Agents, landlords may be hit by new heat regulations

The Residential Landlords Association says some agents and landlords may be required to notify the National Measurement and Regulation Office regarding their property heating systems by the end of this calendar year.

Typically, anything regarded as a communal heating system will typically trigger a need for landlords to provide details to the NMRO, it says.

The RLA hoped these notification responsibilities would only impact institutional landlords, such as university halls and nursing homes. However, it appears they may affect HMO and bedsit property landlords and agents acting on their behalf, who could be required to send notification of their ‘heating network’ to the relevant authorities.

A landlord must submit notification to the NMRO regarding details about the heating system of the property by December 31 this year and, if required, install individual meters by the start of next April. There will be ongoing duties regarding maintenance and billing.

The RLA advises that an agent or landlord is a heat supplier if all of the following apply:

- there is distribution of thermal energy in the form of steam, hot water, or chilled liquids from a central source in a building (eg a gas boiler);

- the thermal energy is used to provide heating, hot water or cooling;

- the building is occupied by more than one final customer;

- the landlord bills more than one occupier for the heat or hot water that that person has used (or a proportion thereof).