By Admin Power Flush Services UK 0 Comments

Powerflush – 5 reasons to powerflush your central heating system

As you’re probably aware, particularly during the colder winter months, having an efficient central heating in place that heats your home evenly, and relatively cheaply as well, is incredibly beneficial, yet sadly, most people simply aren’t benefitting from the energy that they’re paying for.

Sure their central heating systems may produce SOME heat and may help to warm the house, but in actual fact, particularly in older systems, many central heating systems just will not perform as efficiently as they should be, which basically means that they just won’t generate as much heat as they should.

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The main reason for this is all down to dirt and debris which is found within the central heating pipe work. In central heating systems, you have a main boiler which is connected to a series of pipes that run around the house, to various radiators located in different rooms. When the central heating is switched on, the boiler heats up the water, pumps it to these radiators via these pipes, which then fill up with hot water and generate heat.

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Photo from: www.tester.co.uk

However, if a pipe is full of dirt and debris, central heating systems can fail, or will simply not give off the heat that they should. All of this however, and much more besides, can be rectified by having your central heating system powerflushed. A powerflush is a process carried out by experts, that basically flushes your central heating system, removing dirt, grime, and build-ups of metal from the system, thus helping it to perform correctly. Here’s a look at 5 reasons to powerflush your central heating system.

If you’ve had a new boiler installed –

If you’ve had an old central heating system and boiler for some time, chances are that, at some point, you will need a new boiler installing as a new boiler would help provide more hot water, more pressure, and hopefully save you more money in the process. When new boilers are installed however, you often find that, due to the fact that they generate more water pressure, more dirt and grime coating the pipes is rinsed away from the surface, where it can accumulate in the boiler, and cause the entire system to fail. Not only that, but radiators can also become blocked with sludge and grime, meaning they don’t give off enough heat either. If you’ve just had a boiler installed, it is always recommended that you have a powerflush carried out before you begin using the boiler as this will ensure that the system is clean and efficient. The last thing you want is for your brand new, and highly expensive boiler, to suddenly break down due to all of the grime in your system, and a powerflush will help ensure that this never happens.

To save money –

During the winter months, obviously your central heating is going to be used a lot more than the summer, and so to help ensure that you keep your bills as low as you possibly can, again, a power flush should ideally be performed. Over the years, you’ll generally find that your bills for your heating will have been increasing more and more, which could be down to build-ups of dirt and grime in your system. You see, if your radiators aren’t giving out enough heat, or if they’re taking longer to heat up, you’ll probably leave your heating on for longer, which is obviously going to be more expensive. By removing accumulations of dirt and grime from your system however, the hot water will flow freely around the system, your radiators will heat up quicker and stay hot for longer. So you won’t need your heating on for as long, so will use less energy, and will therefore pay less money in the process.

Your radiators have cold spots –

The next time you have your central heating switched on, take the time to go around your radiators and touch them in different places. If your radiators have cold spots I.E hot in most places, but remain cold in others, this is almost certainly down to build-ups of sludge, dirt, and grime, that is preventing the hot water from flowing freely around the system and around the radiator. If these issues are left unresolved, build-ups of dirt and sludge can become greater and greater, until your entire radiator may need removing and replacing, or worse still, your entire central heating system may need replacing.

Your central heating system is noisy –

If you’ve noticed that your central heating system is loud and noisy, this could very well be a clear indication that your system is full of detritus and debris, and that it will need flushing sooner rather than later. Loud noises in your pipes and radiators, is almost always caused by accumulations of dirt and grime, which means that the system struggles to deal with any blockages and build-ups in your pipes or radiators. If the water can flow freely however, it will be virtually silent, and won’t struggle in the slightest.

You wish to protect your boiler –

As a homeowner, you will probably be aware that the most expensive appliance in your home, is your boiler. So ensuring that your boiler remains as effective and in as great a condition as it can possibly be in, is absolutely essential, unless of course, you want to shell out thousands upon thousands for a new boiler. Sludge and debris that builds up inside of your central heating system is actually corrosive, which means that heat exchangers within the boiler, which are often made from aluminium, will rot and decay.

These are very expensive to replace, not to mention the fact that various other parts of the boiler can also be affected, which is why a powerflush on a regular basis is very highly recommended. Even if you’ve had no issues with your central heating thus far, you should still have an annual powerflush to help ensure that that trend continues.

By Admin Landlord 0 Comments

My Tenants Are Getting Divorced – What Should I Do As A Landlord?

Couples who are in a civil partnership or married are generally a wise choice when finding tenants for your property. Unfortunately, though, things don’t always work out, and many marriages end in divorce. As a landlord, what should do you do if your tenants inform you they are getting divorced? That depends in part on what type of tenancy they are under.

Joint tenancies

Most couples, whether married, in a civil partnership or otherwise, rent on a joint tenancy. If this is the case for your tenants, they remain jointly responsible for rent payment even if one of them leaves.Tenants-Are-Getting-Divorced-What Can I do?

One option is to draw up a new agreement as a sole tenancy with the remaining tenant, but bear in mind this could complicate things legally as you are dealing with only one of the two original tenants. If you want to take this course you must ensure that the tenant who has moved out agrees to the change. It would also be practical to seek legal advice.

You may wish to consider leaving the agreement as a joint tenancy for the time-being to protect your rental income – after all, if both parties are still liable, you can contact the absent spouse if the present tenant defaults. However, this could draw you into marital disputes you wish to avoid.

You should also bear in mind that under a joint tenancy both tenants still have a right to access and / or occupy the property, therefore, you or the remaining tenant cannot change locks or otherwise refuse entry to the tenant who had left. If this is going to be a problem, you can solve it by drawing up a new agreement on the basis of sole tenancy or getting a court order denying the other tenant access.

Above all, be flexible. If one person wants to surrender the tenancy after the fixed term, be prepared to allow the other tenant to continue on a sole tenancy if they wish (and can afford to). You may wish to consider renewing the contract on the basis of a shorter fixed term or rolling tenancy in case further problems arise, and to give your remaining tenant greater flexibility.

Sole Tenancy

You might think that, if the tenancy is in one name only, it is the tenant who signed the Tenancy Agreement who has the right to remain in the property. This is not the case – under what is known in England and Wales as ‘home rights’, both spouses have the right to remain in the property for as long as the marriage or civil partnership still exists in law.

However, only the person who signed the Tenancy Agreement is responsible for rent. This could make for a complicated situation, especially if it is the spouse who did not sign the contract who remains in the property. If this is the case, and the other spouse wishes to surrender the tenancy, you would need to transfer the tenancy before the divorce becomes final.

Whether you are letting your property on a joint or sole tenancy, there are some points to remember. Firstly, keep communication lines open, and try to avoid being seen as taking sides. This will hopefully smooth over any problems and avoid you getting drawn into arguments.

Secondly, seek legal advice – it is as important to you as it is for the couple to have sound legal backing whatever course you and your tenants agree to take. Finally, you may wish to consider advising the remaining tenant on their financial options, for instance, housing benefits or debt advice charities. Not only does this help them, but it can also protect your investment by ensuring that rent can still be paid.

By Admin Landlord 0 Comments

Why Are EPCs Important If You Are A Landlord?

Sellers have to provide an EPC to possible buyers. They can be a very helpful guide to the energy efficiency of a property. However, they shouldn’t be taken as a bible.

First things first, what is an EPC?

An EPC is a standardized document that ranks properties in terms of energy efficiency and which home sellers have to render to the possible buyers. The EPCs include information regarding the property’s energy; what they use, their costs along with their recommendations regarding to make the whole thing more efficient and cheap.EPCs Are Important If You Are A Landlord

You may not think a lot of the Energy Performance Certification; less than 10 percent of the tenants say that they are considered energy efficient of their existing home as a very vital factor for deciding to live there. Having an up to date EPC is crucial, and there are many situation that might prove to be difficult for a landlord if you do not have one. These include not being able to regain possessions of a property or being able to let it out. More importantly, a landlord might already be breaking the law if they have not provided a valid certificate when the property is marketed.

Why Do You Need An EPC?

From 2020, If a property Landlord might not be able to let their property unless and until it is rated E or higher;

By the year 2018, renewed and new tenancies will have to meet an EPC rating of E or above, with all the tenancies falling in line in April 2020. The failure to ensure that the property is up to this standard will mean that you are breaching the law, and resultantly, you might face a fine of up to 4000 pounds. You will not be able to rent out the property unless and until the improvements have all been made in order to ensure that they meet the energy efficiency requirements.

You Have To Give One To Your Tenants During The Start Of The Tenancy

All landlords should give their tenants a valid EPC amongst other things during the start of the new tenancies. If an EPC hasn’t been supplied, you might not be able to serve a valid Section 21 notice, effectively which will prevent you from gaining possession of the property till the EPC has been provided to the tenant. However, this is only true and applied if the EPC was needed when the property was marketed.

EPCs Are Needed When You Market Your Property

All adverts for either selling or renting the property must clearly indicate the energy rating of the building. This includes all the ads places in the magazines and newspapers, any written materials produced by the landlords and on the internet. You must, therefore, render an EPC free of charge to the prospective tenant as your earliest. There is also a penalty set for those who do not provide their EPC. The penalty is mostly 200 pounds for failing to render an EPC. You will have to be warned, but there are a lot of exceptions as if there was inadequate time for the prospective landlord to be fairly expected to have obtained an EPC prior to letting the building or
if the landlord has been provided a valid EPC to the tenant as quickly as reasonably practicable after letting the property.

Circumstances In Which You Might Not Need An EPC

EPCs are not required on construction, rent or sell for the following:

Places of worship

On rent or sell for buildings due to the fact of being demolished
Industrial sites, non-residential agricultural buildings with a very low energy demand.

What Will Happen If You Do Not Have An EPC?

There are many drawbacks of not having an EPC. The penalty for failing to obtain an energy performance certification available to any prospective buyer or tenant when letting non-dwellings is fixed or when selling, is at 12.5 percent of the rateable value f the building, subjected to a minimum penalty of 500 pounds and a maximum of up to 5000 pounds. There is also a default penalty of up to 750 pounds where the formula is not applicable. However, you will still require an EPC.

Basically, the reason why you need an EPC is that your property ‘s EPC needs to be available to all the possible buyers as soon as you start to market your property or rent it or sell it. You must also get an approved DEA, the domestic energy assessor, in order to produce the EPC.

If you are implementing any of the energy efficiency recommendations outlined in the EPC, you might wish to get a fresh EPC done in order to include these in the improvements.

EPCs are known by their rating scale along with the relative financial implications of the scale when it comes to selling the house. It also includes a lot of other information that is designed to help in making the house greener. So the information basically includes fuel costs, carbon dioxide emissions. It also includes estimates of the energy that your property potentially uses and who to contact for the complaints.

Nearly all houses need an EPC, but that technical definition is that the building requires an EPC if it uses air conditioning or heating. By definition then, it uses energy to condition an indoor climate.

You receive an EPC when you are thinking of buying a new home, or you should be provided with an EPC free of cost. This applies to existing stocks and new homes as well as the existing stock. If you are considering about renting a property, you should try to get an EPC from the landlord free of cost. That said, you will not need an EPC until and unless you are thinking about just renting a room with shared facilities instead of just renting the entire property itself.

The EPC rates a building performance in the following terms:

  • The energy uses per square meter of the floor area
  • Environmental impact which is based on CO2 emissions
  • The energy efficiency that are based on the fuel costs.
By Admin Landlord Laws 0 Comments

The Penalties for Breaking Landlord Laws

The laws around renting out your property can seem bewildering at times, but it is important to understand your legal duties as a landlord. If you fail to uphold landlord laws not only could you potentially endanger the safety of your tenants, you could also end up with a hefty fine or even a jail sentence. Here are some examples of cases of landlords falling foul of the penalties for breaking landlord laws.

Failing to carry out Gas Safety Checks or maintain gas appliances

A common law to be breached is that of the landlord’s duty to maintain gas appliances and carry out annual Gas Safety Checks. This is a serious matter, as a faulty gas appliance could result in the death of a tenant, and the penalties reflect this. Breaking Landlord Laws in the UK

In a recent case, a landlord was fined £32,000 plus costs of £4,560 for not having up-to-date Gas Safety Records for five of his tenants. Another landlord, who failed to maintain the boiler safely in his rental property, was fined £16,000 plus costs of £1,500.

In serious cases, failure to comply with gas safety laws can land you with a custodial sentence. In 2013, a landlord was jailed for four months after illegally fitting a boiler then repeatedly attempting repairs himself.

In a more serious case from 2009, a landlord was sentenced to 16 months in prison for four counts of breaking gas safety regulations, including falsifying a Gas Safety Certificate and leaving an open-flued gas fire in a bedroom.

Failing to keep the property in repair

As well as not maintaining gas appliances adequately, there are landlords who do not maintain their property to an acceptable standard. The penalties for this vary depending on the severity of the situation. In a recent case in The Wirral, a landlord was fined £1350 for renting a substandard House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) to vulnerable adults.

Faults included exposed wiring and serious damp and mould growth. In 2014, an Oxford landlord was fined over £6000 for failing to license or maintain his HMO. Ground floor windows were found to be rotten, one of the smoke alarms was not working, and there was a broken light fitting, amongst other contraventions.

More serious contraventions attract much bigger fines. A Hammersmith landlord was recently fined £20,000 plus costs of over £5000 for running an unlicensed HMO since 2009, not carrying out gas safety checks and not maintaining the property. This included not maintaining common areas affected by mould or providing adequate smoke alarms.

Illegally evicting tenants

When evicting tenants it is essential you follow the correct protocols and do not take the law into your own hands. Not only is it unethical to do so, but it could also land you with a fine.

In 2012, a Peterborough landlord removed her tenant’s possessions from her rental property and left them at the tenant’s place of work, then changed the locks. She was ordered to pay a total of £1,625 in fines and costs.

Even if you have a possession order, it is essential you continue to operate in a legal manner. In a case from 2014, a landlord had obtained a possession order, however the tenant had applied to have it set aside. Instead of letting the law take its course, the landlord changed the locks while the tenant and his children were out. In this case, the tenant was awarded over £11,000 in damages.

The laws around letting out your property are there for a reason – they protect your tenants, and in some cases, they can protect you too. Complying with these laws is an essential part of being a landlord. If you are ever in doubt, you should seek legal advice to ensure you uphold landlord laws and avoid the penalties.