PDF of Elliott Booth Fee’s

You can choose any of the below additional services to add to your package.

Elliott Booth Ltd. are commission Free for repairs. We do not earn commission nor do we add a service charge to any contractor repairs during The Tenancy. Whatever the cost of the repair, that is all that you will be charged! For Let Only / Bronze customers there will be a charge added for arranging The Gas safety certificate (£31.00 inc VAT) and Energy Performance certificate and EICR (£46.00 inc VAT) at the start of marketing. Alternatively you can provide us with your EPC, Gas Certificate, EICR without charge.

Please read to find out your responsibilities as a landlord when you rent out a property. You can also click on the link below to download a guide on how to rent a safe property.

Click here to download a PDF guide on How to rent a safe home.

Right To Rent

If you are renting out your home or a room in your home, you must check that anyone aged 18 or over, who is living in the property, is legally entitled to rent a home in England. This includes people living in the property but not named on the tenancy agreement, and applies whether or not you have a tenancy agreement in place.   This scheme was made compulsory on 1 February 2016, and required all landlords and agents to:

• Check which adults will use the property as their main home
• Ask for original documents that prove they can live in the UK
• Check that the documents give them the right to rent your property
• Check that each tenant’s documents are genuine and belong to them
• Make and keep copies of the documents and record the date you made the check.

You can receive an unlimited fine or be sent to prison if you rent your property to someone who isn’t allowed to stay in England. It is against the law to only check people you think aren’t British citizens. You must check all new tenants. You can find more information on the Right to Rent scheme on the government website.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) requirements

An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. Energy Performance Certificates are needed whenever a property is:

• Built
• Sold
• Rented

You must order an EPC for potential buyers or tenants before you market your property to sell or rent. How to get an EPC: You’ll need to find an accredited assessor if you’re selling or renting out your home. They will assess your property and produce the certificate. You can be fined if you don’t get an EPC when you need one. From the 1 April 2018, any property for rent in the private rented sector must have a minimum energy performance rating of E on an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This regulation will come into force for all new lets and renewals of tenancies with effect from 1 April 2018, and for all existing tenancies on 1 April 2020. It will be unlawful to rent a property which does not have a minimum E rating. You could receive a fine of up to £4,000 if your property does not meet this requirement. We can arrange for an accredited assessor to assess your home and produce a certificate, and will advise on how much it is likely to cost.

Electrical

You must ensure that all electrical appliances in the property are working and safe, and that freestanding electrical appliances are PAT tested. It is a legal requirement for the electrics in a property to be safe to use.

From 1st June 2020 it is a legal requirement that landlords have an electrical inspection carried out for ALL new tenancies by a suitably qualified electrician. There must be a satisfactory EICR in place for prospective tenants to view prior to the start of the tenancy should they request to do so. Failure to have a valid EICR could result in prosecution and must be made available to the local authority on request. All current tenancies must have a valid EICR in place before April 2021. Failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (safety) Regulations 1994 and The Consumer Protection Act 1987 is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution. An EICR must be carried out every 5 years or at change of tenancy, whichever is sooner or sooner if deemed so by the inspecting electrician. We can arrange these for you, and can advise on how much it is likely to cost.

Insurance

All landlords must have specialist landlord building insurance, which must include public and landlord liability cover. We recommend Let Alliance for your insurance and have worked with them for many years. You can obtain a no obligation quote from our insurance page.

You must also insure the contents of the property, where appropriate, and notify the insurance company if and when the property becomes empty. If you have a mortgage on your rental property, you must obtain permission from your mortgage provider to rent your property out.

Gas Servicing

You must arrange for a registered Gas Safe heating engineer to inspect all appliances and issue a certificate on an annual basis. We can arrange this for you, and can advise how much it is likely to cost.

Fire Safety

You must ensure that you have working smoke detectors on all floors (we will check this at every property inspection for full managed tenancies). Elliott Booth recommend mains powered smoke detectors and heat sensors.  You must also ensure that all furnishings are fire resistant and comply with the regulations set out in the Fire Safety Amendment 1993. You must have a carbon monoxide detector for all open fires/ stoves or boilers situated in sleeping or living areas. If your property is classed as a House of Multiple Occupation by LACoRS, it must have a fire assessment report, and all the work that is stated in the report must be completed within a given time period. We can assist with this.

Water Safety

It is a requirement that any water systems that may carry a threat of legionnaire’s disease have a risk assessment carried out. There is no legal requirement for an external agency to conduct the risk assessment, if however, you would rather Elliott Booth appoint a contractor to carry out this assessment we can arrange this on request.

New tenancies

From the 1st of June 2019 a refundable tenancy deposit is to be capped at no more than five weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is below £50,000, or six weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is £50,000 or above.  You may ask a tenant to pay a tenancy deposit as security for the performance of any obligations, or the discharge of any liability arising under or in connection with the tenancy for example in case of any damage or unpaid rent or bills at the end of the tenancy. You are not legally required to take a deposit. In any case, you must not ask for a deposit which is more than five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000. If the annual rent is £50,000 or greater the tenancy deposit is capped six weeks’ rent. Any amount above this will be a prohibited payment.

Deposits & Tenancy Deposit Protection

The Security Deposit will equal a maximum of 5 weeks rent per the Tenant Fees Act 2019. The purpose of the deposit is to cover damage to the property over and above normal wear and tear and/or any rent arrears or costs incurred as a result of breach of contract.

The 2004 Housing Act prevents landlords from holding unregistered/unprotected deposits. Elliott Booth are members of The Deposit Protection service. All deposits relating to Assured Shorthold Tenancies will be dealt with under the rules of the Tenancy Deposit Regulations. Deposits relating to tenancies which are not Assured Shorthold Tenancies are not part of the scheme, although will be dealt with along the principles of the scheme.

Blinds

New European regulations now apply to the installations for raising and lowering blinds and the movement of curtains across windows. This means that new blinds and curtains being installed by a contractor will have fixed cords or ball bearing pulls to prevent any danger of asphyxiation to a young child; and a warning notice with the purchasing material. Existing blinds and windows may need to be fitted with safety features to ensure compliance and to ensure safety. Throughout the agent’s period of management, it will check all blinds and curtains on a management visit and if necessary arrange for the relevant safety feature to be fitted at the landlord’s expense. It will be your responsibility as the property owner and Landlord to make such checks and arrange the fitting of any necessary safety feature.

General Advice

Ensure your property is protected against frost, particularly if it is empty over the winter period (we can advise on how best to do this).   You are required by law to have your boiler checked for safety. It is also good practice to have your boiler serviced annually to prevent against costly repairs and breakdowns.

Click here to download a PDF guide to mould and condensation.

If your property is in an area covered by the Selective Licensing Scheme, you must register the property with Blackpool Borough Council and the appropriate licence obtained (we can assist with this on request).

Elliott Booth Ltd is a member of Client Money Protect which is our client money protection scheme, and also a member of The Property Redress Scheme, which is a redress scheme. You can find out more details on the about us section of our website or by contacting the Elliott Booth Ltd directly.