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Gas Certificate |
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Gas Certificate
London Gas Certificate
People often see renting out property as being 'money for
nothing', or at least an easy way to earn a living. However
this is far from the truth and landlords now have to copy
with a plethora of regulations, most of which require having
the right paperwork in place. Failure to do this can often
result in financial penalties.
Here is an outline of the main things you need to do.
Although it is not an exhaustive list, it contains most of
the paperwork you will need (and some you might not).
GET A GAS CERTIFICATE BEFORE YOU LET THE PROPERTY
Building Regs etc. If you get building work done on the
property, you need to have planning permission (if required
for the type of work you are doing) and building regulation
approval.
HMOs. If you are going to let to more than two unrelated
people sharing accommodation, then your property may be
classed as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). You should
speak to your Local Authority Housing Officer about this.
You may need to apply for a license, particularly if your
property is more than three stories high.
Permissions. Ensure that you have permission (if
appropriate) from your mortgage company and your own
landlord (if you have a lease or tenancy), for renting the
property out.
Insurance. You should also have suitable insurance for a
rented property, normal domestic insurance is generally
inadequate.
Gas Certificate. If there are any gas appliances in the
property you should have them checked by an engineer
registered with the Gas Safe Register (no longer CORGI) and
obtain a certificate, which should be given you your tenant.
This needs to be done every year. You can locate relevant
engineers via the Gas Safe Register web-site at
www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
Electrical Certificate. You should also make sure that the
electrics and electrical equipment are checked over, and
ideally obtain a certificate. However a certificate is not
strictly necessary unless your property is an HMO, although
it is also required by some accreditation schemes.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). You will need to have
an EPC and must provide a copy to your tenant at no charge.
Generally this is done when the tenant is given the property
particulars. The fine for non compliance is £200.
Tenant Application/Information Form. Most landlords and
letting agents will require the tenant to complete a
standard form giving their personal details. Most well
drafted forms will also include a data protection notice and
authority to use the information for referencing purposes.
(Note that annual members of Landlord-Law will find a form
here).
PAPERWORK WHEN SIGNING THE TENANT UP
This is the main time for getting the paperwork right. It is
important to make sure that all the necessary forms have
been signed before the tenant is given the keys to the
property. If the forms are not signed now you may experience
difficulty in getting them signed later.
Tenancy Agreement. You should never let the tenant in before
a properly drafted tenancy agreement has been signed. Make
sure it has all the clauses you need, and be careful when
completing it to make sure that all spellings and other
details are correct. Generally a plain English style
agreement is best as it is easier for your tenants to
understand. You need two copies of the agreement – one for
the tenant/s to sign and one for the landlord to sign,
although they can both sign both agreements as well. The
main thing is that the tenant ends up with a copy of the
agreement signed by the landlord and vice versa. ( Annual
members of Landlord-Law can download our Plain English Style
agreements from here).
Inventory/Statement Of Condition. This should be very
detailed and should be checked over with the tenants during
a meeting at the property. Both parties should then sign
copies of the inventory to confirm that it is agreed and the
tenants should be given a copy. Many landlords delegate this
work to a specialist inventory company. (Note that annual
members of Landlord-Law can download our inventory form
here. There is a list of inventory companies web-sites
here).
Gas Safety Certificate. This has been mentioned above but is
important so is worth mentioning again. Now is the time to
hand the certificate over to the tenant.
Standing Order Mandate. In most cases you will want the
tenants to pay by standing order so it is a good idea to get
them to sign the form before they go in. (Note that annual
members of Landlord-Law can download our form here).
Housing Benefit Letter Of Authority. If your tenant is on
housing benefit/Local Housing Allowance, note that the
benefit office will refuse to speak to you about your
tenant's claim citing the Data Protection Act, unless you
have a written authority from the tenant authorising them to
discuss things with you. (Note that annual members of
Landlord-Law can download our standard letter here).
Tenancy Deposit Form. If your tenants have paid you a
tenancy deposit then, provided the tenancy is an AST, it
will need to be protected with one of the three government
authorised tenancy deposit schemes. You will also need to
serve a notice on the tenants giving prescribed information
and have them counter sign your copy to prove receipt. (Note
that annual members of Landlord-Law can download our form
here).
Insurance Policy. If you are going to hold the tenants
responsible for any action by them which may breach the
terms of your insurance policy, you need to provide them
with a copy of it, or at least an extract of the relevant
parts, of these clauses in your tenancy agreement will be
void.
Head Lease. If you are a tenant of the property under a long
lease, you may want to give your tenants a copy of the head
lease or the relevant parts to ensure that they are bound by
its terms. However most matters in the head lease will
already be covered in a well drafted tenancy agreement.
Guarantee. If you are not sure whether your tenant will be
able to pay the rent, you can take a guarantee from a friend
or relative. This can either be incorporated into the
tenancy agreement or a separate deed can be used. (Note that
annual members of Landlord-Law can download a form of
guarantee here).
SHORTLY AFTER THE TENANT HAS GONE INTO THE PROPERTY
In some cases the following paperwork may be needed:
Tenancy Deposit Notice. If this was not dealt with at the
time of signing the tenancy agreement, for example because
the deposit had not been protected at that time, note that
the notice must be served on the tenants within 14 days of
the deposit being paid to you. (Note that annual members of
Landlord-Law can download our form here).
Section 21 Notice. Some landlords like to serve a section 21
notice at an early stage, particularly if they know that
they will want the property back at the end of the fixed
term. Note that this should never be served on the tenant on
or before the first day of the tenancy, as it is arguable
that you cannot serve a valid notice to end a tenancy which
not started yet. (Note that annual members of Landlord-Law
can download our possession notices from here).
DURING THE TENANCY
Inspection Letters. Note that you will need to inform the
tenant in writing if you wish to inspect the property (this
is generally done quarterly), giving them not less than 24
hours notice.
Rent Arrears Letter And Notice. If the tenants fall into
arrears of rent, you may want to send them a letter, and (if
the arrears continue to increase) a section 8 notice. (Note
that annual members of Landlord-Law can download forms,
letters and checklists regarding action on rent arrears from
our Rent Arrears Action Plan here).
Section 21 Notice. You may also want to serve this, if you
decide that you do not want the tenant to stay on after the
end of the fixed term. (Note that annual members of
Landlord-Law can download our possession notices from here).
AT AND AFTER THE END OF THE FIXED TERM
Tenancy Renewals. If the tenant wants to stay, it is normal
to give them a new fixed term. This is also a useful way to
increase the rent. You can give them a complete new tenancy
agreement, however often you can use a shorter renewal
notice (Note that annual members of Landlord-Law can use our
standard renewal forms from here.)
Notice Of Rent Increase. If you do not increase the rent by
giving the tenant a new tenancy agreement or renewal, you
can increase the rent (after the fixed term has ended) using
the proper prescribed form. (Note that annual members of
Landlord-Law can download our form here).
AFTER THE TENANT HAS VACATED
Letter Regarding Possessions Left Behind. If the tenant has
left behind possessions which are not obvious rubbish, you
need to be careful to follow the correct procedure, as laid
down in the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, before
disposing of them. (Note that Landlord-Law annual members
will find a form of letter here.)
CONCLUSION
Hopefully this article has given you an idea of the sort of
paperwork which is necessary when managing a residential
property. Most of this paperwork needs to be carefully
drafted and some is in a prescribed form (which means that
it will be invalid if some of the prescribed wording is left
out).
As mentioned above, much of it can be downloaded by annual
members of Landlord-Law.
www.landlordlaw.co.u
LondonElectricalCertificate and LondonGasCertificate
are wholly registered by EES (NW) London Ltd.
EES (NW) London Ltd
442 Church Lane
Kingsbury
London NW9 8AB
tel: 020 8200 4969
fax: 020 8200 9098
EES (NW) London Ltd is a registered
CORGI installer
NICEIC Installer
We service & safety-test all domestic & commercial wired
appliances in your home or business address.
Established for 12 years we are now able to provide a
complete solution for both gas and electrical appliances
safety testing.
To get a gas certificate, contact us today on 02082047755
and find out how much money you could save.
Or simply
leave us your details and we will get back to you within
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