Property Standards Guide
The standards below represent the standards for temporary accommodation required on a rent guaranteed scheme by HSD London LTD when applied in their entirety.
External
Roof
- Roof to be water tight and free from defects, loose or missing tiles
Guttering
- Pipes to be secured to walls, gutters free from blockages and in good repair
Garden
- Clear of rubbish with vegetation, shrubs and trees to be cut back
- Fences to be in good order
- Gate/s to operate and gate posts/pillars to be secure
- Sheds or ancillary buildings to be in good repair safe otherwise to be removed or made unavailable to occupiers
Rubbish
- Bins to be provided
Internal
Doors
- External doors to have 5 levered mortise dead lock with an additional “Yale type latch” or thumb turn
- Door to open freely and have a bell fitted and a clear door numbering
- All entry systems to be in working condition and maintained
- Internal doors to have keys removed. Safety door handle for bathroom and toilet
- All doors with large glass panes and below 1200cm to be fitted with safety glass or film
Staircases
- Gaps between spindles to be no more than 100mm and gaps in staircases to be filled in
- Two way light switch to be provided in stairwell
Walls and ceiling
Damp
- Property to be free from damp, mould, condensation, peeling paper etc
Condensation
- Condensation will occur, at some time, in all homes. Condensation problems due to structural features should not be so pervasive as to constitute a health hazard or be a statutory nuisance
- Air-bricks to be installed in rooms which do not have permanent means of fresh air
Plaster
To be sound, not to show movement when examined
Decoration
- Surfaces to be painted / 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
Heating
Heating to be:
- Gas central heating (preferred)
- Electric Economy Seven (night storage) heating (less than 5 years old)
- Boilers to be less than 10 years old
- Heating system to have a timer/thermostat
- Heating to operate independently from the hot water system
- Details for location of off- switch to have been noted
- Landlord to provide safety certificate and copy of Corgi service contract every year
- Boilers fitted in the bedroom must be fitted with Carbon Monoxide Detector, Boxed with air-vents
Electrical
- Landlord to provide a current NICEIC electrical safety report, this must have no items marked as requiring urgent attention or investigation
- All electrical wiring to be covered
- All surface mounted wiring to be enclosed in suitable plastic conduit
- Fuse box to be housed in cupboard, with childproof latch on door to prevent access and ensure cables under meter are covered
Electrical sockets in the
- Living room Two double sockets minimum
- Double bedrooms Two double sockets
- Single bedroom One double socket
- Kitchen 4 sockets (Two double at worktop height, One for fridge and one for washing machine)
- Boiler to be on spur
- Landing One socket and Hallway One socket
Furniture
Minimum requirements: floor coverings, curtains, nets, simple lampshades, cooker, fridge & plumbing for washing machine
Furniture to comply with the Furniture (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 Act (as amended)
Fire Safety
Front doors to flats
- Internal doors leading off communal hallway MUST be half hour fire doors to meet Building Standard 476 Part22
Kitchen doors
- MUST be half hour fire doors to meet Building Standard 476 Part22 (where impractical: a heat rise detector MUST be installed)
- Glazed doors should have clear Georgian wire cast glass
Property safety
- Fire blanket to be fitted in kitchen
- Preferred: Electrically operated interlinked smoke alarm installed to each floor complying with Building Standard 5839 Part 6 conforming to Grade D, Type LD2
- Minimum standard: Smoke alarms to be installed to each floor and living rooms
Kitchen
Sockets
- Two double sockets at worktop height
- Two low level sockets (for fridge and washing machine)
Cooker
- Type of Hob (Gas preferred)
- All rings to operate
- If free standing, cooker to be chained to wall
- Oven to be clean and with shelves
- Landlord to provide safety certificate (as part of gas safety)
Sink
- Tiling of splash back to a minimum of 300mm (two tiles high)
- Sinks & worktops to be sealed around edges with silicone sealant
- Waste pipes & taps to be defect free, no leaks or drips (must be sealed so as not to allow ingress of vermin
- Taps should be easy to operate
Units to be provided:
- Two fitted floor units (excluding the sink unit)
- Minimum of two drawers per unit
- Units to be free from defects
Fridge
- To be clean and in good working order less than 1 year old
Washing Machine
Washing machines not essential but if provided:
- Appropriate fittings to allow installation of a washing machine
- Non return valve to be fitted to the waste pipe
- Landlord to maintain all breakdowns if washing machine is provided
Floor covering
- Floor covering to be vinyl type and free from defects
Stopcock
- location to be identified
Bathroom
Floor covering
- To be of vinyl type, free from defects
- To be sealed around the edges with silicone sealant
Bath
- Shower only properties will not be accepted
- Access from hall or landing
- To be fitted securely
- Tiles to be of 300mm around bath and sealed at the joints
- Bath panels – to be free of defects particularly plastic panels
Showers (where provided)
- Showers are not essential but where provided the landlord must ensure that their use will not do damage to the property.
- Separate shower cubicles to be tiled to a height of 1.8 M
- Base to be adequately sealed and curtain/door to be provided
Showers fitted above baths
- Tiling of a sufficient height to protect the decoration of the wall (1.8M +)
- Shower door or curtain to be supplied and should be of a sufficient standard to prevent water damage to floor
- Any hand held shower attachment should be fixed to the wall / bracket
Washbasin
- as for kitchen
Stopcock
- location to be identified
Toilet
- Toilet to be clean, secure, free of defects, secure seat and the cistern to fill at a reasonable rate
- Floor covering to be free of defects, vinyl preferred with sealing at the edges with silicone
Living Area and Bedrooms
Carpet
- Carpet to be clean and of reasonable quality, free from defects (tainting, excessive wear etc)
Curtains
- Curtain rails to be securely fitted above all windows
- Curtains to be clean and free from defects
- Nets to be fitted to all windows
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