Property Standards

It is very important that all our properties are in a safe and lettable condition and meet the Decent Homes Standards. We are always happy to help and advise landlords of any necessary works that may need to be completed.

Please see below the list of our standards, you can also down load a copy at the link on the left of this page

EXTERNAL AREAS

• Roof, chimney stacks, ceilings, walls, windows, doors, rain water goods, waste goods, drainage and external decorations should be in good repair and condition.
• Building elements to be watertight and free of significant cracking.
• Common parts (if any), must be in good repair and condition including structure, access-ways, security doors and lifts.
• External yards, paths, steps and access-ways shall be in good order, even and well drained. Paths shall have adequate friction, shall not be excessively sloped and shall be adequately lit.
• There shall be no unguarded drops.
• There shall be no iron-spiked railings.
• All boundaries shall be clearly defined and enclosed by suitable walls or fences.
• All access covers to drainage and services shall be fitted with suitable flush mounted covers adequately marked to indicate purpose.
• All ponds must be drained and filled in.
• Greenhouses must be dismantled and removed.
• Adequate and suitable facilities shall be provided for storage and disposal of refuse (e.g. a dustbin and storage area for same).

WALLS, CEILINGS & FLOORING

• Walls and ceilings shall be sound, free from cracks and bowing and not show movement.
• Internal decoration shall be in good condition, clean and free from soiling, staining and torn covering.
• Surfaces to be painted and/or papered.
• Paint to be clean and free from obvious marking, dirt etc.
• Wallpaper to be in good condition and free from defects.
• Wood to be free from rot and painted to a reasonable standard with gloss paint.
• floors shall be sound and free from tripping hazards.
• Carpets to be clean and free from defects i.e. staining, excessive wear etc
• Good quality carpet with suitable underlay or hard floors e.g. laminate shall be provided to living rooms, bedrooms and circulation areas. Carpets shall be properly laid and well secured, including threshold strips.
• Vinyl, tiles or lino shall be provided to kitchen and bathroom areas. Finish shall be non-slip.
• Bathroom floor to have sealant around edges to stop leaking.

DOORS & WINDOWS

• All doors and windows must be well fitted and open and close properly. Windows must not be painted shut.
• Main entrance door to be solid and of good standard.
• Main entrance door to be fitted with a Yale lock and dead lock.
• Main entrance door to be fitted with door chain, entry phone or spy hole.
• Kitchen doors to be fire doors.
• Doors stops shall be fitted to protect walls from door handle damage.
• Low level glazing windows less than 80cm and doors less than 150cm shall be impact resistant or have permanent screen protection. Non-compliant glass maybe regaled with safety glass or upgraded using safety film.
• Windows lower than 1.2m to be fitted with removable restrictors allowing windows to open to approximately 10cm when restricted.
• All WC and bathroom windows shall be provided with obscure glass.
• All windows in habitable rooms to be a minimum of 1/10 of the floor space to provide ventilation and light.
• All windows to be fitted with locks or fastenings.
• All bedrooms and living rooms shall be provided with suitable windows dressings in the form of curtains and nets or adequate blinds.
• Window dressings are not needed in bathrooms and WCs where obscure glazing is fitted.
• Kitchen to be fitted with just nets or blinds.
• Curtains/blinds to be clean and free from defects.

KITCHEN

• Kitchen units and appliances shall be free from defects and in good working order.
• Kitchen facilities shall be less than twenty years old.
• A cooker, oven and grill (suitably restrained and located) to be supplied and fitted.
• A sink with integral drainer set on a 100cm base unit.
• Constant hot and cold water supplies over the sink.
• A fixed impervious and readily cleansable work surface (minimum 100 x 50cm).
• An adequate tiled splash-back adjacent to the sink unit and work surfaces.
• Sinks and worktops to be sealed around joints with silicone sealant. With no cracks or crevices.
• A direct drainage connection to the sink with suitable water trap.
• Waste pipes and taps to be defect free, no leaks or drips. Taps to be easy to operate.
• Adequate storage cupboard units with wipe-able non porous surfaces.
• An under counter refrigerator with ice box.
• Plumbing/fittings to be provided to allow the installation of washing machine, including non return valve fitted to the waste pipe. (washing machine not required)
• Adequate circulation space shall be present adjacent to all cooking appliances.

BATHROOM

• Bathroom facilities shall be free from defects and in good working order.
• Bathroom facilities to be less than thirty years old.
• A fixed bath or shower with a constant supply of hot and cold water and a direct drainage connection with suitable trap.
• A fixed wash hand basin with a constant supply of hot and cold water and a direct drainage connection with suitable trap.
• WC properly connected to the drainage.
• WC to have an available wash basin located on the same floor.
• Showers shall have tiling of sufficient height to protect the decoration of the wall (1.80m plus) properly sealed, and a shower screen or curtain to be supplied of a sufficient standard to prevent water damage to floor.
• Bath and wash hand basin to have adequate tiled splash back (30cm high) and joints sealed with silicone sealant.
• Wash hand basin minimum size 50 x 40cm.
• Bath minimum size 170 x 70cm.
• Shower minimum size 80 x 80cm.
• There must be adequate activity space adjacent to facilities.
• The hot water supply system shall be such that heated water can be delivered at a temperature below 46ºC.

STAIRS

• Stairs/steps shall not be too steep or staircases excessively long.
• The maximum rise of steps shall be 22cm; the maximum going shall be 32cm.
• Steps shall have level, even treads and provide adequate friction.
• Open risers are not suitable.
• Minimum headroom shall be 190cm.
• Minimum stair width shall be 65cm.
• Landings shall be provided at the top and bottom of all flights.
• Landings shall have minimum width and length of 40cm.
• There shall be no projections on the staircase (e.g. coat hooks), no accessible glass, sharp edges or hard surfaces.
• Handrails shall be present to all staircases (internal and external) and be of sufficient size, suitably constructed and fully supported.
• If stairs are over 100cm wide two handrails shall be provided.
• Handrail heights shall be 90-100cm.
• Stairs and landings where the drop is in excess of 60cm shall be guarded. The guarding shall be of adequate construction with maximum openings of 10cm and designed to prevent climbing.
• The height of the guarding shall be 90-100cm.

BALCONIES

• Balconies shall be properly constructed and guarded.
• All guarding shall be adequate contraction with maximum gaps of 10cm and designed to prevent climbing.
• The height of the guarding shall be 110cm.

LIGHTING

• Adequate natural and artificial lighting shall be provided to all habitable rooms, stairways, circulation spaces and common parts. (NB External obstructions to natural light must be considered).
• Suitable light shades to be fitted to all habitable rooms.
• Enclosed ceiling lights are required for bathrooms, WC’s and kitchens.
• Adequate external lighting shall be provided to all means of access.

HEATING

• All premises shall have effective insulation and efficient heating. Heating shall be matched to the thermal capacity and performance of the structure. This system shall be capable of maintaining 21ºC in living areas and 18ºC in bedrooms when the outside temperature is - 1ºC.
• The heating system must be programmable i.e. have a timer and/or thermostat which can be controlled by the occupant and operate independently from the hot water system.
• There shall be a fixed heating appliance or radiator in every room. Portable gas or electric heaters are not acceptable.
• Water storage tanks shall be properly housed, insulated and covered.

ELECTRICS

• Living rooms require 3 double electrical sockets.
• Bedrooms require 2 double electrical sockets.
• Kitchens require 2 double sockets at worktop height plus low level sockets for washing machine and fridge.
• Landing/hall require 1 double electrical socket.
• Separate electricity and gas meters shall be provided for each flat. Meters shall be accessible at all times. Landlords electrical supply (where necessary) shall be separately metered.
• Energy efficient light bulbs should be provided.

SPACE STANDARDS

• Minimum bedroom size for a one bed – 7 meters square (80sqft)
• Minimum studio room size (excluding kitchen and bathroom) – 14 meters square (150sqft)

FIRE SAFETY

• Internal escape shall progress to areas of lower fire risk.
• Polystyrene tile finish shall not be provided on any surface.
• Any exposed hot surfaces shall be adequately protected.
• Suitably fixed fire blankets provided to kitchens conforming to BS 6575:1985.Flat entrance doors to be FD30 standard (incorporating self-closing devices intumescent strips and cold smoke seals.
• Hard wired mains operated smoke alarms to the ceiling in each flat, hallway and common hallway
• Studios to also be fitted with hard wired heat detectors
• Where bedroom leads off living room/kitchen door to be fitted with self closer
• No deadlocks to main building entrance doors; deadlocks with internal thumb-turn are acceptable.
• Where flats are above commercial properties the commercial and residential parts must separated by imperforate fire resisting construction of one hour duration.

DAMP & VENTILATION

• The premises shall be free from dampness and mould growth. This includes rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation.
• Adequate permanent ventilation shall be provided to all habitable rooms
• Adequate permanent ventilation shall be provided to kitchens, bathrooms and WC’s. Where there is no window, mechanical extract ventilation shall be installed. (Windows in kitchen, bathroom and WC’s to be a minimum of 1/20 of the floor space).

ASBESTOS

• The presence of asbestos building materials shall be determined. The condition of any such materials shall be recorded. Any necessary action to remove or encapsulate shall be undertaken by an approved NAMAS contractor. If necessary certificate to be provided.

NOISE

• Where there are excessive noise levels (e.g. by main road, rail lines, and adjacent noise producing commercial premises) noise mitigation measures shall be installed to habitable room i.e. bedrooms, living rooms e.g. secondary glazing.

FURNITURE

• This scheme does not require any items of furniture to be left at the premises. Any furnishings left (at the Landlord’s risk) shall comply with the furniture and furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 as amended.