Becoming a landlord: The Legal Basics

Posted : 01/07/2015 | By Hayley Cowburn

Becoming a landlord is more than just letting out a property, there are multiple rules and regulations that you must follow if you’re not to break the law or the bank.

SAFETY

You must make sure that all electrical wiring and appliances are safe. You can arrange this with a qualified electrician before your tenants move in and perform regular checks. You must also check the safety of all electrical appliances before use.

Gas safety checks must also be arranged by the landlord every 12 months. Make sure you use a Gas Safe Registered engineer and supply the tenant with a copy of the last gas check within 28 days.

Make sure that the property follows all fire regulations and remember to install fire alarms.

FINANCE

Make a record of all payments you receive from your tenants.

Tenants should be made fully aware of what they are making a payment for, or a payment may be considered as a deposit which should be in a deposit protection.

All deposits made under an assured shorthold tenancy must be protected in a government-backed tenancy deposit scheme e.g. MyDeposits, Tenancy Deposit Scheme, Deposit Protection Service.

DOCUMENTATION

As of 2015, landlords are now required to check the immigration status of prospective tenants or their “right to rent”. You can see the list of acceptable documents from your tenant here.
 
You cannot evict tenants without the appropriate notice to quit, and eviction can only be legally evicted with a court order. Notices Section 21 and Section 8 are the most used.






DISCLAIMER: The items listed in this article are not 100% exhaustive. For more detailed information on becoming a landlord please explore the rest of the PIMS website.