The Household Hazards That Btl Landlords Overlook
The Household Hazards That Btl Landlords Overlook
The household hazards that buy to let landlords fail to address in their rental properties has been revealed.
The findings from property compliance firm VeriSmart from more than 60,000 property inspections highlight that of these, 4,521 had a Housing, Health and Safety Rating issue.
This subject is an increasingly important one, particularly since March with landlords now facing extra responsibilities under the Fitness for Human Habitation Act.
Landlords and their agent can now be sued for breach of contract for not providing a home that is fit for living in by their tenants.
This means it is crucial that landlords ensure their rental home meets the required minimum levels for health and safety standards.
‘Serious hazards in a rental home’
VeriSmart's founder Jonathan senior said: "While most landlords provide good accommodation, it's worrying that we see so many not addressing the serious hazards in a rental home.
"The lack of carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and the danger of someone falling downstairs is worrying. The hazards are classed as category one and there's no excuse for having them in a rented home."
Problem 1: Smoke detectors
The survey highlighted that of all health and safety assessments that were flagged up, 40% featured a non-functional or missing smoke detector.
Problem 2: Stairs
The danger of falling on stairs, or on separate levels accounted for 26% of assessments.
Problem 3: Electrical issues
Electrical issues made up 11% of all the hazards that were flagged up.
Problem 4: Carbon monoxide detectors
Assessors found that 7% of issues involved a non-working carbon monoxide detector.
Problem 5: Damp and mould
In 4% of properties, damp and mould are being flagged up as a risk.
Other problems saw water, such as uncovered ponds, posing a hazard for 2% of rental properties, followed by structural integrity issues for 2% and 1% of homes had fire hazards.
Millennials see rents fall
Meanwhile, the average rent that is being paid by millennials in 2018 fell by 4.7%.
The figures from yieldit, an online estate agency, questionned 2,000 tenants and found that the average rent being paid fell by £30.64 in the UK.
One reason is that millennials are increasingly moving into cheaper rental homes and reaping the benefits.
The firm's Ryan Hughes said: "It seems clear that younger people are choosing to downsize and move into shared accommodation, possibly to save money for their own home."
