Private housing

Advice and information for homeowners, private tenants and landlords on housing rights and responsibilities, repairs and maintenance, financial help with housing costs, safety and security in the home, warmth and energy efficiency and more.

Tenants

Advice for private rental tenants including how to report a repair

Minimum safe housing conditions

Landlords Charter

Landlords

Landlord accreditation scheme

Property and procurement schemes

Property licensing for landlords and letting agents

Homeowners, landlords and tenants

Improving private rented housing

Private housing grants

Empty property services

Improve the energy efficiency of your home

Minimum energy efficiency standards

Private housing data privacy notice

Managing damp, mould and condensation

Advice from the government

GOV.UK - housing and local services has guidance for homeowners, tenants and landlords including problems paying your rent or mortgage, your rights and responsibilities and how to get legal advice.

New carbon monoxide regulations

The Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Regulations have been amended.

From October 2022, landlords are required to ensure not only that there is a working smoke alarm on every storey where there is a room used as living accommodation but also that there is a working carbon monoxide alarm in any room which contains a fixed combustion appliance except for gas cookers. This includes gas boilers and gas fires.

There is a new requirement to ensure that when a tenant reports that an alarm may not be in proper working order, the landlord must investigate and if the alarm is not working it must be repaired or replaced as soon as reasonably practicable.

Electrical safety standards in the private rented sector regulations 2020

These regulations apply to all new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021.

Landlords are required to:

have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a person who is qualified and competent, at least every five years, and
provide a copy of the report to tenants, and to the council if requested to do so.

If the report requires any further investigative or remedial works, the landlord must:

make sure the work is carried out within 28 days, and
supply written confirmation that the work has been carried out, together with a copy of the original report, to each existing tenant and to the council within 28 days of completion of the work. These should be sent to the council by email to phs@lbhf.gov.uk

If the landlord is not able to gain access to the property to carry out the inspection and test, we recommend landlords document all attempts to do so and all correspondence with tenants.