Letting

R K Lucas & Son have been long established in the local letting market. Should you require full details of our finder and management services please request so from the contact page.

Before deciding to let your property we include some important points of consideration below.

Any Landlords that are now seeking to rent a property within Wales need to be registered with Rentsmart Wales. Whether you are managing the property yourself or instructing us to manage on your behalf, there will be at least some kind of registration required. Further information can be found from the following website: www.rentsmart.gov.wales or give us a call to discuss your letting requirements and we can advise you further as to what registrations you require.

Energy Performance Certificates

All rental properties are now required to have an Energy Performance Certificate available to show any prospective tenant. This certificate is provided following a survey which considers the construction of the building, the heating systems installed, insulation levels and proportion of low-energy light bulbs. The result is depicted as a graph, typical of those seen on refrigerators and other such appliances in high street stores. We currently have two assessors who are able to undertake such surveys for you at our client rate.

Electrical Safety

There is no statutory obligation on landlords or agents to have professional checks carried out on the electrical system or appliances. However, under Common Law and various statutory regulations: The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, The Housing Act 2004, The Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations 1994, and The Plugs and Sockets etc. Safety Regulations 1994, both of which come under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, there is an obligation to ensure that all electrical equipment is safe.

In January 2005 new legislation under Part P of the Building Regulations make it a requirement that for certain types of electrical work in dwellings, plus garages, sheds, greenhouses and outbuilding comply with the standards. This means a competent electrician must carry out the work. For DIY electrical work you must belong to one of the Government’s approved Competent Person Self-Certification schemes or submit a building notice to the local authority before doing the work.

You may be offered a visual inspection for a fee by other Agents. We do not offer this service for several reasons:

1. A visual inspection carries out no test other than a visual scan of sockets and outlets;
2. If anything goes wrong you will not be covered against liability just because a visual inspection has been carried out;
3. We are not qualified electricians and as such cannot offer professional opinions on the safety of any electrical equipment in your property.

We always recommend a Periodic Electrical Inspection be carried out by a qualified electrician. Again we can organise this on your behalf either by instructing your preferred electrician or our regular electrician whom we use for all our managed properties.

Should any appliances that could be moved and are not hard wired i.e. they have a plug, be left in the property by the landlord for the tenant’s use they should be the subject of a Portable Appliance Test carried out by a qualified competent person. Again we are more than happy to arrange this on your behalf. Although, again, this is not a legal requirement it is a legal requirement to ensure the tenants safety from faulty electrical equipment.

Security Deposits Bonds

The Housing Act 2004 changed the rules under which security deposits are held. Landlords are now required to hold a security deposit bond in a government approved scheme. We utilise a scheme called the Deposit Protection Service to hold our security deposits at no extra charge to the Landlord. In the event that any part of the security deposit is required to be withheld it is the Scheme that will adjudicate on the matter.