Privately rented housing standards

We offer an advice service for private landlords and also enforce compliance with housing standards and licensing requirements.

The following information explains the standards that tenants may reasonably expect to be met in their accommodation.

Landlords' responsibilities

Landlords have obligations to their tenants which include carrying out repairs, meeting safety requirements and providing certain information.

Landlords are responsible for:

• the exterior and structural elements of the dwelling
• the installations within and associated with the dwelling for the supply and use of water, gas and electricity, personal hygiene, sanitation and drainage
• the installation for heating water and space heating.

Landlords must agree what other repairs they will do, and must carry out the repairs within a reasonable period. They also need to tell the tenant about the arrangements for emergency repairs.

Safety

Landlords have specific legal obligations to ensure the safety of their tenants and should provide and fit smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in appropriate locations and ensure that they are maintained in good working order.

All the furniture provided must meet safety standards and landlords should not furnish the property with older or second hand furniture which may not meet these standards.

Fire safety

If a property is occupied as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) landlords have additional responsibilities to provide and maintain adequate fire precautions.

Gas safety

Landlords must obtain an annual Gas Safety Certificate and installation and fitting must be inspected every year by a Gas Safe registered gas engineer. Only Gas Safe registered gas engineers may carry out any work on any gas installation or fixtures.

Electrical safety

Landlords must maintain the electrical installation and any equipment provided in a safe condition. Although there is no legal requirement to obtain or display an Electrical Safety Certificate, it is recommended periodic inspections and testing is carried out (at least every five years) or on change of tenancy.

Provide information

Landlords must provide their name and a contact address to their tenants and may also have to provide additional information about the tenancy if requested. If the property is a House in Multiple Occupation, they must also provide information relating to fire precautions and means of escape in a number of suitable locations in the property and must provide details regarding occupation to the Council, on request.

What can we do when they are made aware of disrepair and unsafe conditions?

Environmental Health Officers inspect property conditions using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). HHSRS was introduced under the Housing Act 2004 and is a risk based system which enables Environmental Health Officers to identify hazards to health and safety in dwellings and to recommend works to remove or minimise those hazards.

Much of the work we do is to provide advice to landlords on the action that can be taken to make a property 'safe' and 'decent'. We may decide to take enforcement action, which could involve serving notices and ultimately prosecuting landlords who openly fail to fulfil their legal obligations. We have written an enforcement policy to ensure that all enforcement work is carried out in a fair, practical and consistent manner.