Private landlord services – Consult the legal experts

Sponsored content 

At Paul Crowley & Co solicitors we have a specialised private landlord legal services team with many years of experience in protecting the investments of private residential landlords.

If you are a private landlord or renting agency and you have a problem tenant, it is important to follow the correct legal process or you could face a heavy fine or imprisonment for harassment or illegal eviction.

Julie Jones, from Paul Crowley & Co is here to help and advise on how to fulfil your legal responsibilities as a private landlord, making life less stressful and saving you time and money in dealing with tenant disputes

What do I need to provide to tenants?

When a new tenant moves in, you are legally required to provide them with certain documents. It is important to do this as failure to provide them can prevent you from being able to serve a notice on a problematic tenant in the future. Landlords must provide new tenants with:

Tenancy agreement

You must provide your tenants with a written document setting out the terms of the agreement, such as the start and end date of the tenancy and how much rent is to be paid.

A copy of the How to Rent Guide

Landlords should provide new tenants with a current copy of the guide. Our team at Paul Crowley & Co will be able to provide you with this.

Details of the Deposit Protection Scheme

Within 30 days of a tenant paying their deposit, you are legally required to place this in a tenancy deposit protection scheme and to provide the tenant with the details. This ensures that the tenant will get their deposit back as long as they fulfil their obligations under the tenancy.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Under Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations, private landlords of domestic properties must ensure their property’s EPC has at least an E rating for energy efficiency. Breaching this requirement could result in financial penalties.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

This report details the conditions and efficiency of the electrical systems in the property and is valid for 5 years. Rental properties are legally required to have a valid EICR.

A Gas Safety Certificate

The main responsibilities for a landlord under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 are to carry out annual gas safety checks on all appliances and pipework. You also need to provide a copy of the Gas Safety Record to your tenants within 28 days of a safety check.

Serving notice

Serving an eviction notice to a tenant might seem like a simple task, but many landlords who do so without seeking legal advice mistakenly serve invalid notices which can delay the eviction process. This can prove a timely and costly error to the landlord. If you need to serve notice on a tenant, call Paul Crowley & Co’s dedicated conveyancing team for expert legal advice.

Section 8 notices: Section 8 notices can be used in lots of situations, for example if your tenant is in arrears of two months or more or has caused damage to the property. The notice must state the grounds the tenant has breached under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 and how much notice you must give depends on which of these grounds you rely on.

Section 21 notices: These can be used after a fixed term tenancy ends or during a periodic tenancy. However, you cannot serve a section 21 if you didn’t serve the right documents to the tenant when they moved in. A tenant must be given at least two months’ notice for this type of possession notice.

If you need advice on your obligations to a new tenant or help with eviction of a current tenant, our friendly team of conveyancing solicitors at Paul Crowley & Co are here to help.

To speak with a member of our landlord legal services team, call us now on 0151 264 7363.

Related posts:

City landlords urged to comply with new legislation Letting agency fees ban ‘could push up rents’ for tenants Security deposit cap: How will new legislation impact landlords and tenants? Liverpool landlords urged to keep up with legislation to avoid costly errors Landlord licensing is ‘helping to drive up standards’ says council Unmarried Couples and Wills: Know Your Rights