Landlords and their duties under the law

Landlords and their Duties

A landlord is an individual who rents out a property in some way, shape or form that they own. Landlords are subject to different landlord laws, rules and regulations regarding their actions and the actions of their tenants. The level of these laws will vary depending on the form of rental agreement that is in place.

The type of laws that affect landlords are laws relating to tenancy agreements set up between the landlord and the tenant, certain tenant rights that every tenant has regardless of the tenancy agreement, deposit protection schemes ensuring the tenants damage deposit is protected and not used to gain interest upon, regulations regarding ending a tenancy and certain safety regulations that must be adhered too.

Landlords also have certain rights regarding their property. Landlords have the right to repossess their house at the end of the tenancy, they may apply to a court to repossess it on discretionary grounds if their tenants should damage it, they have the right to access their property upon 24hours notice and they have the right to take legal action against the tenant, such as eviction, in cases where the tenant isn’t paying rent.

Landlords are entitled to be accredited for certain schemes and allowances on becoming a landlord.

Landlords’ accreditation schemes

Landlord accreditation schemes are run by local authorities, to become part of the landlord accreditation scheme a landlord must prove that their properties are well maintained, well looked after and are in an overall good condition to live in. Landlords join the scheme to become recognised by the local authority as a good landlord, once they are accredited by the scheme they must adhere to its code of conduct. The landlord accreditation scheme provides the landlord with various different benefits. It is advantageous when advertising for new tenants because the landlord is able to prove that they are a good landlord, the scheme provides help and advice with the management of the landlord’s properties, there will be better relationships with housing benefits and more opportunity to gain access for grants for property renovation.

Landlords’ energy saving allowance

A landlord renting out a residential property is entitled to claim for a landlord energy saving allowance (LESA). A landlord can claim this allowance if they are an individual landlord or a corporate landlord. The amount a landlord can claim is up to £,1500 a year tax allowance. All the landlord needs to do is make their property more energy efficient. In the contemporary social climate focusing on saving the environment, it’s only natural that there is a form of scheme aiming to reduce energy use by approaching the landlords who can sometimes own hundreds of houses. The techniques that can be used to increase energy efficiency are those such as improving insulation through wall cavity and loft insulation, floor insulation and draft proofing. If these can be proved then the landlord is eligible to claim up to £1,500 a year.

It is essential for an individual who intends to become a landlord to know all the relevant information that will affect them. They need to know their rights, their tenant’s rights and the different schemes that they may become eligible for once they become a landlord.