As the nights draw in and the temperature drops protecting your tenants from the winter snap has become even more important. Colder weather means your properties are more at risk of damage, so protecting your tenants from compliance problems such as a lack of heating, carbon monoxide poisoning or an electrical fault becomes ever so important.
We’re going to summarise the best ways to protect your tenants in the winter months and free them from that icy chill.
Gas Safety
With over twenty three million homes in the United Kingdom, gas safety is vital to protect your properties from potential carbon monoxide poisoning. Every agent is responsible by law for keeping their gas appliances under control and in full working order. You’re responsible for repairing any work that needs to be carried out and making sure the gas appliances are in a safe, working condition. As well as this, an annual gas safety inspection must be carried out on each appliance in every one of your properties. Hiring someone to conduct the gas check can often be tricky, they must be a Gas Safe Registered engineer which can be found on their official site by clicking here.
Electrical Safety
On the other end of the scale, electrical safety is another factor, agents must consider as the winter snap approaches. Electrical Safety First demonstrate the importance of maintaining good electrical units by suggesting how it simply avoids fires. They suggest how every year 70 people die because of electrical accidents, while 350,000 are seriously injured which should bring to attention how vital compliance is during these winter months. To find out more about hiring an electrician or about electrical safety please see Electric Safety First’s website here.
Legionella
One of the recent diseases affecting many properties in today’s environment is legionella. As it gets colder, as a letting agent or landlord you may refuse to go and check your empty properties, exposing your tenants to a risk of legionella. Conducting legionella risk assessments is now a legal requirement for agents around the country, in order to avoid your tenants becoming ill through drinking contaminated water. To find out more about protecting your properties and your tenants please click here.