Health and safety in rented accommodation

Landlords are generally responsible for the maintenance and major repairs to a property. This includes repairs to the structure and exterior of the property, heating and hot water installations, basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary installations.

Housing standards

A property should be safe and healthy for occupiers, so responsibility should be taken to ensure that:

the dwelling is capable of providing adequate heating, which ideally means controllable central heating and insulation, with eqipment and the fabric of the building in good repair
electricity and gas supplies, and the sanitation (drains, basins, sinks, baths and WCs) are in working order
there are no fall or trip hazards
water heating equipment is in working order
the property is free from damp

Gas and electrical safety

Your landlord must ensure that:

all gas appliances and installations are maintained in good order
that gas boliers get an annual safety check is carried out by someone who is registered with CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers).
keep a record of the safety checks, and issue it to you within 28 days of each annual check

The occupier is responsible for maintaining gas appliances which they own, or are entitled to take with them at the end of the letting.

By law, your landlord must ensure that the electrical system and any electrical appliances supplied with the let such as cookers, kettles, toasters, washing machines and immersion heaters are safe to use. If your landlord supplies new appliances, he or she should also provide any accompanying instruction booklets.

Fire safety

The 2004 Housing Act requires the landlord to do several things about fire safety:

there has to be an adequate means of escape
depending on the size of the property, there may have to be smoke alarms and fire extinguishing equipment

If the property is a considered to be a House in Multiple Ocupation (HMO) by your council which is subject to licensing, your landlord must also comply with license conditions in relation to fire safety.

By law, your landlord must:

make sure that all the gas appliances they provide are maintained in good order and that a Corgi-registered plumber carries out a safety check each year
maintain all electrical installations (ie fixed wiring) and any electrical appliances they provide (ie cookers, kettles) and make sure they are safe to use
make sure any furniture and furnishings they provide meet the fire resistance regulations

Your council’s Environmental Health Officer will be able to give you more details about your landlord’s obligations and can force your landlord to provide adequate fire precautions.