Don’t get fined – Changes from April 2018

Are you a private landlord in England or Wales? If so, you can’t afford not to read on… Important changes are being made to the  gas safety certificate and energy efficiency regulations and you need to be aware how this could affect your properties or you could be risking a significant fine. We have summarised it below and have cut most of the jargon, but if you need more details please find out more on the HSE website. Gas Safety Certificate Changes A new MOT-style certificate means that landlords can carry out the annual gas safety check in the two months before the due date and retain the existing expiry date. So, if your gas safety check is due on the 30th of March but it is carried out on the 15th of March, the new certificate will retain the 30th March expiry date and there will be no foreshortening of the inspection period. This will also make it far simpler to keep track of the renewal date going forward as it will always be the same date! A Change to EPCs from April 2018: It will be unlawful to rent a property without a rating of E (excluding some specified exemptions). Landlords found to be in breach of these regulations face civil penalty fine that could be as much as £5,000.

• Find out more on the HSE website (external link)