PORTSMOUTH & DISTRICT PRIVATE LANDLORDS' ASSOCIATION

1. Members will always act in a fair, honest and reasonable way in all dealings with tenants and will respect their rights to peaceful and quiet enjoyment of the property;

2. Members will not discriminate in their dealings with prospective and/or existing tenants or treat them less favourably than others because of their colour, creed, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, sex, marital status, sexuality, politics or their responsibility for dependents;

3. Members will, except in case of an emergency, give the tenant reasonable notice (at least 24 hours) when access to the property is required by the landlord, contractor or agent.

4. Members will provide tenants with a written statement of the terms of their occupancy (a tenancy agreement) soon after the agreement is signed, together with a current inventory if necessary and a contact telephone number or other means of contacting the landlord or their agent in an emergency.

5. Members will acknowledge promptly all written communications received from the tenant and will respond appropriately to telephone or other messages and will, when so requested, provide the tenant with a written statement of their tenancy account;

6. Before proceedings are commenced, members will notify the tenant in writing of any breach of the tenancy agreement that is to be used as a basis for legal proceedings against the tenant;

7. Members will not cause unlawful harassment to a tenant or instruct or undertake any action that involves the tenant being unlawfully harassed;

8. Any deposit paid by the tenant, which is held by the Members or on their behalf will be processed in an approved scheme in accordance with current rules and laws.

9. Members will not refuse a tenant a reference for the purposes of securing a new tenancy, without good cause.

The landlord will take all reasonable steps to, ensure that the tenant is provided with accommodation that complies with relevant legal requirements.

10. Members will take all reasonable steps to ensure all accommodation provided will afford a safe and healthy environment for any potential occupier or visitor. This includes:

  Gas safety – All gas appliances must be inspected in accordance with current Gas Safety Regulations and a gas safety certificate should be obtained on an annual basis.  On all installations, a Gas Safe registered installer must carry out the maintenance and safety checks.

  Electrical – You should ensure that all electrical installations and appliances are safe, working correctly and do not pose a health & safety or fire risk. All defective electrical installations must be repaired, replaced or improved to current electrical safety standards. All components and fixed appliances must be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

  Appliances – You should provide manufacturers or appropriate details on the safe operation of appliances to tenants, on request, for example, cookers, fridges, freezers, boilers, heaters and heating time clocks.

  Furniture – Any furniture you provide must comply with current Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations.

  Fire protection – A minimum of one battery operated smoke detector must be provided on each floor and these should be regularly checked. (At least on arrival of a new tenant and annually thereafter)

  Safety and security – The property must be safe and secure against unauthorised access

11. Any disrepair or defects (for elements of the property which are the landlords responsibility), brought to the members attention by the tenant will be attended to promptly with minimum disturbance to the tenant.

12. Subject to statutory rights of appeal, members will comply with all statutory notices served by a local authority.

13. Members will hold any necessary property licenses or registrations required by law.

14. Subject to statutes, members shall hold all relevant safety and inspection certificates and reports, and carry out regular servicing of fittings, fixtures, installations or appliances as required in accordance with good practice. Where necessary copies of these will be provided to the tenants;

15. Members will take steps to maintain and improve their knowledge of current relevant legislation and good practice.

16. Members will issue a receipt for any monies or rent received when payments are made in cash.

17. The tenant must be clearly informed as to who is responsible for the payment of all utility charges (gas, electricity, water, sewerage, telephone, broadband, etc) and Council Tax and that this responsibility is accurately stated in the terms of the tenancy agreement.

18. Members must have adequate insurance cover for their properties. Tenants should be advised to take out contents insurance.

19. Members are expected to require tenants to behave in a responsible way towards their neighbours – any complaints received from neighbours should be discussed with tenants.  You should also inform tenants about arrangements for refuse collection, avoiding noise and other potential causes for conflict.

Respect for other PDPLA members

20. Members  will not act in a manner that brings the PDPLA into disrepute.

21. Any Member of the Association must not use or pass on any benefits or services of membership to a non-member

22. You, and any other person with an interest in your properties, must not have been convicted of harassment, illegal eviction or fraud; or have failed to comply with Statutory Notices served by the Council for your properties.

23. Members will treat other members, industry professionals, suppliers and traders with respect.

Complaints Procedure

24. Members will cooperate fully with the Committee concerning any investigation into any complaint against a member as documented in the Complaint Procedure in the Associations Rules.