Advice for Landlords
What you need to know before you start
- The better the location the more your property will achieve.
- Properties must be in good order. Under Common Law your duty as a landlord is to provide housing that is wind and water proof and has appropriate ventilation and insulation but the more you invest in your property the more rent you will be able to charge.
- You should always assume your property will be vacant for one month every year and that you will have to spend the equivalent of one month's rent every year in necessary repairs so you need to budget accordingly.
- Decide whether you want to rent your property furnished or unfurnished. If furnished please consult our Recommended Furnishing List.
- Make sure your property has comprehensive buildings insurance in place.
Information for property owners
Safety
It is illegal to have any furniture in a property which fails to comply with the 1998 Fire and Furniture regulations.
Properties with a gas supply need to be checked annually by a corgi registered plumber, and a gas safety certificate obtained. This certificate must cover all gas appliances in the property such as the boiler, oven, heaters etc.
It is the landlords responsibility to ensure that any electrical appliances supplied with the property are safe.
Houses that are in multiple occupation by four or more unrelated tenants must be licensed by the council. Landlords operating without such a licence could face prosecution and/or a fine of up to £5000. A licence will be required prior to occupation by tenants and must be renewed every three years. To acquire an HMO licence, a landlord must comply with certain regulations regarding the facilities and safety of the property including:
- One toilet for every five tenants
- One bath/shower for every six tenants
- A mains-operated fire alarm system
- At least one fire blanket and fire extinguisher
National Landlords Registration Scheme
Scottish Parliament recently passed The Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004. Part of that Act deals with compulsory registration of all landlords and letting agents, regardless of the number of properties involved. It is a requirement that all landlords register with each Local Authority in which they own property and the Local Authority must also be satisfied that the landlord is a fit and proper person.
It will be an offence to let any residential property without being suitably registered.
This registration process requires you, the landlord, to provide personal information, we therefore cannot register your interest independently. You must apply for registration immediately. The necessary information can be found at www.landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk – RPM Robertson Property Management, 3 Bank Street, Dundee, DD1 1RL is already registered as an agent with suitably recorded details.
We have pleasure informing you of all our relevant registration numbers listed below –
Registration Numbers
Perth and Kinross Council: 10515/340/04160
Dundee City Council: 10515/180/22130
Angus Council: 10515/120/04170
The registration fees at present are £55 per landlord and £11 per property. Where a property is owned by more than one person all owners must register, as should all directors of an owning company or all trustees of a trust.
Applications must be made immediately and once completed written confirmation of your registration number must be submitted to Robertson Property Management.
Failure to register is a criminal offence. If a Landlord is not registered, a Local Authority can serve a notice terminating the landlords’ right to collect rent.
Landlord Details form
A pdf version of our Landlord Details form can be found here.
