On 16 September 2019 the law relating to landlord registration changed. To help address problems of poor quality housing and tenancy management landlords must declare whether they meet their legal obligations, when applying to be registered.
Feedback provided by local authorities shows that a proportion of landlords are declaring that the properties they let don’t meet the required safety standards. Standards relating to gas and electrical safety, smoke and fire detection, portable appliance testing, and legionella are the least well understood amongst landlords.
The consequences of not putting the correct checks and protections in place for tenants can be catastrophic and so it is crucial that landlords ensure they are up to date with the legal requirements for renting out property. There are many useful resources to help landlords:
- Your responsibilities – Scottish Government web-pages: https://www.mygov.scot/renting-your-property-out/
- Information for Landlords – rentingscotland web-site: https://rentingscotland.org/landlords/
- Landlords’ rights and responsibilities – Shelter Scotland web-site: https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/advice_topics/information_for_landlords/landlords_rights_and_responsibilities
- Local authority registration teams: https://landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk/local-authority-contact
- Your letting agent can also tell you what your responsibilities are