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I can help with, advise on, and undertake all of the below. Please contact me with queries and/or for a quotation. From 6th April house sellers need Gas Safety as part of an HIP.

LANDLORD’S GAS RECORDS
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, each and every landlord is responsible to carry out various gas safety duties on all pipework, appliances and flues. The landlord must also arrange for an annual gas safety check to be carried out every 12 months by a C.O.R.G.I registered installer. They must keep a record of the safety check for two years and issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed, plus issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in.

PORTABLE APPLIANCE TESTING (PAT)
Anyone who lets residential accommodation as a business activity is required by law to ensure the equipment they supply as part of the tenancy is safe.

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 requires that all mains electrical equipment (cookers, washing machines, kettles, etc), new or second-hand, supplied with the accommodation must be safe. Landlords therefore need to regularly maintain this electrical equipment.

SOFT FURNISHINGS
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations are enforced by the Local Trading Standards Department and must be adhered to by landlords, estate agents and letting agents who let such accommodation. The Regulations apply to furniture and furnishings included in residential furnished accommodation which are let in the course of business.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES (EPC)
The Energy Performance Certificate is part of the Home Information Pack. It shows the official rating of a property. Only a fully qualified and accredited Domestic Energy Assessor can produce the Certificate.

Data from the property must be collated in order to produce the Certificate, such as property age, construction, floor area and details of insulation, windows, heating, hot water and lighting. Two ratings will then feature on the EPC. One will show the property’s energy efficiency and the other will show its environment impact. Each of the two ratings are shown on a scale of A to G, where A is the most efficient and G the least.

The Energy Performance Certificate will also contain recommendations on ways to improve the energy efficiency of the property. If these are implemented, this can mean reduced energy consumption, lower energy bills and a reduction in carbon emissions.

Note: Home Information Packs, HIPs, which include the Energy Performance Certificate, were implemented on 1st August 2007 for properties of 4 or more bedrooms, and 10th September 2007 for 3 bedroom properties. The implementation date for 1 and 2 bedroom properties was the 14th December 2007. On this date all properties marketed for sale needed to have a Home Information Pack and therefore an Energy Performance Certificate. At the beginning of 2008, all new build properties required a HIP, and as of October 2008 this extended to rented properties.