Property Maintenance & Safety Archives | Blue Crystal Property Management

Winter Property Management – Holiday Season

Ensuring Comfort and Safety This Holiday Season With Christmas just around the corner, the holiday season is in full swing. For landlords and multiple property owners, it is a crucial time to prioritise winter property maintenance ensuring that rental properties are well-prepared for the winter season. At Blue Crystal Property Management, we specialise in making […]

Fire Door Specifications: A Guide for Landlords and Owners

Are Your Flat Entrance Doors Fire-Safe and Compliant? Fire doors are essential for protecting lives and property in London’s residential blocks. This guide breaks down fire door specifications, including flat entrance door requirements, legal responsibilities, and how to ensure ongoing compliance with British Standards and fire safety regulations. Why Fire Door Specifications Matter When it […]

Health and Safety in Communal Areas of Flats

All Landlords, Leaseholders and Block Owners need to know about their responsibilities If you’re a landlord, block owner, or leaseholder involved in building management, you have a legal duty to ensure health and safety in communal areas of flats. From stairwells and entryways to lift lobbies and electrical cupboards, shared spaces must be assessed for […]

Fire Safety in Flats

Block management fire safety responsibilities Fire safety in flats is a crucial responsibility for landlords and property managers. The Building Safety Act 2022 and fire safety laws impose strict fire risk assessments and evacuation plans to protect residents. Key aspects of block management fire safety responsibilities include fire doors, smoke alarms, escape routes, and communal […]

Signs of Subsidence

Causes, checks, FAQs, avoiding and repairs Subsidence is a serious issue that can significantly impact the stability and value of your property. Understanding the signs of subsidence, causes and preventative measures can help you manage and mitigate the risks associated with subsidence. This guide will cover the key aspects of subsidence, including its causes, how […]

Water Escape

How to spot signs of escape of water Water escape can wreak havoc, leading to costly damages and inconveniences. Whether it’s a burst pipe, a leaky washing machine, or a faulty central heating system, escape of water damage can be severe. As a tenant or landlord, knowing how to spot the signs of water escape […]

Mould and condensation in a rental property

Condensation is the most common cause of mould in rented properties The combination of damp, cold weather, and people cutting back on energy by not using the tumble dryer and central heating, has led to a rise in the number of homes with mould and condensation problems in rental properties. Mould is a type of […]

Asbestos in a rental property

How a tenant or a resident could be affected by having asbestos in their property and how landlords can deal with asbestos safely Asbestos is a mineral fibre that was used in many building materials, including insulation. It was used because of its fireproofing properties, resistance to heat and its sound absorption qualities. It was […]

Fire, health and safety tips for landlords

As fire, health and safety are extremely important, we have put together these safety tips for landlords. Landlords are responsible for the safety of their tenants. They have to ensure that the property they let is safe to live in. This includes not only the physical structure, but also the contents of the property and […]

How to assess wear and tear at your rental property

It’s vital that a landlord has a comprehensive inventory with supporting photographs and videos at the end of a tenancy, especially when it comes to assessing what damage caused by the tenant is unreasonable and what might be considered ‘fair wear and tear’. Wear and tear is a fairly simple principle but can cause landlords a great deal of trouble unless they understand how it differs from wilful or negligent damage caused by the tenant and what level of costs can be proposed at the end of the tenancy. A certain amount of wear and tear is unavoidable in rental properties. Over time as tenants live in homes, some damage will occur. This isn’t a result of abuse or neglect by your tenants, meaning they can’t be held responsible for it. However, sometimes tenants do cause an unacceptable level of damage to furniture, fixtures and fittings which they’re liable for under the tenancy agreement.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) for residential lettings

Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the term used to describe the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to ensure they are safe to use. Most electrical safety defects can be found by visual examination but some types of defect can only be found by testing. However, it is essential to understand that visual examination is an essential part of the process because some types of electrical safety defect cannot be detected by testing alone. Where a landlord provides an electrical appliance as part of a tenancy, the law expects the appliance to be maintained in a safe condition that will not cause harm to the tenant. Failure to do so could lead to the landlord being sued for negligence. Portable appliance testing is always best practice for landlords but it is not a legal requirement.

Electrical Safety Regulations for rental properties

Government announced its proposed new regulations for electrical safety in the private rented sector in England. The regulations are due to come into force from 1 July this year for new tenancies, and 1 April 2021 for existing tenancies. The regulations are to be passed by both Houses of Parliament before they are finalised and come into force. Regular inspection of electrical installations – at least every five years – will be mandatory for all properties privately rented in England. There are some exceptions, for example lodgers living in shared accommodation with a landlord or their families though the vast majority of private rented properties will come under the new regulations. Electrical installations must be inspected by a ‘qualified person’ at least every five years, and more often if the most recent safety report requires it. The new regulations will replace the existing section of the HMO Management Regulations on fixed electrical installations, to ensure consistency across the sector.

Mandatory electrical safety certificates for rental properties from 1st July 2020

Landlords must ensure mandatory electrical inspections are carried out in rental homes by qualified inspectors as of 1st July 2020. Landlords can face tough financial penalties if they fail to comply with the new regulation, which is part of the government’s commitment to drive up standards in the sector. This is to put measures in place to identify the minority level of landlords who rent out unsafe properties. A transitional period will apply in the first two years, where the new rule will affect all new private tenancies in the first year and then extend to all existing private tenancies in the second year. Properties with an existing electrical installation condition report (EICR) will not be required to replace it for five years from the date they were carried out. For new and fully rewired properties, an Electrical Installation Certificate can be presented in place of an EICR provided the date of the next inspection mentioned on the certificate has not elapsed.

Electrical safety standards for England

Sections 122 and 123 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, electrical safety standards, come into force on 25 October 2019. This means we are finally one step closer to the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector in England and will see actual regulations very soon. An enabling power was contained in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 under Section 122 to allow the Secretary of State through regulations to impose responsibilities on private landlords to ensure that electrical safety standards are met in a property under their ownership, while a tenancy is in place. The Section also allows the Secretary of State to specify obligations that may be required of the landlord with regards to the frequency of checks and the expertise expected of any persons who undertake such checks. Section 123 provides for the enforcement of any responsibilities introduced under Section 122 including the use of financial penalties and rights of appeal. Following Royal Assent of the Housing and Planning Act on 12 May 2016, electrical and tenant bodies was established to provide recommendations on what the requirements for electrical safety in the private rented sector should look like.

How to deal with moulding at a rental property

Damp and mould are caused by excess moisture. Moisture in buildings may be caused by leaking pipes, rising damp in basements or ground floors, or rain seeping in because of damage to the roof or around window frames. In a newly built home damp can occur if the water used when the house was built is still drying out. The usual suspect for the cause of mould within your home is prolonged condensation. Continuous condensation problems are usually accompanied by black mould. A home suffering from poor ventilation will be vulnerable to both condensation and mould problems. Mould moves through the air as miniature spores heading for damp, wet areas of the home such as bathrooms, basements and attics.

Why provide a Gas Safety Certificate before commencement of the tenancy?

In relation to tenancies starting or renewing on or after 01 October 2015, if a Landlord failing to serve a gas safety certificate on the Tenant prior to them moving into the property, the Landlord will be precluded from using section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (“HA”) to obtain possession of the property on no fault grounds. Whilst Landlords can still end the tenancy by serving notice under section 8 of the HA, this usually requires some wrongdoing by the Tenant, and thus this course of action would not be available if the Tenant was not in breach. This February 2019, a case was considered and involved an AST granted on 20 February 2017. Hot water and heating were provided by a boiler outside the flat. No gas safety certificate had been provided or displayed before the start of the tenancy, but one was served prior to the Landlord serving a Section 21 Notice.