withhold 20% of the rental income to sent to HMRC quarterly.

For further information please see www.gov.uk/tax-uk-income-live-abroad/rent

We recommend that you have both buildings and contents insurance. This needs to be specifically landlords insurance as standard home owner insurance won’t provide cover when the property has been let out.

Before we begin