As a landlord, there are over 168 property rental laws and regulations that you have to follow when renting out your property. Keeping up to date and understanding all these rules can be a nightmare for a property owner.
The UK government has revised several rules and guidelines for landlords for 2022. It is beneficial for you to be aware of the important legal changes that might affect you this year and the following years to come.
Here are four upcoming property rental law changes worth knowing:
1. Licensing for Landlords
It has been proposed that landlords will be required to hold licenses, to ensure a form of regulation. Landlords will have to register themselves and their properties or belong to a redress scheme. These licenses expire after 5 years and will have to be renewed.
To make matters more complicated, there are numerous different licensing schemes one can choose from. For example, homes and properties that house more than 5 individuals will belong to a different scheme than that of a property that houses only a couple.
It is essential that as a landlord, you consult your council area to stay on top of your licensing and to choose the correct one for you and your property.
For more info on this topic please visit: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-land/improving-private-rented-sector/advice-renters/does-my-rental-home-need-property-licence
2. Right to rent
As a landlord, having a tenant for a buy-to-let is essential. It is however important that you check if your tenant is legally allowed to reside in the country. The government requires you to check up on your tenant’s residential rights even if they hold a British passport.
As of March 2020, and the start of the Covid pandemic, these checks have been accessible online to limit in-person meetings. This allows for a swift and easy process that will prevent you from being heavily fined.
For more on right to rent checks please visit: https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/document-checks
3. Carbon monoxide and smoke alarms
The government has announced that there will be proposed changes to alarms in rental properties. These changes include the installation of CO2 detectors in rooms that house combustible appliances. As well as the replacement of all faulty or old alarms around the property.
The announcement date of these changes is still to be released, however, it is worth implementing them now if you can. These alterations will be cost-effective and will protect your tenant against carbon monoxide poisoning and fires.
4. Changes in energy efficiency rules.
As mentioned in our previous blog post How an EPC affects your rental property, the changeover from a minimum EPC rating of ‘E’ to an EPC rating of ‘C’ by the year 2025 will be implemented. This new benchmark will be enforced in an attempt to make homes more energy-efficient as well as reduce carbon emissions.