London Borough of Croydon

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Croydon private rented property licence

During the scheme the council produced a booklet to help you prepare for the property inspections.

Although the licensing scheme has come to a close the council encourages all Croydon landlords to manage their rented property.  This will help ensure that tenants can live in their property safely, there are less problems and that renting is a good experience for all parties. Croydon estimates there are 58,000 private rented properties in the borough.

Gov.uk information for landlords

Gas safety

A gas certificate should be made available to your tenants. Inspections must take place annually and be completed by an approved gas engineer - Gas Safe registered.

We recommend that carbon monoxide detectors are provided if there are gas appliances in a property. Please be aware that this is a legal requirement if there is a solid fuel appliance, such as coal, in the property.

Electrical safety and performance

From 1 June 2020 landlords are legally required to have a electrical inspection certification report (EICR) carried out on all rented properties.

Landlords - your electrical safety obligations.

The Health and Safety Executive provides information on maintaining electrical equipment safely.

Energy performance certificates should be available to your tenants.

Tenancy agreements and deposit protection

The council recommends that a tenancy agreement is drawn up between you and the tenants. All deposits must be registered straight away with one of the three Government backed schemes.  Landlords and agents should familiarise themselves with the small number of permitted fees. Below are links for help understanding why a tenancy agreement is needed and what must be included in it, as well as a template to use.

Tenancy agreements a guide for landlords

Tenancy agreement template

Deposit protection schemes - you must protect a deposit and provide proof of deposit protection to your tenant.

Property maintenance information

Property inspections – during licensing landlords were required to provide evidence of property inspections (expectation for a minimum of 2 a year). A copy of the inspection template is available to download below.

Refuse storage, disposal and bin storage

The council promotes responsible waste disposal.  Waste accumulations and pest problems are a frequent reason for complaints.  Landlords are asked to inform tenants of the recycling, bulk waste and standard waste collections. Tenants should have the right facilities, so and make sure  refuse collection arrangements are appropriate for the property. You should also check your bin day so your waste or recycling is collected on the right day.

Make sure you and your tenants are aware of your responsibilities.

Fire safety information

Fire safety information - during the inspection, officers will be looking into a number of fire safety aspects such as whether a smoke detector is on each floor (these should be mains operated).

For further advice please see HMO fire standards guide available to download below. This guidance sets to help landlords, owners, agents etc. in complying with the legal requirements with regards to fire safety.

Make sure you are aware of your responsibilities as a landlord.

Support when dealing with antisocial behaviour

To support Croydon landlords having to deal with antisocial behaviour (ASB) we have produced an ASB guide for landlords and dealing with ASB flowchart, both are available to download below.

Houses in multiple occupation (HMO)

Anyone who owns or manages an HMO which is occupied by 5 or more persons needs a mandatory licence.  

Anyone who owns or manages an HMO which is occupied by 3 or more persons and does not meet the mandatory licensing criteria will need to meet certain HMO safety standards and where a scheme is in operation, a Croydon private rented property licence.  Anyone wanting to set up an HMO will need to apply for planning permission.

For guidance on HMO space standards and Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) please see the HMO standards document available to download below.
 

Visit our HMO web pages for more information.

Landlord accreditation

The London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) provides training and on-going professional development for landlords.

Website: www.londonlandlords.org.uk . You can also follow them on Twitter @LLAS_UKLAP

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) also runs an accreditation scheme with a branch in Croydon.

Website: www.nrla.org.uk

Right to rent

Private landlords must check the immigration status of prospective tenants and lodgers before they move in, to avoid liability for a civil penalty. This is called the tenant’s ‘right to rent’. More information is available to download below.

Letting services and initiatives for private landlords and agents

Due to increasing demand for accommodation and a shortage of social housing in the borough, we need landlords and agents within the M25 including Kent and Sussex to work with us as part of our housing solutions strategy.

We can provide a seamless lettings service to accommodate your needs free of charge, offer a range of generous monetary incentives, deposit bonds and all legal documentation such as tenancy agreements.

More information about this service can be found on the housing initiatives web pages 

Contact us via email landlords@croydon.gov.uk or call 020 8726 6789.

Useful contacts and websites 

Anti-social behaviour team  asbteam@croydon.gov.uk
Croydon private rented property licensing admin team propertylicensing@croydon.gov.uk
HMO team hmo@croydon.gov.uk
Land Registry www.landregistry.gov.uk
Mayor of London Landlord and Letting Agent Checker https://www.london.gov.uk/rogue-landlord-checker
Pest control team pest.control@croydon.gov.uk
Pollution team pollution@croydon.gov.uk
Selective licensing & enforcement team hsg-privatehousing@croydon.gov.uk
Thames Water 0800 3169800
Waste Management (Croydon) adminwasteservices@croydon.gov.uk
Bin deliveries New builds / planning newbuildbins@croydon.gov.uk
Valuation Office (council tax band queries) www.voa.gov.uk

Advice sheets

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in private rented properties

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (England) Regulations 2015 (2015 Regulations) introduce duties on a landlord (some exemptions exist) to ensure smoke alarms are fitted in all private rented accommodation and carbon monoxide alarms where solid fuel combustion appliances exist. Landlords are required to ensure that all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in working order at the start of the tenancy. 

For those premises that require a property licence (houses in multiple occupation subject to mandatory licensing and premises subject to selective licensing), the 2015 Regulations amend existing requirements to make compliance with the Regulations a mandatory licence condition.

It is the responsibility of the council to ensure compliance which includes the use of a remedial notice and, if that is not complied with, to carrying out the works in default.  Additionally, where the council is satisfied that a landlord has not complied with a remedial notice, a penalty charge notice, with a penalty of up to £5,000, can be issued. The option of taking a criminal prosecution in a magistrates court is not available. The sums received by the local authority can be used for any of its functions.

The 2015 Regulations require that the council must prepare and publish a statement of principles which it is required to follow in determining the amount of penalty charge. 

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