Landlord Property Leasing Guide

At Lexton London we are keen to acquire properties completed to a good standard. Through experience we understand the importance of a well maintained property. In the long run this will alleviate any future mangement issues leaving you with a complete piece of mind.

Please ensure that:

• You property is in a good decorative state
• The kitchen has a fire dodor with self-enclosing device
• There is a mains powered smoke alarm on each floor of the propety
• The bathroom has its own entrance, natural light and natural ventilation
• Kitchens and bathrooms have enclosed light fittings
• Any pipe work for boilers is boxed in
• Each room has at least two double plug sockets
• Windows are fitted with restrictors

Please ensure you do not:

• Have any exposed glass below waist height
• Have gaps in between rails that compromise child safety
• Have any electrical sockets on skirting boards
• Allow for the property to be presented with overgrown gardens
• Have any trip hazards anywhere in the property
• Have a connected gas heater
• Have any internal locks on doors other than bathrooms and toilets
• Have any blocked guttering
   

1. Definitions and responsibilities

1a. Any reference to the ‘owner’ or ‘landlord’ means the property title or deed holder or his/her legally appointed agent.

1b. Any reference to the ‘Council’ means the London boroughs.

1c. Unless otherwise defined, the owner of the property entering into any form of leasehold agreement with the Council, will be responsible for the external and internal structure of the building. They will also be responsible for maintaining the external fabric in reasonable condition so as not to impair the general living conditions of the occupants.

1d. On the initial inspection the Council's representative will include in the report all items of repair that, whilst not immediately affecting the building, internal fabric or the well-being of its occupants, are likely to during the length of the lease.

1e. Property with structural faults discovered by the Council's representative will not be acceptable.

1f. Properties required under the short term leasing scheme complying with this specification do not in any way negate the requirement to conform to all relevant acts, regulations and bylaws.

1g.  Property with visible regions of severe damp, wet or dry rot or infestation that are reported by the Council's representative during an inspection will not be acceptable.  Where damp, wet or dry rot or infestation are discovered after the lease is taken, it is the landlord's responsibility to rectify the condition at his own expense and provide the Council with Special Warranties.

2. Structure

2a.  The building or dwelling shall be in such condition as to be fit for its purpose. It should not require maintenance work of a cyclical nature to be undertaken within the term of the lease.  It shall provide accommodation that meets current statutory fitness standards and Environmental Protection Act 1990 requirements and the requirements of The Defective Premises Act 1972, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and all other legislation relating to standard of repair and condition.

2b.  Roof and external works (normally brickwork and/or render) should be in good repair and structurally sound and weatherproof.  The roof structure must be capable of adequately supporting such live and dead loads as may be imposed upon it.

2c. Properties should be free from damp and normally there should be an adequate and effective damp proof course and underfloor airbricks where necessary to the ground.

2d. All gutters and down pipes should be in good condition with no leaking joints or rust.

2e. All joints between structure and door and window frames should be adequately sealed.

2f. All flue terminals should be secured and adequately vented.

2g. Cold water storage cisterns and tanks etc. should be properly housed, insulated and protected.

2h. All ceilings, walls, floors and paperwork should be sound, with no evidence of cracks or serious structural faults or damp penetration.  The landlord is responsible for latent defects and any outbreaks of infestation or rot and to provide guarantees as may be required by the Council.

2i. Kitchen ceilings that are finished in polystyrene tiles are not acceptable and must be replaced with an acceptable non-combustible decorative finish.  Polystyrene tiles will generally be discouraged regardless of location.

2j. Stairs (ie four or more treads) of up to 900mm wide must be provided with handrail on at least the open side of the stairwell.  Stair coverings must be securely and safely fastened.

3. Minimum floor areas

3a. General requirements
All rooms shall be of usable shape and proportion. The calculations are based on the total floor area of any room used as a bedroom.
It does not include the area of any bathroom, staircase, passageway, landing or access lobby.

3b. Bedrooms
Adequate space for either a single, double, or twin beds as appropriate, a wardrobe, a bedside table and a dressing table.
Main bedroom(s) (not more than 2 persons) minimum 110 sqft (10.2 sqm). Additional bedroom(s) (single person) minimum 70 sqft (6.5 sqm). The minimum floor areas shown above are to be used as a general guide only. In some circumstances a lower standard may be applied.

3c. Non-habitable rooms
An internal airing cupboard with adequate slatted shelving for clothes should be provided with all electric wiring clipped back to the wall or cupboard lining.
Alternatively, a Tidy-Dry should be a minimum requirement.
Adequate facilities must be provided for the day to day storage of household refuse.

3d. Kitchen/dining areas
The minimum floor areas shown below are to be used as a general guide only. In some circumstances a lower standard may be applied.

4. Natural light, ventilation and opening generally

4a. There should be the provision and maintenance in every living room, bedroom and kitchen of a window or windows opening directly to the external air and having a glass area of not less than one tenth of the floor area. The openable area shall be equivalent to at least 1/20th of the floor area of the room.

4b. In all habitable rooms the natural lighting must comply with the requirements of the DOE Circular 6/90.  In general terms the room must receive adequate natural light.

4c. All doors and windows generally must be in good working order and windows should be openable where necessary to provide adequate ventilation.

4d. Glazing should be free from cracks.

4e. Primary entrance to the accommodation should incorporate a ‘peephole’ facility.

4f. Non-mechanical ventilation systems eg airbrick, grilles or permavents, should be provided for the removal of foul air and condensation build up in bathrooms.

4g. Auxiliary rooms such as kitchen, bath or WC should have an adequate system of mechanical ventilation such as an automatic extractor fan and include ducting to the extractor. The fan unit should have an overrun of at least 20 minutes duration.

4h. The chimney flue to all permanently closed fireplaces must have adequate ventilation, such as a plastic open louvre or a metal adjustable grill over the chimneybreast.

5. Kitchen and cooking areas

5a. All plumbing must comply with current water bylaws. Stopvalves must be accessible especially where situated in common areas and must be appropriately labelled.

5b. A tap providing a direct supply of mains drinking water should be provided in the kitchen over a suitable sink.

5c. Adequate facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food should be provided.

5d. Appliances for the heating and supply of hot water must be maintained in a satisfactory condition.

5e. Kitchen base units, wall units, combination sinks, hotplate and fridge units are to be clean and should be in a good undamaged and safe working 

5f. Sink with hot and cold water supply.

5g. A cooker in safe and clean working condition (4 cooking rings, grill and oven).

5h. A full-size fridge with an appropriate size of freezer compartment.

5i. Adequate storage space to include a minimum of 1 double base unit with worktop, sink unit and double wall unit.

5j. Work surfaces should be clean and free from cracks.

6. Tiling

6a. Wall tiles or other adequate protection should be present over sinktops, work surfaces, baths and basins, and these should be sealed with mastic and in a sound condition. Tiles should be in good condition and properly grouted and of a minimum height of 300mm.

6b. Wall tiles or other adequate protection to the shower area should be at least 2m in height.

7.  Bathrooms

The following fittings should be provided:

7a. Bath or shower with constant hot and cold water supply.

7b. If the shower is in the bath then an adequate shower rail and curtain or fixed plastic screen should be provided. If the shower is freestanding a suitable fixed plastic screen must be provided.

7c. WC - with external overflow.

7d. Wash basin with constant hot and cold water supply.

7e. All fixtures and fittings should be in good condition and free from major chips, cracks, scratches or bad staining, and should be firmly secured to wall or floor and properly sealed with silicone or similar material.

7f. There must be a minimum of one bath/WC in the property.

8.  Flooring and soft furnishings

8a. Floors should be level and even and should be properly covered to an adequate standard with good quality carpets, tiles, linoleum etc as appropriate.

8b. All curtains should be good quality, clean and in a good state of repair.

9. Decoration

9a. All room decorations are to be clean and in reasonable condition eg no peeling/torn wallpaper.

10. Power, heating and lighting

The Council's minimum heating requirements are as follows:

10a. A fixed heater, ie manually controlled gas or electric fires, or thermostatically controlled fixed electric space heaters or the Dimplex radiator type.

10b. Where there are solid fuel (coal) heating appliances a proper fuel store must be provided but generally open fires will be discouraged.

10c. Preferably, a form of central heating should be provided in each dwelling. The recommended form is a gas boiler system with small bore pipework and convector radiators.

10d. An adequate and constant supply of both hot and cold water to kitchens and bathrooms.

10e. The heating system should be in a safe, serviced and working condition throughout the term of the lease, and may be inspected by a specialist heating engineer approved by the Council if considered necessary at the landlord's expense.

10f. All gas installations must be tested by a suitably qualified CORGI registered gas installer and a valid certificate and service agreement provided. The installation must meet the requirements of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994.

10g. All electrical installations should have a current test certificate stating compliance with NIC EIC Regulations (16th Edition) and should be in a sound, undamaged condition.

11. External works, boundaries and fencing

11a. The boundaries of the property must be adequately fenced and gated so as not to reduce privacy or safety unnecessarily.

11b. Access from the rear door if any, to any other areas within the boundaries such as front and rear entrances, dustbin stores, sheds or washing lines etc, must be via a safe and soundly constructed pedestrian route.

11c. Any access covers over manholes, service ducts etc must be sound, completely level and free of cracks etc that may endanger pedestrians.

11d. Adequate provision for storage of household refuse shall exist.

12. Fire precautions

12a.  The Council's minimum requirements for conversion flats should conform to all current relevant acts, regulations and bylaws. This guide is without prejudice to any requirements by the local authority or the fire authority with regard to fire requirements and provision of means of escape in case of fire.

12b. British Standards Approved smoke detectors displaying the BSA Kitemark must be provided in appropriate locations as recommended by the manufacturer.

13. Flat conversions

Fire precautions

13a. Flats must meet current building regulations regarding means of escape and construction.

Noise insulation

13b. Flats with timber intermediate floors must meet requirements for noise transmission reduction as stated in the building regulations and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 80.

14. Furniture and furnishings

14a. Domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings and other products containing upholstery must meet current fire resistance levels as set out in The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 which replace the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations 1980 (as amended in 1983).

14b. All furniture and furnishings should be in very good condition, ideally new.

14c. Bedrooms should contain a maximum of one double bed per property with additional beds being singles.  All beds must have a correct size and well fitted mattress, which must be completely clean or preferably new. Adequate storage must be provided in the form of wardrobes and chests of drawers, appropriately sized for each bedroom.

14d. Day or living rooms should contain a minimum of a three-piece suite and a coffee table.

14e. Dining rooms or areas used for dining purposes should contain a sufficiently sized table in relation to the size of the dwelling and an adequate number of dining chairs.

14f. The kitchen must contain a full-size fridge with an appropriate freezer compartment. 

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended)

Most new furniture is marked with a display label (a triangle with a smoking cigarette) to show that it complies with this regulation. There should also be a permanent and non-detachable label stating compliance. Bed bases and mattresses are not required to bear a permanent label but compliance will be indicated if the item has a label stating that it meets BS7177. The aim of the regulation is to improve safety by requiring all furniture and furnishings in rented properties to meet the “match test” or “cigarette test”.

The regulations apply to all upholstery and upholstered furniture and loose fittings, permanent or loose covers including: beds, mattresses, pillows, armchairs and scatter cushions.

You therefore need to replace non-conforming items or let your property on an unfurnished / part furnished basis. Carpets and curtains are not covered by the regulations.