Landlord & Buy-to-Let Magazine | Page 3

14 Liverpool licensing scheme a ‘vanity project that will fail tenants’ 12 36% see landlord’s role as extremely risky Hands up who wants to save a life? Given a choice between saving a life or saving £15, the answer seems simple. However, every year hundreds of people die and are injured in house fires. Many deaths can be avoided through the installation of smoke alarms. Installing a £15 smoke alarm or two is the right thing to do, and now for landlords in England it is soon to be enshrined in law. From 1st October, landlords will be required to fit smoke alarms and, where needed, carbon monoxide detectors. The regulations are being drawn up, however, for anyone not quite taking it seriously, they will be accompanied by the threat of a £5,000 fine. It goes without saying that if there is a fire in a property, the fire service and judges will be looking for evidence that alarms were fitted and working. Landlords will be required to check alarms are working at the start of a tenancy and from there tenants will be responsible. Sounds all very straightforward, however, the onus is likely to be on the landlord to evidence all was in order at the start of the tenancy and there may be a grey area around when tenancies are renewed and roll. There are a number of suppliers offering ten-year warranty smoke alarms, which is a big improvement on the past, however, landlords should Published by: Issue 58 April 2015 ISSN 1753-2744 Wealth Media LLP t/a PropertyNet.media 117 Chestergate Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 6DP t: 01625 511151 Free Subscription www.landlordnet.co.uk in this issue ... 2–22 Industry news including: •  cottish rents rise whilst S Aberdeen’s slip over oil • L andlords remortgage at  twice rate of new purchases • Accidental landlord?  Be safe, not sorry • Average rent rose 10%  in 12 months consider fitting the kind of mains wired alarms that are now compulsory in new-build homes as they may offer better value in the long run. If the thought of installing or replacing existing smoke alarms is all a bit much, don’t worry, help is at hand. The Government has announced a £3 million fund to help fire brigades issue free alarms. Now get ready, because it’s not often you will hear me say this. The Government has got its priorities right on this one – next compulsory electrical testing – let’s make privately rented property the safest place to live! 16 North West Landlord & Letting Show 24  Opinion Counts – By Cecily Crampin & Harriet Holmes  Deregulation Act 2015: a misnomer for landlords of Assured Shorthold Tenancies? 26  Ask Tom – Pre-Contract or Holding Deposits social media ... Get up-to-date news and join in with debates surrounding all of the industry's hottest topics ... Join the 'PropertyNet.media' Group Follow @PropertyNetGang Oliver Romain, Editor Like 'PropertyNet.media' Director Emma Silcock [email protected] Marketing Jo Ensby [email protected] Sales Director Mark Hutchinson [email protected] Administration Pauline Clewley [email protected] Editor Oliver Romain [email protected] Administration Jenni Hutchinson [email protected] Advertising - Anthony Pardue [email protected] Advertising - Roy Parrish [email protected] Advertising - Lisa Mooney [email protected] Credit Control - Kathryn Evans [email protected] Registered as a magazine © Wealth Media LLP. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of Wealth Media LLP. Published monthly. Landlord & Buy-to-Let magazine are registered trademarks of Wealth Media LLP. First published in 2007. Landlord & Buy-to-Let Issue 58 • April 2015 1