If you are a private landlord in the Bradford area you will no doubt be aware of planned changes to regulations following Awaab’s Law. To help you remain in compliance with the new regulations for landlords – and to keep your rental property free from mould and damp, there are several steps you can take. Quality Electrician are your local electrician in Birkenshaw, Bradford.
What is Awaab’s Law?
In 2020 two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in tragic circumstances. The coroner determined his death was caused by exposure to excessive mould in his parent’s rented home. Following his death, a new law was proposed to prevent such a tragedy occurring again. Under its current form, Awaab’s Law applies to Social Housing landlords and means there are strict timescales for a landlord to investigate and rectify any mould or damp issues once reported by the tenant. The new Labour government intends to extend the law to cover privately rented accommodation too.
What are a landlord’s responsibilities under Awaab’s Law?
Under Awaab’s Law, a landlord is obligated to investigate a reported hazard within 14 days of the complaint being made. You must report back to your tenant and begin any necessary work within 7 days if non-urgent, and 24 hours if it is deemed hazardous to health. If the property cannot be made safe for habitation within that time period, a landlord must provide suitable alternative accommodation.
Preparing For Awaab’s Law
As a private landlord, there are several things you can do now to ensure your Bradford area property is compliant with the new regulations.
Inspect your property regularly – Alongside your routine property inspections, make sure you are actively looking for any potential issues relating to condensation. Whilst tenants can still report issues to you, it’s important to be proactive and nip any potential issues in the bud.
Upgrade your ventilation – Has your property got an effective extractor fan in the bathroom and kitchen? If the answer is no, call in your local electrician to install one now. Extractor fans will remove moisture at source, decreasing the likelihood of issues. You may also want to consider a positive input ventilation system. PIV systems are a cost-effective way to manage the air quality across a whole home and significantly reduce condensation by removing humid air before it can condense.
Educate yourself – Take some time to learn more about the common causes of condensation, damp and mould, and how you can prevent them. Reach out to local tradespeople who specialise in the prevention and treatment of damp to find out if there is more you could be doing to keep your tenants safe.
Educate your tenants – Make sure your tenants know what they can do to prevent damp, condensation and mould – and what to do if a problem occurs. Many landlords worry that their tenants aren’t using the ventilation aids they have installed. Often this is because a tenant is concerned about the cost to run. The average extractor fan costs less than 1p per day to run – make sure your tenants are aware of that impressive fact! You can also have an extractor fan installed that runs automatically when it detects humidity, meaning human error isn’t a factor.
Landlords Electrician in Bradford
Quality Electrician are your local, experienced landlords’ electrician in Bradford. We specialise in extractor fan installation and will be happy to share our expertise and help ensure your rental property is compliant with Awaab’s Law. We are fully qualified, NICEIC registered and come highly recommended. If you would like to discuss the ventilation needs of your property, contact us today.
