Safety & Maintenance

It is essential that we are able to offer properties that comply with the following safety regulations. These are the responsibility of the owner (the Landlord) and, where we are to manage the property, they are also ours as agents. To protect all interests, we will therefore ensure full compliance with the appropriate regulations, at the owner's expense.



Gas Appliances & Equipment

You are required by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to ensure all gas appliances are maintained in good order and that an annual safety check is carried out by a tradesman who is registered with CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers). You must keep a record of safety checks and issue it to the tenant within 28 days of each annual check. Records must be kept of dates of inspections, of defects identified and of any remedial action taken.

Electrical Appliances & Equipment

Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, the Plugs & Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and some other regulations, you should ensure that any electrical installations and equipment you supply are safe to use. We would recommend that a qualified electrician be engaged for this purpose. Thomas Merrifield can arrange this on your behalf if required.

Furniture & Furnishings

You must ensure that any furniture and furnishings you supply meet the fire resistance requirements in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989, 1993 & 1996). The regulations apply to all domestic upholstered furniture and beds, headboards and mattresses, sofa beds, futons and other convertibles, nursery furniture, garden furniture suitable for use in a dwelling, scatter cushions, pillows and non-original covers for furniture. They do not apply to antique furniture or furniture made before 1950, bed clothes including duvets, loose covers for mattresses, pillowcases, curtains, carpets or sleeping bags. Therefore all relevant items as above must be checked for compliance and non-compliant items removed from the premises. In practice, most (but not all) items which comply must have a suitable permanent label attached.

General Product Safety

The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 specify that any product supplied in the course of a commercial activity must be safe. In the case of letting, this would include both the structure of the building and its contents. Recommended action is to check for obvious danger signs - leaning walls, broken glass, sharp edges etc and also to leave operating manuals or other written instructions about high risk items, such as hot surfaces, electric lawnmowers, etc. for the tenant.

General condition

Electrical, gas, plumbing, waste, central heating and hot water systems must be safe, sound and in good working order. Repairs and maintenance are at the landlord's expense unless misuse can be established.

Appliances

Similarly, appliances such as washing machine, fridge freezer, cooker, dishwasher etc. should be in usable condition. Repairs and maintenance are at the landlord's expense unless misuse can be established.

Decorations

Interior decorations should be in good condition and preferably plain, light and neutral.

Furnishings

It is recommended that you leave only minimum furnishings and these should be of reasonable quality. It is preferable that items to be left are in the property during viewings. If you are letting unfurnished, we recommend that the property contains carpets, curtains, cooker, washing machine, fridge and light fittings as a minimum.

Personal items, ornaments etc.

Personal possessions, ornaments, pictures, books etc. should be removed from the premises, especially those of real or sentimental value. Some items may be boxed, sealed and stored in the loft at the owner's risk. All cupboards and shelf space should be left clear for the tenant's own use.

Gardens

Gardens should be left neat, tidy and rubbish-free, with any lawns cut. Tenants are required to maintain the gardens to a reasonable standard, (except shrubs and trees) provided they are left the necessary tools. However, few tenants are experienced gardeners and if you value your garden, or if it is particularly large, you may wish us to arrange maintenance visits by our regular gardener.

Cleaning

At the commencement of a tenancy the property must be in a thoroughly clean condition and at the end of each tenancy it is the tenant's responsibility to leave the property in similar condition. Where they fail to do so, cleaning should be arranged at their expense.