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What does it mean to be a landlord?

Being a landlord comes with a lot of responsibility. Whilst it can be seen as a great investment for you and your family, it must be taken seriously. You can’t just buy a flat, find some tenants and expect rent each month; there are government legislations you must follow, plus there are criteria for you and your property to meet. As a landlord, you must stay up to date with legislations, and this had been made particularly more difficult over the last two years thanks to the pandemic.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, we will explain some important responsibilities, as well as how we can help!

 

Important Responsibilities

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A man viewing the Government legalities on his iPad.

As a landlord, you have many important responsibilities which you are legally required to follow. Because you are responsible for these, you are liable to ensure they are kept, regardless of whether you have a letting agent or not.

With that said, what are these responsibilities? It’s your responsibility to:

  • Register with the local council which covers the area where your let property is located
  • Register their deposit with an approved tenancy deposit scheme.
  • Give the tenant a tenancy agreement and the correct information notes for their tenancy.
  • Have an Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
  • Meet gas, electricity, carbon monoxide and other safety requirements.
  • Make sure you’ve carried out a Legionella Risk Assessment.
  • Maintain the property’s structure and exterior (including drains, gutters and external pipes).
  • Make sure the property meets the Repairing Standard and give the tenant information on it (this is contained in the information notes which you legally have to give your tenant).
  • Meet your obligations for common repairs.
  • Ensure you have appropriate buildings insurance for properties in a tenement.
  • Take action to deal with any antisocial behaviour by your tenants in or around your property.
  • Follow the right legal procedures if you want your tenant to leave.
  • Consider whether a house in multiple occupancy (HMO) licence is needed.

Click here if you’d like to see the full list

 

How Can Tayforth Properties Help?

The list of landlord responsibilities can be overwhelming, especially if you’re already working and caring for your family.

This is where we can step in to help. We can take the stress away from managing a property with a tailored level of service. We are able to ensure the list of responsibilities are followed, and it’s completely up to you how involved you’d like to be. Whether you’d like to be a hands-on landlord by staying up to date with standard maintenance or minor issues (Such as a blown bulb); or whether you’d prefer to be a hands-off landlord, and just receive the rent at the end of the month, we have you covered.

How your property is managed really depends on you! So, contact Craig today on 07719 925986 to arrange a valuation or view a detailed guide of our services…

 

 

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