Use a reputable lettings agency
As a tenant, the best way to avoid rogue landlords is to use an ARLA Propertymark agency such as Paige and Petrook. Your landlord must follow all the correct procedures and ensure you have an agreed tenancy agreement in place. We ensure all statutory Landlord obligations are met.
Background checks
Most landlords complete background checks on their tenants, so why shouldn’t tenants do the same thing? The Mayor of London is planning to introduce a database which will name all rogue landlords. Criminal landlords and letting agents who have exploited their tenants will be listed on an online database, which is intended to protect tenants from facing untrustworthy landlords. This means you can check that your landlord doesn’t have any history of being untrustworthy before you agree to anything.
Understand your landlord’s responsibilities
As a tenant, you need to ensure your landlord is meeting the legal safety standards. Some examples include, providing a gas safety certificate for every appliance in the property and proving that the furniture meets the fire safety standards. You also need to know what repairs the landlord is responsible for such as, the roof, walls, drains, and ensuring the water, gas, and electricity are in safe working order.
New Energy Rating Rules
From 1 April 2018 new property lets and tenancy renewals must have a minimum energy performance rating of E on an Energy Performance Certificate. The new rule will come into force for all existing tenancies on 1 April 2020.
Landlords who do not comply will find their property deemed to be substandard and not fit to rent by Trading Standards which could include a fine of up to £4,000 for the landlord.
If you are taking out a new tenancy do check that the property complies (from Apri 2018)
Know your responsibilities as a tenant
Before you sign anything, you need to know what repairs you are responsible for in the property. This could include interior decoration, the garden, and furniture. It’s the tenant’s responsibility to report any repairs needed to the landlord and keep to the rules of your tenancy agreement.
Understanding your tenancy agreement
Both the tenant and the landlord must sign and agree on the tenancy agreement before anything is arranged. Your agreement must include the deposit amount and the method of protection, tenant, and landlord repair obligations, and the amount of rent and how it will be paid. All of this information should be clear and agreed by everyone involved.
If you have any questions relating to this topic please feel free to call Clive on 020 8866 5666 or email clive@paigeandpetrook.co.uk.