Your Legal Responsibilities as a Landlord
As a landlord, ensuring your tenants’ access to heating and hot water is crucial. Regular boiler maintenance is not just recommended but is legally obligated under the Landlord and Tenant Act (1985). There are particular areas of note that landlords need to be aware of to ensure that their property is up-to-date on the latest regulations, to ultimately keep your tenants safe and keep you away from trouble. From Gas Safety Records to services, supply of hot water and heating, it’s also key to have a dedicated contractor on standby if challenges arise, see below what you need to know.
Annual Boiler Service
Having an annual service carried out by a qualified professional such as SR Coates Plumbing and Heating not only ensures that it is running efficiently and safely, but it’s also a legal requirement to have a service on your boiler once a year if you’re renting out your property. As well as this it will also help your tenants save money on energy bills and is overall better for the environment.
The earlier a problem is detected the better, and an annual boiler service is a great opportunity to get professional advice from an independent engineer who will be able to assess the current state of your boiler and point out any small faults which could turn into bigger and more costly ones down the line.
Rest assured that we’re committed to meeting high standards for landlords and in doing so preserve the 10-year warranty of Worcester Bosch boilers as an approved installer. As part of our servicing, we will cover a boiler flue output check, pipework inspection, thorough component testing, disassembly and cleaning, and component replacement.
Emergency Call-Outs
We’re dedicated to being just a phone call away when you need us most. That’s why our emergency call-out services mean that one of our highly skilled and qualified team will be able to carry out a same-day visit and assess the matter quickly and efficiently whilst being able to offer guidance and a plan of action to provide a resolution as soon as possible. Not only do we use the latest tools and technical know-how, but we also have extensive spare parts available if any replacements need to be made within short notice.
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Landlord and Tenant Act (1985) Compliance
The Landlord and Tenant Act (1985) is legislation that puts in black and white what tenants across the UK should expect from their landlords. This includes what rights they’re entitled to and the responsibilities held by both sides. For tenants, it’s important for them to keep an eye on the running of the home and take on tasks such as bleeding a radiator or looking after the heating schedule and reporting if there is an issue with the boiler. However, the landlord has a legal obligation to fix it.
Legal Obligations
Before you even think about letting your property, landlords need to ensure that the house or flat is safe for tenants to move into. A Gas Safety Record is essential because it details that all gas appliances from cookers to radiators are in good working order. This record needs to be provided by an authorised company or individual for it to be valid and in line with the law, plus they’ll be able to offer guidance on any other matters of note when letting out your property if this is your first time.
If issues are found during these checks then it’s your responsibility to ensure they are addressed before tenants move in according to the contract.
During Tenancy Responsibilities
Even though you have a Gas Safety Record on file, landlords are required to have an annual Gas Safety Check carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer in order for your record to be renewed, up-to-date, and proof that everything is by the book. They’ll be able to check all gas appliances again for any discrepancies, with any items not up to standard needing fixing or replacing.
As well as the Gas Safety Check, landlords must also ensure that all pipework is maintained so that tenants can access reliable hot water and heating with ease. Especially in winter months when frozen pipes could cause a problem, not just by affecting how well the boiler is working but can also cause flooding if the pipes were to burst.
Repair Timeframes
Experiencing no heat or hot water in the home is a serious matter and needs emergency attention. Our call-out service means that you’ll have a member of our dedicated team fix these urgent repairs so that your system is back to normal in no time. There are also other common problems to be weary of such as leaking and dripping from broken seals or valves, low boiler pressure and frozen condensate pipes. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act (1985), a broken boiler needs to be fixed in ‘reasonable time’, therefore our emergency call-out service can attend to the issue within 24 hours.
For landlords, we’re on hand at a time and day that suits you best for boiler and heating servicing and repairs. Fitting around your busy schedule we can provide non-emergency repairs within a two-week window whilst delivering solutions to your issues with our expert skillset and latest tools to give you confidence that your boiler is working at its best.
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Preventing Boiler Breakdowns
Tenant Education
We all want to reduce our energy bills and live in a home where the heating system works properly. There are ways to ensure efficient boiler usage for this matter.
Some key areas and tips to prevent the potential breakdown of your boiler are to book an annual service, keep your boiler clean, bleed your radiators, top up the pressure, and look at having a power flush if you have cold spots on your radiator. There are also options to insulate your pipes and make sure to keep your heating ticking over during the summer months so that the boiler doesn’t seize up.
Boiler Service Plans
We understand that investing in a new boiler can be costly at first, let alone thinking about the times it will need to be serviced or what to do if it breaks down. That’s why we provide an inclusive boiler service plan to ease this concern.
Not only will you receive three years’ worth of services, but the plan also includes any maintenance or repairs required that are covered by the manufacturer’s guarantee with parts and labour included. This brings you peace of mind that your boiler can be fixed quickly when needed most.
New Boiler Installation
At SR Coates, we make the boiler installation service as easy as possible to reduce disruption in your property whilst also providing expert guidance on which boiler is best for your needs. Once a product has been selected from our range of leading brands we’ll then book a day and time that works best for you for the professional installation, making sure that your new boiler is installed to the highest standards whilst keeping health and safety a priority. Following this we’ll integrate your new boiler seamlessly with your current central heating system for a smooth service from start to finish.
Our honest and transparent prices ensure that you’re getting value for money whilst experiencing the highest level of customer service with our dedicated team. We make the pricing process easy with our online quote option to give you a guide on how much a new boiler installation is going to cost.
As a Gas Safe Registered company with over 25 years of experience in the industry, we’re always up-to-date with the latest technologies and help to make our services available to all with ease. Our video call surveys are an opportunity to get a personalised call that is tailored to your queries with a qualified engineer on the line to offer advice on your survey.
As well as boiler installation, our boiler services expand into repairs and boiler servicing to offer our customers across Oxford the full package. From older models to newer products, we can assist on a wide range of types to give you and your tenants the satisfaction that it is working properly and to eliminate any further issues in months to come. Our comprehensive checks include cleaning and fault testing as part of our landlord central heating services as your go-to, reliable engineer.