Home » Are there a set of minimum standards a landlord must adhere to?
Landlords, Tenants
General
For each apartment, flat or house being rented as a separate unit, the landlord must ensure that the rental property is free from damp and in a proper state of structural repair (internally and externally). The Regulations require that roofs, roofing tiles, slates, windows, floors, ceilings, walls, stairs, doors, skirting boards, fascia, tiles on any floor, ceiling and wall, gutters, down pipes, fittings, furnishings, gardens and common areas must be maintained in good condition and repair. They must not be defective due to dampness or otherwise.
The landlord must ensure that electricity or gas supplies are safe and in good repair, and that every room has adequate ventilation and heating that tenants can control, and both natural and artificial lighting.
Laundry, food preparation and food storage
The Regulations require private landlords to provide tenants with access to:
- A washing machine
- A clothes-dryer if the dwelling does not have a private garden or yard
They must also provide facilities for cooking and for the hygienic storage of food, to include the following:
- 4-ring hob with oven and grill
- Cooker hood or extractor fan
- Fridge and freezer, or a fridge-freezer
- Microwave oven
- Suitable and adequate kitchen cupboards for storing food
- Sink with mains water supply of cold potable water, piped supply of hot water and draining area
Other requirements
All landlords must provide:
- A sink with hot and cold water.
- A separate room, for the exclusive use of each rented unit, with a toilet, a washbasin and a fixed bath or shower with hot and cold water. These facilities must be maintained in good working order and the room must be well ventilated.
- A permanently fixed heater in each bathroom or shower room. These heaters must be in good repair and properly maintained.
- A suitable fixed heating appliance in each room, which is capable of providing effective heating and which the tenant can control, and adequate facilities for the safe removal of fumes.
- A fire blanket and fire detection and alarm system.
- Access to vermin-proof and pest-proof rubbish storage facilities. The landlord must also make efforts to prevent the infestation of pests and vermin at the property.
- Safety restrictors on windows that are located above a certain height, in order to prevent falls.
- Information on the property, building services, appliances and their maintenance requirements.
- A carbon monoxide alarm which must be suitably located and maintained.
In multi-unit buildings, the landlord must provide each unit with a suitable fire-detection and alarm system, fire blanket, and an emergency evacuation plan. There must also be emergency lighting in common areas.