Landlords Health and Safety Responsibilities

Both residential landlords and homeowners are being urged to make key preparations to their home as the winter fast approaches, in an effort to avoid accidents and damage to their real estate, reports the RLA News Service

A report released by Aspect Maintenance encourages buy-to-let landlords to inspect the state of their boiler and ensure that it is serviced once every twelve months. One of the ways to ensure safety and take precautions against malfunctions is to install a carbon monoxide alarm. Carbon monoxide poisoning is difficult to detect until it is too late, as the substance is entirely colourless and odourless. Large amounts of carbon monoxide in the air can go undetected and cause death by suffocation. The most economical carbon monoxide alarms are priced at £15 and provide warnings if even the slightest leaks are detected.

Maintenance specialists also caution that landlords with vacant properties should be sure to put the heating on low, especially in the evening, in order to avoid frozen pipes during the winter. But others also note that it makes sense to turn on the heating system once a month even during the spring, summer and fall, for a period of ten minutes. Grit can easily settle on the pumps in an owner’s boiler, making it necessary to replace the unit earlier than expected.

In some cases, however, it can make sense to replace an old boiler, particularly those that are around 15 years of age. Newer boilers are more energy efficient, leading to lower heating bills, as well as less money spent on maintenance and repairs.