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What are the health and safety requirements for holiday lets in the UK?




If you are thinking of buying a holiday let or already have one, then are there are certain regulations that you must legally adhere to.


The first thing to understand is the difference between a short-term holiday let and a long-term let and the two have different legal requirements.


A short-term let is for guests to stay in for a couple of nights to a few weeks and owners offer fully furnished properties. A long term let can be rented for a maximum of 6-12 months and there are specific regulations for this type of property.


As landlord, you will naturally want to ensure your guests are kept safe when they visit your holiday home. There are also measures that you need to carry out to reduce your liability should an accident occur.


Fire regulations for holiday lets


In your property should be an easily accessible document setting out any items within it that could potentially be a fire hazard.


Smoke detectors should be installed and tested regularly. You should consider installing other safety measures such as fire blankets, extinguishers ad emergency lightening to protect your guests and don’t forget that open and log fires require the chimney to be swept at least once a year.


The laws also require any furniture and fittings to have a certain level of fire resistance.


It is a legal requirement that you have this document for each of your properties and remember that fire safety regulations are different depending on which country within the UK you live.




Gas safety for holiday lets


As landlord you are responsible for ensuring the safety of your guests by complying with the gas regulations.


A gas safety certificate should be obtained from a Gas Safe registered engineer and must be renewed every 12 months. Your certificates must be kept for two years, and any current document should be on display so your guests can see it.


Carbon monoxide is produced by coal, wood, gas, and oil and so carbon monoxide alarms should be fitted to your property to identify any harmful levels. Alarms should be fitted in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance and on each level of your property.



Electrical safety for holiday lets


Owning a holiday let means by law you must ensure all electrical items in the property are safe for your guests to use. If you fail to maintain appliances you will be liable should an accident occur.


There is no legal requirement to renew electrical certificates, but we would advise that you are proactive to demonstrate to your guests that you care about their safety and ensure items are regularly PAT tested by a qualified electrician.


If you are a holiday let landlord, show your guests you care and upload your safety documents to the SafeUKation platform.

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