Private Sector Housing
The Condition of the Property
There is a considerable amount of legislation which requires your landlord to provide a property which is fit to live in, and which is provided in and kept in good repair. The following checklist should act as a guide to whether the property you are considering renting meets these basic requirements.
Please note that this checklist is intended to act only as a guide, and is by no means exhaustive.
Fitness for Human Habitation
The property has to be fit for you to live in. Generally, it must:
- Be structurally stable
- Be free from serious disrepair
- Be free from very bad dampness problems
- Have reasonable provision for lighting, heating and ventilation
- Have a supply of water which is fit to drink
- Have adequate facilities for storing, preparing and cooking food, including a kitchen sink with running hot and cold water
- Have a toilet and bathroom inside the property, which are supplied with hot and cold water
- Have an effective and working drainage system.
If you feel that the property fails to meet any of the above criteria, then you should contact an Environmental Health Officer (details at bottom of page).
Disrepair
The property should be provided in, and maintained in, a good state of repair. The following checklist should assist in identifying any major defects which could affect you if you choose to live there.
- Gas Safety
By law, the landlord is required to have all gas appliances and flues checked annually to ensure that they are working safely. The landlord must provide you with a copy of the most recent gas safety certificate within 14 days of you moving into the property.
More information on this matter can be obtained from the Council’s Environment, Health and Licensing. However the Health and Safety Executive enforces this law.
They can be contacted on 01159 712800.
- Furniture & Furnishings Fire Safety
Again, your landlord is required by law to ensure that any furniture or furnishings which are provided in the property for you to use meet certain standards in terms of fire safety. More information on this can be obtained from Trading Standards at Derbyshire County Council, who enforce this particular piece of legislation.
Trading Standards can be contacted on 01629 580000 or via www.derbyshire.gov.uk
- Electrical Safety
Trading Standards also enforce legislation covering the safety of electrical equipment supplied by a landlord, and any plugs, sockets, adapters and fuses also provided. More information is available on these matters by contacting Trading Standards.
Houses in Multiple Occupation
These are properties which are generally let as bed-sits, where you may have your own room to live in and share the use of a bathroom, toilet, kitchen and possibly a living or dining room with the other occupants of the property. A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO for short) is defined as being occupied by two or more persons who do not form a single household.
For HMOs, there are additional requirements on a landlord to provide adequate amenities and fire precautions at the property, and ensure the property is managed properly. All houses in multiple occupation should be registered with the council.
If you want more detailed information on fire precautions in HMOs, wish to register a house in multiple occupation or have any particular concerns about this type of property, then contact our Environmental Health Officer (details at bottom of page).
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