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Property Maintenance Services For Landlords – How We Can Help

May 18th, 2023

Last updated: May 18th, 2023

Private landlords, commercial landlords, and letting agents all need to be aware of their legal responsibilities with regards to health and safety. This differs considerably from what you are required to do in your own domestic property and is a critical and ever-changing feature of a landlord’s list of duties.

This is why many landlords, estate agents, and letting agents contact us at Robinsons Facilities Services and design an agreement which looks after all the important services in a rental property, with regards health, safety, security and the environment. A planned preventive maintenance agreement ensures that we keep all your equipment and installations in order and that you comply with your many and varied legal obligations.

On top of this, working with Robinsons Facilities Services can ensure that you get the best possible advice when it comes to property management and how you can stay in-line with your legal responsibilities. Our skilled and expert team knows the difference between the legislation for commercial properties and private dwellings, for instance, and can give you advice on what is required.

But in terms of specific landlord or letting agent duties, how can Robinsons Facilities Services help?

Boiler Service and Repair

The boiler is important to a property in terms of providing a reliable supply of heat and hot water, but it can also cause issues from a gas safety point of view. Robinsons Facilities Services can look after the safety of your gas supplies and installations and we can provide Gas Safe-registered engineers to carry out regular checks and servicing of your boiler and any other gas installations, such as fires or cookers. We can also carry out routine maintenance checks, deal with breakdown repairs and leave you with copies of all records, which it is your legal duty to provide to all tenants. Find out more about our boiler servicing and repairs.

Security Alarm Maintenance

Security is very important to both tenants and landlords, as people need to feel safe and secure in their home and a property won’t be marketable if this is not the case, so Robinsons Facilities Services can look after your security alarm system and carry out routine maintenance as well as attending to problems if the system is not working for any reason. If you wish to go one stage further, we can also look after CCTV systems to ensure they are functional and operative at all times.

Electrical Repairs

Robinsons Facilities Services can carry out testing and inspection of various electrical installations and appliances, such as fixed wiring, alarm systems, lighting, safety systems and portable appliances. You have a duty to provide safe electrical systems (ie. sockets and lights etc) and appliances, such as kettles and cookers, so we can work with you to provide regular servicing as well as 24/7/365 cover for emergency repairs.

Fire Safety

You have many duties with regards to fire safety, not least the provision of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide monitoring alarms. Robinsons Facilities Services can look after these as well as servicing fire extinguishers in properties of multiple occupation, where these are required. As a starting point, we can also carry out fire risk assessments of your property, in which we can identify exactly what fire safety controls you need in place and then we can help you maintain those controls. Risk assessments are often a legal requirement. 

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Any landlord or letting agent is required to provide a property with an EPC, which grades the property with an energy rating from A to G. The minimum rating required to legally be able to lease out a property changes, but from April 1st 2018 it is E. Robinsons Facilities Services can help you achieve and maintain this rating through carrying out repairs and servicing of your boiler or other gas appliances and your electrical supplies. We can also discuss alternative forms of energy usage which may improve your energy performance, such as low-energy lighting and renewable energies such as biomass boilers, where this is applicable or practical.

What the Government Says About Landlord Responsibilities

Government guidelines help to outline what is required from all landlords. You must meet certain levels of responsibilities when you are renting out a property. 

The UK Government guidelines explain…

You’re a landlord if you rent out your property. As a landlord you must:

  • keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards
  • make sure all gas equipment and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained
  • provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property
  • protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme
  • check your tenant has the right to rent your property if it’s in England
  • give your tenant a copy of the How to rent checklist when they start renting from you (you can email it to them)

Ways in Which We Can Help

Above, we have outlined the specific areas which we can help with, but these are just some of the examples. We can help with commercial building maintenance and provide a range of services in the following forms:

  • Routine repairs. Things that have broken but aren’t dangerous or critical, so don’t necessarily require instant attention. 
  • Emergency repairs. Robinsons Facilities Services can provide 24/7 help so if you have an emergency breakdown, we’re able to come and help.
  • Planned preventative maintenance. A PPM contract can help you with maintenance and ensure that things that need regular attention, such as boiler servicing and PAT testing, are regularly seen to. By creating a calendar-based PPM contract you can ensure that you don’t miss anything.

If you are a commercial landlord requiring help in a business environment, you also have the responsibility to ensure those on site have:

  • A reasonable temperature
  • Adequate lighting, space and ventilation
  • Drinking water
  • Safe equipment
  • Toilets and washing facilities

There are many ways in which Robinsons Facilities Services can work with landlords and letting agents to ensure you are complying with all your legal duties, and your responsibilities to the environment. Contact us today and we can design a package that works for you.

 

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