Support for landlords in the Ryedale area

You can:

• make sure that gas fittings and flues are kept in a safe condition 
• you must get an installer to check each gas appliance/flue every year. The installer must be registered with the Gas Safe Register
• give your tenant a copy of the safety check record within 28 days, or to any new tenant before they move in
• keep a record of each safety check for two years
• safety checks also apply to portable appliances such as LPG, or Calor gas, heaters

If an appliance fails a safety check, you must replace it, or get it fixed by a Gas Safe registered engineer before it can be used again.

It is against the law to allow unsafe gas appliances to be used. 

Contact us.

You may be able to get a loan to help pay for any repair work. Landlord loans are discretionary forms of assistance.

You must give your tenant a gas safety certificate at the start of their tenancy.

You can find advice on the following websites:

• the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health website offers guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of housing
• the North Yorkshire fire and rescue website

All upholstered furniture, including fabric covers and furniture filling, included in the property must be fire and flame retardant. This applies to any of the following that contain upholstery:

• beds, headboards, mattresses, sofa beds, futons
• garden furniture that is suitable for indoor use
• scatter cushions and pillows
• loose and stretch covers for furniture

All new furniture, except mattresses, bed bases, loose and stretch covers, that were made after 1988 are required to carry a permanent label to show they are fire retardant.

Find information about Legionnaires' disease and landlords' responsibilities on the Health and Safety Executive website.

If you take a deposit from your tenant, it is protected by tenancy deposit protection laws. If you do not protect your tenant’s deposit you cannot legally evict them. The law applies to:

• any assured shorthold tenancy (that started after April 2007) 
• any tenancy that started before 6 April 2007 where you have renewed the tenancy or continued it as a statutory period tenancy

For more information about tenancy deposit protection, visit the Government website.

You can choose to agree to a paper bond instead of a cash deposit. It is a written guarantee to you that means the scheme will cover any repairs if your tenant damages your property. The money will then be claimed back from your tenant.

You should keep a record of rent received, certificates and letters or copies. You need to do this to:

• make letting your property more professional 
• make it easier for accurate advice to be given, if there are any problems
• make sure you can prove you are following all legal requirements
• make sure all new tenancy agreements include your contact details so that tenants can contact you if they need any repairs 

Your tenant may be able to get Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. They can visit our housing benefit page for more details or contact us for advice. 

Universal Credit is claimed through the Department for Works and Pensions. You can find information about Universal Credit and landlords on the Government website or you can call 0345 6000 723.

First, contact us. Do this before taking any action to make sure you are doing things legally. 

For all assured shorthold tenancies that started after 1 October 2015, you cannot give a notice seeking possession or a section 21 notice to quit if:

• it is the first four months of a tenancy
• you, as the landlord, are prevented from retaliatory eviction by law
• you have not given your tenant an energy performance certificate, gas safety certificate or the booklet How to Rent
• you have not followed the tenancy deposit protection legislation
• your property needs a homes in multiple occupation licence, but you have not got one

Landlords who are unsure should seek specialist advice.

You need to use a Form 6A for any assured shorthold tenancies that started after 1 October 2015.

To complete Tenancy form 6A: Notice seeking possession of a property let on an assured shorthold tenancy or find more information, visit the Government website.

The law protects tenants against unfair eviction if they have raised a legitimate complaint about the condition of their home.

You must give your tenants information about their rights and responsibilities.
 
You cannot serve an eviction notice, also called a section 21 notice, unless you have followed your legal responsibilities.

• This is where you evict a tenant for:
• complaining about the condition of the property
• asking for repairs or maintenance

As a landlord, you must have a legitimate, legal reason to evict your tenant.

You cannot evict a tenant if:

• they made a written complaint to you about the condition of your property before you issued a section 21 eviction notice, or if they tried to contact you about a complaint but did not have your postal address or email 
• you not respond to your tenant’s complaint within 14 days 
• you have not told your tenant what you will do to deal with complaint or given a reasonable timescale for dealing with it
• you give them a section 21 notice to quit after they have made a complaint
• your tenant has contacted their local housing authority about the same complaint
• the local housing authority served a relevant notice about the complaint

Relevant notices can be served to landlords by the local housing authority. 

They are:

• notices that ask you to make improvements due to hazards at your property
• notices asking you to make emergency remedial action

If a relevant notice has been served, you cannot give your tenant an eviction notice for six months. 

If you try to evict your tenant illegally, you will not be able to repossess your property through the courts.

For more information, contact us. 

We cannot recommend specific insurance companies but we do advise you to consider specialist insurance. This is because normal insurance policies may not provide the right cover.

This states:

• landlords must make simple checks on all tenants and lodgers to make sure they have the right to rent. Sometimes they get an estate agent to do this for them  
• all adults using the property as their main home must be checked
• as a landlord, you should check original ID documents in front of your tenant and then scan or photocopy them to prove you have completed the checks 

You can find out more about checking your tenant's right to rent on the Government website.

There is also a helpline for landlords to check the immigration status of a particular person. Call 0300 0699799.

This Home Office guide on Youtube also gives more advice.

 
If you rent your property to an illegal migrant and have not carried out a Right to Rent check, you may face a fine:

You can find out how letting out your property affects your tax on the Government website.