[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1589985938174{margin-top: -70px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1642763228057{margin-top: 50px !important;}”]

We Offer Maintenance Services & Packages for Landlords & Letting Agencies In Edinburgh , Fife & the Lothians

About The Landlord Maintenance Service: Our business started with the single intention to design an all-encompassing maintenance service that provides both landlords and letting agents with a hands free property maintenance. You provide the issue and we provide the expertise to resolve that without employing separate trades, handing out multiple keys and coordinating access for all parties.

We provide all the required landlord certification and services that any landlord or agent require to keep their rental properties or portfolio well maintained and fully compliant. We also provide full up front clarity on our tradesmen’s hourly rates as well as providing fixed prices where possible for certification or other regular tasks so there are no surprises. We also endeavour to provide good proactive communication throughout and provide photos of all fixes alongside full explanations and detailed reports so the landlord and agent have all the information they require to make decisions without having to visit the property themselves.

Here is our brief guide to the required legislative and statutory undertakings a landlord is required to undertake in preparation for leasing their property in Scotland;

Landlord Registration – Every private landlord in Scotland must register with their local authority as a landlord. The Scottish Government require that all rented property adverts in Scotland should display the landlord registration number. This is a process you can undertake online yourself on the Landlords Registration Scotland website.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) – It became law on 9th January 2013 that all rented property required to hold a valid EPC in order to be rented and it is also a requirement that this is displayed as part of any rental properties advertising. AN EPC is valid for 10 years and gives a prospective tenant a guide to the energy efficiency of the property they are renting along with providing landlords a guide on the best steps they could take to upgrade their properties rating. Please contact us if you would like us to undertake an EPC for you.

Landlords Annual Gas Safety Certificate (GSC) – For all properties with a gas supply it is an explicit legal requirement under the Gas Safety Regulations that a Landlords Gas Safety Certificate inspection is carried out annually in all rented properties. A valid copy of this is required to be held by the landlord or their agent and also a copy of this valid certificate requires to be provided to the tenant at the start of each new tenancy. This certification must be undertaken by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe Registered Engineer. Please contact us if you would like us to undertake a GSC to be undertaken in your rental property.

Carbon Monoxide Detector – Law now requires that a Carbon Monoxide detector is required in each room that a gas appliance is fitted and this will now be fitted as standard as part of any Gas Safety Certification. These can simply be battery operated to comply with the current legislation although they can also be installed hard wired for better piece of mind and less maintenance. Please contact us if you would like one of our handymen to fit a CO detector in your rental property.

Electrical Safety – Landlords always have had a common law requirement to ensure their property including the electrics are regularly inspected to ensure the safety of their tenants. But as of 1st December 2015, under sections 13(4A) and 19B(4) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, private landlords in Scotland will be specifically required by law to ensure that their properties are electrically safe and covers the following;

  • Any installations in the property for the supply of electricity including electrical fixtures and fittings
  • Any electrical appliances provided by the landlord under the tenancy

Landlords must now be able to prove that all of the above are in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order. As such Landlords are required to ensure that regular electrical safety inspections are carried out on each at set intervals by a competent person, and that anything that fails to pass the inspection is indeed replaced or repaired immediately. To ensure this new legislation is complied with both EICR and PAT inspections require to be undertaken

Installation Condition Report (EICR) – An EICR is a test of 25% of the fixed wiring within a property and including a full visual inspection of board and fittings. This should identify any wiring faults present in your property and any faults found require to be remedied dependant on grading applied. It is up to the individual Electrician as to the time they will certify the installation for depending on age and condition although the average interval is 3-5 years. A copy of the most recent electrical safety inspection reports must be provided to both new and retained tenants.

Portable Appliance Test (PAT) – All items that are deemed to be portable, are plugged into a socket and are supplied by the landlord as part of the tenancy require to be tested on an annual basis and a list of items available within the property. Items such as fridge freezers and washing machines although plugged into a socket are not deemed as portable and as such do not require testing.

Mains Smoke Alarms – Following recent legislation changes all leased properties in Scotland should now have an L2 or equivalent hard wired smoke detection system which comply with the following specification;

  • One functioning smoke alarm in every room which is frequently used by the occupants for general daytime living purposes namely bedrooms and main living rooms
  • One functioning smoke alarm in every circulation space, such as hallways and landings
  • One heat alarm in every kitchen
  • All alarms should be interlinked
  • The number and position of the alarms will depend on the size and layout of the house and there should be at least one alarm on each floor

We provide a fixed price per fitting which includes for all wiring from the board and between the individual fittings using hidden wiring where possible and mini trunking or white surface cabling where appropriate. We can also price to supply radio interlink fittings and will attend to provide individual quotes where fully hidden wiring is desired. Please contact us if you would like a quote to upgrade the fire alarm system in your rental property.

Legionella Risk Assessments – The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have an Approved Code of Practice and Guidance as regards Legionnaires Disease. The Code confirms that private landlords have a duty to carry out legionnaires risk assessments on water systems in their properties. Formerly, the Code imposed a 300 litre limit for hot and cold water services, which effectively removed any responsibility from private landlords as regards risk assessments of normal domestic water systems.  However, with the removal of the 300 litre limit, private landlords now have an obligation to comply with the Code.

The Code requires private landlords to carry out both:

  • a risk assessment to identify and assess potential sources of exposure, and thereafter, where a risk has been identified
  • to introduce a course of action to prevent or control any identified risk

Legionnaires risk assessments can be carried out by the landlord himself if he is competent to do so, or alternatively can be done by a suitably qualified third party.  The ultimate responsibility remains with the landlord, even where he employs a letting agent to manage the property on his behalf. If you wish us to carry out a Legionella testing for you then please contact us.

Please contact us and we will provide you with a full list of our legislative fixed prices as well as our standard tradesman rates, we also provide bundling of certain legislative testing where these are compatible to try to save our clients money on what we know is an increasingly heavy legislative burden for landlords.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Get in touch today” style=”flat” color=”success” size=”lg” i_icon_fontawesome=”fas fa-phone” add_icon=”true” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Ftradesinc.co.uk%2Fcontact%2F|title:Contact”][/vc_column][/vc_row]