Landlords Without an Agent Are Running a Risk of Non-Compliance

The Residential Landlords Association has revealed that the number of pieces of legislation that a landlord needs to be aware of has risen from 118 to 156. Landlords without a professional agent run the risk of falling foul of legislation that they may not even be aware exists. Local Authorities have the power to issue fines of up to £30,000 against private landlords for a range of offences.

Potential Pitfalls

The full list of statutory provisions that the RLA has identified as applying to the private rented sector is a long document. Landlords may be good people who care about their tenants’ welfare and still not be aware that their property is one that requires a licence under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Additional Conditions) (England) Order that came into force in 2015. That year alone also saw changes to the regulation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, the enforcement of energy efficiency standards, and the introduction of tenancy deposit protection. 

Laws and Legislation

There have been an additional 10 pieces of statutory legislation aimed at codifying the relationship between landlords and tenants since then! There are over a hundred laws still in play from various Housing Acts dating back to the 1920s. The RLA document doesn’t even attempt to go into the thousands of obligations that stem from common law and case law court rulings. 

Sensible Precautions

Most landlords that we represent have full time jobs themselves, or are trying to enjoy their retirement! Learning the minutiae of national and regional legislation regarding property and tenants’ rights in order to avoid a hefty fine is not high on their list of priorities. A sensible precaution is to employ a responsible agent who will take care of these matters for you.

At Pearl Lettings, in addition to our property management and maintenance services, we ensure our landlords’ properties are compliant with the latest legislation. 

To find out more about how our services can take the stress out of letting a property, call our office on 01603 980770 or email hello@pearllettings.co.uk

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