Guidance for landlords of private housing

There are many legal obligations that you must meet to lawfully rent out a property or manage a private rented property. 

This applies to single-family dwellings and houses in multiple occupation (HMO). 

As a landlord or managing agent you should ensure you are aware of legislative developments and new obligations. Key guidance is provided below.

Safety

The property must be in good and safe repair and meet our amenity standards.

You must have:

• a valid landlord’s gas safety certificate
• a valid electrical installation condition report (EICR) – check GOV.UK’s guide for landlords: electrical safety standards in the private rented sector
• an EPC rating of an E or above for the property or have a valid exemption – if your property does not have an energy certificate or it has expired, you can get an energy certificate for a property in England
• a minimum standard of fire detection – there is guidance on smoke and carbon monoxide alarm regulations on the GOV.UK website
• houses in multiple occupation (HMO) require more substantial fire detection than that of single-family dwellings and will be risk assessed as part of the licensing process – see the HMO page for more details

General responsibilities

Landlords should:

• provide all tenants with government guidance on how to rent a safe home
• check that all tenants have a right to rent – read the GOV.UK guidance on how to check your tenants have the right to rent
• ensure that rent deposits from tenants are protected in a tenancy deposit scheme – there is guidance on tenancy deposit protection on the GOV.UK website
• understand that the Tenant Fees Act bans most letting fees and caps tenancy deposits paid by tenants in the private rented sector in England
• make sure the property has a central heating system that is in full working order – it must be controllable and will maintain an internal temperature of 21°C throughout the property when the external temperature is below freezing point
• make sure the property is free from damp and mould and remedy it if any appears -the GOV.UK website has guidance on understanding and addressing the health risks of homes with damp and mould
• provide tenants with your contact details so that they can report any problems or disrepair to you or the managing agent
• provide tenants with a minimum notice period of at least 24 hours when you wish to enter your property
• ensure repairs are undertaken promptly and by suitably qualified contractors
• undertake evictions legally, providing relevant documents to the tenant and an appropriate notice period – read the GOV.UK guidance on eviction rules landlords must follow

Accreditation

We encourage landlords to join an accreditation scheme such as the West of England accreditation scheme for landlords and agents.

Tenants will have more confidence to rent from you if you become an accredited member of the scheme as they will know rental standards are followed.

Home lettings service

Our home lettings service SG Homes helps match your property with people who are seeking private rented accommodation in South Gloucestershire.

We aim to help you maximise your rental income and take the stress out of renting your property. Find out more on our home lettings service page.

Home repair loans

We have council funded loans for homeowners requiring essential repairs to their properties.  These loans are delivered for us by Lendology.

If you are a landlord with a property that needs energy efficiency improvements, modernisation, general repairs or renovation work you could be eligible for a landlord loan from Lendology.

Possession actions

The government has published guidance on the rules that a landlord must follow if they want to regain possession of a property.