It is important to keep your property in a reasonable
condition. After all, your Landlords insurance will
expect you to do so and any claim could be reduced
or void if a lack of maintenance contributes towards
a loss taking place, or being more severe than might
otherwise be the case.
But
there are other reasons why this is important, not
least of which is that well maintained and attractive
properties can attract rents at the top end of the
range for the type and size within a given area. In
addition, landlords are required to ensure that their
properties are safe for habitation and a number of
local and national regulations impose specific requirements
on Landlords to maintain gas and electrical appliances
to an adequate standard.
There
is also a risk that your Landlords’ liability
insurance may be called upon, should a tenant (or
other third party) be injured or their belongings
damaged. If you have allowed the premises to fall
into disrepair, your insurance may not be valid.
It
is also in your interests to ensure that the
property is well maintained externally as poor
guttering and down pipes can lead to physical
damage.
Look
also for any tell-tale signs of more serious
issues such as subsidence or deteriorating fabric.
All these issues could affect not only rental
potential, but also the value of your property
investment.
The most important issue is to ensure that all boilers,
gas equipment and electrical equipment on your premises
are checked on a regular basis to make sure that they
comply with the latest safety standards. The principal
regulations affecting let property state that all
gas and electrical appliance must “be safe”,
all upholstered furniture must comply with safety
standards and carry a fire resistance display label,
the property must have smoke alarms and an Energy
Performance Certificate (EPC) must be made available
to a prospective Tenant. You may also be covered by
the Homes in Multiple Occupation licensing regulations.
You
may also wish to regularly ensure that your property
is properly protected by locks on all external doors
and at least ground floor windows.
It
is important to seek independent professional advice
before making any decision about your Landlord liability
and buildings insurance. You should always ask your
Insurance Advisers what experience they have of dealing
with residential and/or commercial rental property
insurance.
Rated
People is a community that connects you with thousands
of tradespeople and customers making it easier for you
to find the right person for the job.
From
fitting a TV aerial to building a log cabin, Rated People
can help you find the people you need to cater to all
your home improvement projects.
“You
have a house improvement job or repair to organise
and you need a recommended tradesman to do it.
MPPT
has teamed up with Rated People to help get the
recommended tradesman you need quickly and easily.
Simply follow the 3 step process, it's free to
use with no obligations, so give it a go. Simply
let us know about your project in the form below
and we’ll do the rest.
1.
Describe your job as clearly as possible in the
job form below
2. Up to 3 local recommended tradesmen will contact
you to quote on your work
3. Choose your tradesman based on their quotes
and the previous customer ratings"
