Landlords

As Landlords one of the decision you must carefully make is choosing the right property firm to Manage or Let your property. There are many factors that should be taken into consideration,

Regulated by a professional organisation
Protected by professional indemnity insurance
Have a separate dedicated clients’ money account
Members of a deposit protection scheme

Rest assured Bloomingdale Residential have all the above and can produce any certification upon request.

Bloomingdale Residential are regulated by the Property Ombudsman and strictly abide by their Codes of Practice.

As members of the Property Ombudsman Bloomingdale Residential are required to have Professional Indemnity Insurance, and also require Client monies to be maintained in a separate account, which means that Rent collected on behalf of the Landlord and Deposit held for the Tenant are kept in an audited Client Funds account.

Bloomingdale Residential has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the residential lettings market, commitment to best codes of practice and exceptional service to our clients,
Making us the right residential lettings firm for your property asset management.

Landlord Fee:

A) Let Only - 2 Weeks Rent Processing fee

B) Letting & Mangement Service 10% Capped at Monthly rent

C) Rent Guranteed Service - No charge only agreed rent Paid to Landlord

 

UK Residential Letting Legislation

There are currently many legislations a property must comply with, which can become very time consuming and stressful for landlords, at Bloomingdale Residential we can ensure that you and your property comply with all the legislative requirements.

Here are some legislative requirements that you must comply with,


Energy Act 2011

The Energy Performance of Buildings
(Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 Green Deal (Acknowledgment) Regulations 2012

The Energy Act 2011 contains significant provisions to ensure that from April 2018, it will be unlawful to rent out a residential property that does not reach a minimum energy efficiency standard which will be revealed in an Energy Performance Certificate ("EPC"?).

It is mandatoryto have an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property to sell or rent.
The landlord must ensure that a valid energy performance certificate has been given free of charge to the person who ultimately becomes the tenant.

An EPC provides information on a building's energy efficiency on a sliding scale from 'A' (very efficient) to 'G' (least efficient). The purpose of the EPC is to show prospective tenants the energy

  • For more information on EPC regulations see:

Central Heating, Boilers and Gas Appliances

Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 | Gas Cooking Appliances (Safety) Regulations 1989
Legally mandatoryfor landlords to repair and maintain gas pipes, flues and appliances (including portableand LPG BBQs and appliances) in safe condition
Taking the necessary remedial action
Make it a statutory requirement that landlords commission an annual gas safety check on each gas appliance and flue
Impose a statutory duty on the landlord to keep a record of each safety check undertaken For more information see www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l56.htm

Although it is not yet a statutory requirement, when enacted, the Household Safety (Carbon Monoxide Detectors) Bill will require installation of an audible carbon monoxide detector at the property.

Regulations will be made to require annual testing of the carbon monoxide detector as part of the annual gas safety check.

Bloomingdale Residential recommends that you do not wait for this to become law.

Electrical Equipment and PAT testing

Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994

Under legislation, all portable electric items require testing before each tenancy commences

Regulations require landlords to ensure all electrical systems and equipment are safe
It is also a mandatory requirement to have all electrical equipment and appliances to have regular inspections to ensure their safe use

Although it is not required by Law to have an Annual Electrical Safety Test it will increase risk on the Landlord to be prosecuted if electrical equipment and system fail to meet regulated standards.

Therefore Bloomingdale Residential recommends that a safety inspection is carried out every 5 years.

  • For more information please see:

Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 and 1993) The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 – Internal Blinds Child Safety Requirements
There are severe criminal penalties for non-compliance of these regulations
Furniture and furnishings supplied to a tenant anytime during a tenancy must be compliant withthe Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 and 1993)
Blinds, if operated with cords, chains and ball chains or similar, that are accessible canpotentially form a hazardous loop posing a strangulation risk to children.
  • For more information on Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 see:

The Tenancy Deposit - The Deposit Protection Scheme

Housing Act 2004 Chapter 4 and the Localism Act 2011

Deposits are a standard and essential feature of resident lettings. They are taken as security against damage to the property or contents, issues that generally arise at the end of the tenancy upon check-out.

Deposits can also be used as security in the event of non-payment of rent or other monies payable by the tenant.

Since 6 April 2007, deposits taken on all Assured Tenancies are subject to mandatory regulation.

Company lets and non-assured tenancies (Lettings at more than £100,000 rental per year) are not regulated by this legislation.

There are very significant sanctions for failure to complywith the requirements of the regulations.

The policy behind the regulation is simple

Safeguard the tenant’s deposit by removing it from the control of the Landlord,
Deposit must be registered with an Approved Deposit Protection Scheme.

Approved schemes:

Tenancy Deposit Scheme
Deposit Protection Service (Custodial and Insured)
My Deposits

The Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007 makes it mandatory to inform the tenant ofhow and by whom it will be held, anddeposit holding provisions.

This can be conveniently given in the form of a leaflet published by the relevant Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

Provide dispute resolution procedure for resolving disputes over the deposit.

All schemes offer independent dispute resolution services.

Landlords and their agentin all cases where the deposit fallswithin the regulations they must within the prescribed 30 day timeframe:

Provide the relevant Information
Safeguard the deposit in accordance with the rules of their selected Scheme and
Inform the tenant by providing details of the Scheme.

Failure to meet these requirements within the specified time framecould have significant sanctions which include a possible block on regaining possession.

The tenant has up to 6 years after the end of the tenancy to apply for a sanction to be imposed, even if the deposit was returned in full.
Besides from ordering immediate return of the deposit, the court can also impose a penalty of up to three times the amount of the deposit.

  • For more information on Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 see:

Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 1999.

All hot and cold water systems in residential properties are now within the scope of the revised Approved Code of Practice and guidance Legionnaires’ disease (ACOP).

All landlords and Letting Agents in control of private rented properties are now required to protect their tenants against the risk of contracting Legionnaire's Disease.

Legionella bacteria can multiply in hot or cold water systems and storage tanks in residential properties, and then be spread, e.g. in spray from showers and taps.

Landlord must carry out a risk assessment to identify and assess potential sources of exposure. You must then introduce a course of action to prevent or control any risk you have identified.

How to comply with your new legal responsibilities regarding control of Legionella is given in the ACOP which can be found at

Taxation and Non- Resident Landlords

Under UK tax laws, the Landlord is obliged to pay tax on UK rental income. UK residents do this through their self–assessment returns.

Non-resident landlords are subject to the Non-Resident Landlords (NRL) Scheme which is a schemefor taxing the UK rental income of non-resident landlords in the hands of the letting agent or tenant.

The NRL scheme requires UK letting agents to deduct basic rate tax from any rent collected for non-residentlandlords.

As letting agents, by law we must deduct tax unless and until HMRC notifies us in writing that the non-residentlandlord has successfully applied for approval to receive rents with no tax deducted

It is possible to make application to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to receive rent without prior deduction of tax. See:

Taxation is a highly complex ever-changing subject and we highly recommend that landlords always retain a Chartered Accountant or Chartered Tax Consultant to deal with their tax liability.