Guide to Minimum Standards for

Rented Residential Accommodation

By law, landlords must ensure that their rented properties provide tenants with a safe and healthy environment to live
in and comply with the Minimum Standards. Local Authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the regulations. If
your property does not comply with these Minimum Standards, as a landlord, you could be prosecuted. New standards
came into effect on 1st May 2019 and the information below summarises the Minimum Standards and highlights the
new obligations for landlords. Not all standards are applicable to AHBs (housing associations) or local authorities, for
further details please contact your local authority.

1 12
The building must be
free from damp and in
good structural repair
(internally and
externally).
2
There must be hot and
cold water available to
the tenant(s).
 Sanitary facilities
should be separated
from other rooms in
the house, and must
be in a safe condition,
well ventilated
and in good
working order.
3 other tools should not
All rooms must have
adequate ventilation
and heating,
which tenant(s)
can control.
11 10
Each bathroom or shower
Efforts must be Information must
room should contain a
made to prevent be provided to
permanently fixed heater
infestation of pests tenants on the
that is properly maintained.
and vermin. property, building
The room should
services, appliances
be properly
and their maintenance
ventilated.
13 requirements.
There must
be access to 9
suitable and There must be suitable safety
adequate facilities restrictors attached to a window
to store refuse that which has an opening through
are safe from pests which a person may fall and
and vermin. the bottom of the opening is
more than 1400mm above the
external ground level. Suitable
safety restrictors must secure the
window sufficiently to prevent
such falls. Lockable restrictors
that can only be released by
removable keys or
be fitted to window
opening sections.
8
7 All habitable

4 5 Where there is no access to

a yard / garden, access to
rooms must
have natural
For leases of less than 10 years, Electrical wiring, gas lighting and
communal laundry facilities,
appliances must be in a good and water pipes should adequate
such as a washing
and safe working order. A 4-ring be in good repair. artificial
machine and a dryer,
hob, oven, grill, fridge/freezer, lighting.
 Properties should, must be provided.
microwave and sink that supplies safe where necessary,
drinking water, hot water and adequate
draining must be provided. There must
have a carbon
monoxide alarm. 6
also be adequate storage to separately These should be in In houses there must be access to a fire
store food and cleaning products. suitable locations blanket and fire detection and alarm system.
For leases of more than 10 years, and in good
 In multi-unit buildings, there must be a fire
the above applies and dwellings must working order.
detection and alarm system, an emergency
provide facilities to install white goods, evacuation plan and emergency
but white goods do not have to be lighting in common areas. It is
provided. important that fire safety equipment
is maintained.
Source: Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.

V2 2019
Safety Information
Guide for Landlords
It is very important that landlords are aware of their responsibilities for safety, in
particular on fire safety. The guide below describes the safety requirements from
the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Landlords must Ventilation
also comply with the Fire Service Acts (1981 and 2003) and should refer to the
Rooms should contain
guidance document ‘Guide to Fire Safety in Flats, Bedsitters and Apartments’. suitable and adequate
facilities for the safe
Safety in Multi-Unit removal of fumes and
other products
Fire Safety Buildings of combustion to
 A suitable fire detection the external air in
In houses, there must be a
and alarm system must situations where
suitable, self contained fire
be provided in common a heat producing
detection and alarm system
areas in a multi-unit appliance is used.
and a suitably located fire
blanket. It is recommended building.
that smoke alarms are  It is important that all
either mains-wired with
Ventilation
fire safety equipment and
battery back up lighting is maintained. All habitable rooms
or are 10 year
 Each unit must have should have
self contained
a suitably located adequate
battery
mains wired smoke ventilation.
operated.
alarm.

Gas and
Emergency Electricity Safety
lighting
Installations for supply
Emergency of gas, oil and electricity
lighting must be including pipework,
provided in all storage facilities and
common areas electrical distribution
in a multi-unit boxes should be
building. maintained in good
repair and safe working
order.

Windows

There must be suitable safety

restrictors attached to a window Appliances
which has an opening through Fire Safety
Carbon All appliances
which a person may fall and the
Monoxide Safety bottom of the opening is more than shall be Each self contained
1400mm above the external ground maintained in a unit in a multi-unit
Each house shall contain, safe condition, building* must
level. Suitable safety restrictors
where necessary, suitably in good working have a suitable fire
must secure the window sufficiently
located devices for the order and good detection and alarm
to prevent such falls. Lockable
detection and repair. system, fire blanket
restrictors that can only be released
alarm of carbon and an emergency
by removable keys or
monoxide. evacuation plan.
other tools should not
be fitted to window
opening sections.

* A multi-unit building means a building that contains 2 or more dwellings that share a common access.

V2 2019