Inspections

The Inventory Report has been prepared in accordance with the instructions received from the instructing party and is intended to be used only for the purposes of a residential letting. No obligation or duty of care is owed to any other person or persons or for any other purpose. The Report does not constitute a survey or valuation, nor must it be construed or regarded as such.

The Report is intended to provide a fair and accurate record of the general decorative condition of the property, its general cleanliness and the condition of the contents at the property on the day of the inspection, including bathroom and kitchen fittings and appliances. Areas of the property which are not easily or immediately accessible are specifically excluded, including items in lofts, locked rooms and cellars. Heavy furniture and fittings will not be moved during the course of preparing the report.

The Report should not be construed or used as an accurate description of any item and in the main general descriptive terms will be used. The person compiling the report is not a surveyor or an expert on fabrics, materials or antiquities. Where a report is completed with a landlord or tenant residing in the property, the inspection may be restricted and responsibility for any discrepancy in items reported cannot be accepted.

Where certain specific matters are required to be covered in the report which would not in the ordinary course of business be commented upon, The Housing Inspector must be notified in advance at the point of instruction.

Reference to services and appliances are for reference purposes only and does not imply that they are working, are fit for purpose or in a safe condition. None of the electrical or gas appliances, circuits, lights or similar devices will be tested.

About the Report

Whilst every care is taken to provide a thorough report, any proposed changes, alterations, additions or queries must be made in writing to The Housing Inspector within 14 days of the date of this report. Any measurements are approximate.

To help prevent damage by moisture or mould, the property must be kept adequately heated and ventilated.

The property must be returned to the landlord in the same condition of cleanliness and repair as it was at the commencement of the tenancy, fair wear and tear excepted.

Please pay particular attention to the contents of this report, particularly regarding the cleanliness of the property and its contents, the condition of the garden and the kitchen appliances.

Please make sure that all items are returned to the positions within the property that they occupied at the commencement of the tenancy. Failure to do so may lead to the tenant incurring costs or deductions from the security deposit, and the items may be reported as missing on the check-out report.

The landlord must make sure that he is aware of his obligations to offer the property in a safe condition – www.gov.uk website

Landlord responsibilities

You are a landlord if you rent out your property. As a landlord you must;

• keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards

• make sure all gas and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained

• provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property

• protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme

• check your tenant has the right to rent your property if it’s in England

• give your tenant a copy of the How to rent checklist when they start renting from you (you can email it to them)’

Fire Safety

It’s your responsibility to:

• fit and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms

• follow fire safety regulations for property in a purpose-built block of flats or for houses and property adapted into flats

Health and Safety Inspections

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is used by your council to make sure that properties in its area are safe for the people who live there. This involves inspecting your property for possible hazards, such as uneven stairs.

If you own a property and rent it out, the council may decide to do an HHSRS inspection because:

• your tenants have asked for an inspection

• the council has done a survey of local properties and thinks your property might be hazardous

HHSRS hazard ratings

Inspectors look at 29 health and safety areas and score each hazard they find as category 1 or 2, according to its seriousness.

You must take action on enforcement notices from your council. You also have the right to appeal enforcement notices.

The council can do any of the following if they find a serious hazard:

• issue an improvement notice

• fix the hazard themselves and bill you for the cost

• stop you or anyone else from using part or all of the property

LANDLORD CONSIDERATION

Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988/1989, 1993 and 2010

‘The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989, 1993 and 2010) set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings and other products containing upholstery. This page is intended to give an overview of the responsibilities of companies involved in the supply of upholstered furniture and is intended to help suppliers of these products understand how the new Regulations may affect them. It is not an authoritative interpretation of the Regulations, which is a matter for the courts. The Regulations like most legislation is difficult to fully understand consequently two guides have been published to assist the lay person to understand the regulations more fully. This page provides an overview but it does not cover all the details. You should refer to the FIRA’s Guide to the UK Regulations for more detailed information.

The Regulations are enforced by the Trading Standards Department. If you need advice, clarification or additional information contact them by using their website, telephone or go personally to the local office which will be a department of your local Council.

The guide combined with the regulations should answer any question you have. These can be downloaded from the following links:-

• The Statutory Instrument 1988 No. 1324, the Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 2358 , the Statutory Instrument 1993 No. 207 and Statutory Instrument 2010 No 2205

• The Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) Guide to the UK Regulations.’

It is the responsibility of the landlord to ensure that relevant items comply, and this report must not be interpreted as confirming that the regulations have been complied with or that the furnishings are compliant.

Smoke /CO2 detectors where fitted will be tested if possible, it will be noted where this has not been achievable.