Gas Safety Certificate
As a landlord, one needs to be responsible for the gas safety of tenants. Also you must ensure that all gas appliances are working correctly and safely.
Therefore, every rental property that has any sort of gas appliance, whether it is a gas boiler, gas hob or even a gas fire, requires a Gas Safety Certificate. These certificates can only be issued by a technician registered with the Gas Safe Register. All our engineers are registered with the Gas Safe Register.
The Gas Safe Register superseded CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers) as the sole legally recognised gas safety register in the UK. Gas Certificates are valid for a year from the date they are issued.
Energy Performance Certificate
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is an energy efficiency rating for property, and is needed by law on all properties being rented and sold. These are both beneficial in ensuring that homes are meeting efficiency targets as well as allowing home owners to identify areas of their home where they may be able to improve efficiency, save on energy bills and increase the overall comfort of their living conditions.
All domestic and commercial buildings in the UK available to buy or rent must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). If you own a home, getting an energy performance survey done could help you identify ways to save money on your energy bills and improve the comfort of your home.
Portable Appliance Testing
PAT or portable appliance testing is a policy in the UK in which routine safety checks are performed on electrical appliances. Essentially, this is a common sense safety regulation to ensure that any people, workers, or tenants who might come into contact with portable electrical appliances are not at risk of injury.
A qualified PAT Testing specialist will be able to perform tests and checks on a variety of appliances using PAT testers that will be able to show if the appliance has passed or failed testing including earth continuity, lead polarity, and insulation resistance, among others for more advanced testers. This is a relatively quick and easy process, generally showing if the appliance passed or failed and it should not take very long to determine how safe your portable appliances are. Once each appliance completes the test, they will be labelled with a safety sticker with a barcode for ease of tracking in the future.
Electrical Condition Report
An Electrical Condition Report is an inspection on the condition of an existing electrical installation, to identify (in order of priority) any deficiencies against the national safety standard for electrical installations.
Every electrical installation deteriorates with use and age. It is important for the person responsible for the maintenance of the installation to be sure that the safety of users is not put at risk, and that the installation continues to be in a safe and serviceable condition.
The Approved Contractor will check the electrical installation against the requirements of BS 7671 – Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring Regulations) – as amended, which is the national standard for electrical installations.
Inventory Check
Inventory reports are some of the most important documents related to rented property. They are extremely important for successfully claiming back the deposit when you leave the property.
Either on the first day you move into a new property or up to a couple of days before (only after the previous tenant has left) you will need to go through an ‘inventory check.’ This is a thorough walk through of the property to ensure you note down all the defects in the property. Major damage, minor damage, scratches, stains – everything should be noted in as much detail as possible.
When you leave the property another inventory check will be conducted. Any damage which has occurred (beyond reasonable wear and tear) while you have been in the property will be charged to you and deducted from your deposit. So it is very important you aren’t blamed for something the previous tenant had done. The only way to ensure this is to pay attention while the inventory is being conducted and make your own thorough checks.
Professional Photography
Property Photography is one of our signature services if you like. Our passion for exceptional Property Photography, technical knowledge and understanding of the industry has meant that we have established ourselves as one of the market’s leading Property Photography companies.
Exterior Property Photography: Hide wheelie bins and move cars. Tidy the front garden and path to the property. We know it’s a pain but grab the mower out mow the lawn! Set out garden furniture and tidy the little ones’ toys away.
Interior Property Photography: Clear the clutter and put utensils away. Open blinds and curtains. Bins are unsightly and not everyone loves Rex the dog so hide away the pet food bowls. Interior photography relies on clean lines and well-lit areas. Where possible hideaway wires and if needs to be unplugged and hide the cables. Lighting is king so if it’s grey outside ensure lights work which will give a warm homely feel to your property.
Floor Plan
Floor plans are scale drawings that show the relationship between rooms, spaces and physical features viewed from above. They provide a way to visualize how people will move through the space. Floor plans makes it easier to check if the space is suitable for its intended purpose, work through any potential challenges and redesign before moving forward into more elaborate planning or building stages. It can be fun, too, to experiment with different design alternatives and circulation flows, which show how people move through the space.
The floor plan depicts an entire building, one floor of a building, or a single room. It may also include measurements, furniture, appliances, or anything else necessary to the purpose of the plan.
Floor plans are useful to help design furniture layout, wiring systems, and much more. They’re also a valuable tool for real estate agents and leasing companies in helping sell or rent out a space.
