Health and safety is a key element of property management, whether you’re managing a facility, block or property.
It can be difficult for leaseholders, landlords, and tenants to stay on top of regular health and safety checks and keep up with constantly evolving legislation. Therefore, the correct processes must be implemented to monitor this; that’s where property managers can provide support.
Effective property management helps to ensure that leaseholders stay ahead of the game and are never left at risk due to outdated processes or being in breach of legislation.
At SBA, our dedicated health & safety team supports and guides leaseholders through the latest legislation to help them effectively forward plan. Sarah Epton, Health & Safety Compliance Manager, and Tom Suen, Health & Safety team member, are experts in the field, bringing many years of experience to SBA.
We’ve prepared some useful advice to help you stay on top of your health and safety checks…
Certificates
When renting out a property, your main priority should be obtaining the right certificates and sharing these with the tenant. If you look after multiple properties, you need to check that these are in place for each property.
Firstly, leaseholders must obtain a gas safety certificate. This ensures that gas equipment is supplied, safely installed, and maintained by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Annual gas safety checks must also be carried out to validate your certificate.
Another important requirement is to obtain an EPC. These certificates track a building’s energy efficiency, rating it from A to G to estimate the cost of heating and lighting the property. The government recently announced changes to the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for England and Wales, meaning that by 2028 all rental properties will need a C rating or above.
Fire safety
At SBA, we take building safety very seriously. A high priority for all leaseholders should be fire safety, which has become particularly topical following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022. This regulation stipulates that residential buildings are properly equipped and prepared to prevent and respond to fires.
Our team of experts is highly experienced in conducting comprehensive fire risk assessments, working closely with leaseholders to identify potential fire hazards and develop effective fire safety policies and management plans that comply with the latest regulation.
Health and safety checks
As landlords, you have the right to access your properties at any time, with 24 hours’ notice being given to the tenant first. Routine visits should include health and safety checks to ensure everything is in order in all areas of the property.
Important checks include:
- Damp and mould exposure
- Asbestos presence
- Health hazards
- Issues with water or heating systems
- Security
- Waste
- Gas and electrical safety
Other responsibilities that SBA can support with include providing tenants with information on their tenancy deposit scheme and carrying out ‘right to rent’ checks.
By implementing our guidance on legal compliance and house inspection checklists, landlords should have the key to risk-free renting.
If you have an enquiry about our services and how we can help you keep your properties safe and secure, contact us today on 020 7629 4949 or at office@sbaproperty.com.