New legislation proposed in rental sector

Following its victory in the December 2019 General Election, the Conservative Government has announced new measures it plans on taking to benefit renters. These include requirements for landlords to conduct regular electrical inspections and the loosening of restrictions around pet ownership in rented properties.

As of 1st July this year, landlords and agents will be required to ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new tenancies in England. For existing tenancies, this will apply from 1st April 2021.

Landlords and agents will have to ensure that every fixed electrical installation in a rental property undergoes inspection by a qualified person every five years, with reports given to tenants. Agents and landlords will have 28 days to fix any issues highlighted by the inspection. Failure to comply with these regulations could see landlords and agents issued fines of up to £30,000.

The Government has also announced plans to loosen restrictions on owning pets in rented properties. This would mean that most renters would be permitted to have pets, with the exception of those who live in smaller properties or flats in which it would be impractical to keep a pet.

The Government is taking these measures in recognition that many people today are renting for longer. It wants to ensure that conditions for tenants are made easier, which it has already gone to some measures to achieve through reducing fees and capping deposits.

Stephen Ludlow, Chairman at ludlowthompson says: “We welcome any initiatives that will help to ensure the safety of tenants, so the introduction of mandatory electrical inspections is a positive measure.”

“The Government is keen to show its support for renters, but loosening restrictions on pets in rental properties could cause issues for neighbours who are disturbed by noise. This could also potentially result in disputes over whether pets should be allowed in shared areas.

“The Government needs to consider all sides before implementing policies that could negatively impact both tenants and landlords.”

ludlowthompson maintains its transparency by encouraging customer reviews across a number of platforms. Over a three-year period, we ranked number 1 agent in the UK on allAgents out of 15,000+ agents, with 5300+ 5* reviews. Here is a selection of recent reviews of happy customers of ludlowthompson via Google Reviews:

Ester W says via Google reviews:

“We got probably the best meeting and service we've ever had from an agency with ludlowthompson! Always extremely fast replies to our emails, cheerful, and made sure the entire process to finding our perfect flat went super smooth. Can't recommend highly enough!”

Terin F says via Google reviews:

“A big thank you to all the team at Ludlow Thompson Dulwich for their help in renting our property. They went above and beyond to ensure that the process was as smooth and easy as possible and helped with any issues along the way. Thanks to them, we had tenants moving in within only a couple of weeks. Very impressed and pleased!”