12
SEPTEMBER 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
GENERATION RENT
HERALDS MORE WORK
With home ownership at its lowest level in 30 years, the ‘Generation Rent’ trend looks set to stay. As demand for
rented accommodation increases, tradespeople could consequently be tasked to work on more rented properties,
as opposed to owner-occupied homes. Bearing in mind that rented houses must meet certain standards, Carrie
Earle, category manager at IronmongeryDirect, advises tradespeople on how to ensure properties are up to scratch.
As property prices continue
to soar all over England and
people struggle to get their
foot on the property ladder,
the number of people living
in rented properties is likely
to increase. In fact, from
2003 to 2015, the number
of people privately renting
across England almost doubled, rising from 11% to 19%.
And in Greater Manchester,
the figure grew from 6% to
20%, an increase of more
than treble.
However, despite the growing
demand for rented accommodation, a large proportion of houses
are not meeting the standards
expected in order for the property
to be regarded as rentable and
safe for tenants. Housing charity
Shelter found that almost half of
the people in rented houses in
England experienced poor living
conditions or states of disrepair
within the past year. A third complained of damp and mould, and
one in five said their home was
very poorly insulated.
‘there are numerous
regulations and living
requirements that
need to be met’
It is therefore imperative that
landlords evaluate their properties
and make any necessary renovations or repairs to ensure they’re
not breaching the tenancy agreement – and this may mean an
increase in work for tradespeople.
In rented accommodation however, there are numerous regulations
and living requirements that need
to be met, which tradespeople
need to be aware of.
HEATING AND VENTILATION
All rented properties should be
equipped with adequate methods of heating and ventilation to
ensure the house can maintain
a comfortable temperature for
tenants – this should be between
18°C to 21°C. In order for homes
to be able to meet this requirement, they should be fitted with
heating systems that can be used
at all times, such as central heating
or electric heaters, and windows
should be in good working order
to allow for suitable ventilation in
every room.
However, it may be that these
heating and ventilation measures
are in place, but the house is
consistently losing heat due to
poor energy efficiency or insulation. When a property is regularly
too cold, it can lead to damp and
mould appearing. If left untreated the problem can escalate
and spread to other areas of the
property, and in extreme circumstances may even affect the health
of the tenants. In order to resolve
this issue, steps should be taken to
reduce heat loss and improve the
property’s insulation – this could
be through the installation of
cavity wall insulation or by adding
insulation to roofs and lofts.
Another simple yet effective way
to reduce draughts and heat loss
would be to add weather-stripping
seals to windows and doors, particularly as these areas are prone
to losing a lot of heat quickly.
Weather-stripping is used to seal
components that move, such as
doors and operable windows, and
good quality seals can withstand
friction, harsh weather conditions
or temperature changes, in addition to general wear and tear.
Weather-stripping seals from the
Schlegel Aquamac range are a
good recommendation for reducing heat loss through timber doors
and windows. They are manufactured using a water repellent foam
that is unaffected by rot, mould
or mildew, meaning they will last
for years to come. These quality
seals maintain consistently high
standards of energy efficiency as
they will also prevent any further
damage to the window frame from
occurring.
should be fitted with properly installed and maintained fire doors,
that will prevent the spread of fire
and will allow tenants to exit the
building quickly.
Failure to comply with fire safety
rules and regulations not only
puts people’s lives at risk, but can
lead to prosecution and fines for
the people responsible for the
maintenance of a fire door, so it’s
important to get it right. From using the best hardware co mponents
right through to ongoing aftercare,
all aspects need to be given considerable thought.
FIRE SAFETY
There are a number of components that tradespeople need to
check to ensure that a fire door
is fully operational and therefore
compliant and legal, including
intumescent seals, hinges, locks,
latches and door closers. All hardware components must meet the
standards required and should be
in good working order.
For example, it is recommended
that fire doors have a minimum of
three hinges that are all correctly
fitted with the right sized screws.
They should allow the fire door
closer to shut the door and should
be free of signs of wear and
damage. In addition, it’s essential
for tradespeople to check that the
hinges are marked with the CE
stamp and that the grade of the
All landlords are responsible
under a ‘common law’ duty to
ensure the property they are
renting is safe and complies with
building regulations. From 1st
October 2015, building regulations
specifed that landlords must install
smoke alarms on every floor of
the property, and carbon monoxide detectors should be placed in
rooms where there is a coal fire or
gas appliances.
If the property is occupied by
multiple people, and has a house
in multiple occupation licence
(HMO), it should be fitted with
a fire alarm and mains-operated
heat or smoke detectors, as well as
at least one fire extinguisher and
suitable fire exits. The fire exits
‘it’s essential for
tradespeople to
check that the hinges
are marked with
the CE stamp and
that the grade of
the hinge is correct
for the door’