According to LetRisks, landlords and letting agents should make regular property visits to inspect for essential repairs and reduce the risk of tenants being exposed to dangerous and potentially life threatening hazards. Even small repairs could result in tenants withholding rent.
A recent case saw a landlord jailed as a result of illegally installing a boiler and then repeatedly attempting to fix it himself when it became faulty.
Research has suggested that one in 10 people who rent their homes privately could be at risk from gas safety hazards, one in eleven are living in a home with electrical hazards and people living in rented or shared accommodation are seven times more likely to have a fire.
What’s more, over a third of renting families have a problem with damp in their homes and nearly one in five have a leaky roof or windows.
‘Many tenants are at risk from poor health and safety in their rented accommodation, and agents and landlords have a legal duty of care and as such, should be making regular visits to their properties, ideally every three months, to check for health and safety problems and repairs,’ said Michael Portman, managing director of LetRisks.
‘They, or their agent, should also respond quickly when a tenant notifies of them of any faults in the property and should encourage open dialogue with their tenants so that any problems can be rectified quickly,’ he explained.
‘The Defective Premises Act requires damages to be paid on the part of a landlord, where a tenant or resident is injured, or dies, as a result of a defect which the landlord is responsible for repairing. This extends to paying compensation for personal belongings which are destroyed or damaged as a result,’ he pointed out.
‘So it is imperative that agents check that a property meets all the safety requirements before it is let and if they are managing agents, that they make regular visits to the property and deal with problems quickly and efficiently. Landlords and agents should check that their insurance policy covers property owners’ liability are taken out to cover bodily injury to tenants,’ he added.
The most common dangers found in rental properties are severe unserviced and faulty boilers, bare wiring, damp and mould, broken windows, dilapidated sheds, and overgrown gardens with concealed barbed wire, broken glass and holes in the ground.
Other dangers include large wardrobes and cupboards not securely fixed to the wall, damaged and leaning brick walls, locked windows with no keys provided to tenants and no smoke alarms fitted.
The firm also pointed out that there are recommended time scales for landlords to respond to a request for repairs. Depending on the problem, some need to be treated more urgently than others.
For example an emergency response would be required for gas and water leaks, serious electrical faults and any damage which could compromise the security of the property such as broken windows.
A 24 hour response is recommended for heating and water systems and other non life threatening electrical problems and a 72 hour response for kitchen appliances and other items that affect the daily life of a tenant.
Less urgent responses would include things like broken lawn mowers, a fallen fence panel or a dripping tap.
