Policies and legislation can often be confusing, and appear to be tilted towards protecting tenants, but what support can landlords get to ensure they are confident in meeting their obligations in providing suitable housing?
At Cosy Homes we can provide landlords support, advice and grants towards energy efficiency home improvements, helping landlords with compliance, and supporting tenants to feel safe, warm and well in their homes.
Below are a few things to consider when renting out a property:
- Compliance - Landlords will need to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when renting property to a tenant. The EPC is a legal document that rates how efficient the property is and what measures could be undertaken to improve the efficiency. It is currently illegal for a landlord to rent a property if the rating is below an E. It is worth exploring how to keep energy costs at their lowest by reviewing our own habits and possibly looking to change energy providers and tariffs. It is widely expected that the minimum energy efficiency standard will be raised to a C rating by 2030. Therefore, if a tenant has concerns about the efficiency of the property after moving in, it may be beneficial to both parties to consider exploring how to improve the rating before the deadline.
- Free Energy Measures – We recommend that you seek advice on what grants are available to help fund any energy efficient improvements to the property. This might help reduce household expenditure. Please note that if a tenant applies the landlord will need to give their permission. Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4 funding both offer possible opportunities, subject to certain criteria.
- Safety - A landlord will need to produce a gas safety certificate each year and an electrical report (EICR) every five years to ensure the property is safe. We would also suggest that a legionella water test is carried out if the property has been vacant for a substantial period of time and therefore may have stagnant water.
- Boilers – There is a push to move away from fossil fuel for heating. However, a lot of properties have gas fired boilers that can break down or need replacing. If this happens it is the landlord’s duty to repair or replace the boiler.
- Health - If you are suffering from the effects of damp and mould you should contact your local clinician or a representative at Cosy Homes. We may be able to help source heavily reduced measures that will improve your wellbeing.
- Records – Remember to read and document both your gas and electric meter readings. It is also worth establishing where your stop cock is just in-case there is a leak!
If you are a private landlord of a property in Lancashire needing help, advice or upgrades to your property contact us today https://www.chil.uk.com/apply
