Monthly Archives: February 2020

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (‘the Act’) came into force on 20 March 2019. This Act created a duty on social housing landlords, private residential landlords, and letting agents acting on their behalf (by implying a covenant in new tenancy agreements made on or after the 20 March 2019 for a term of less than seven years) to ensure that a property is ‘fit for human habitation’ both at the beginning of the tenancy and throughout.

For more detail on the Act, take a look at our previous post here.

From 20 March 2020 the Act will apply to all existing tenancies with terms of less than seven years.  This means that existing periodic tenancies will be subject to an implied covenant that the dwelling will be fit for human habitation on 20 March 2020 and will then remain fit for human habitation during the rest of the term.

Landlords may have to make improvements and not just carry out repairs to put and keep the property in a fit state for human habitation. The obligation to ensure that a property is ‘fit for human habitation’ extends to the dwelling and all parts of the building (including any common or shared areas) in which the landlord has an estate or interest.

In determining whether a property is fit for human habitation, the Act amends the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 by incorporating the hazards set out in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to the existing nine hazards listed in the 1985 Act. The courts must decide if the property is so far defective in one or more of these matters that it is not reasonably suitable for occupation.

If a landlord does not comply with these obligations, the tenant can sue the landlord directly for breach of its tenancy agreement. Several exceptions may apply if the property is substandard due to the actions of the tenant, or for a reason outside of the landlord’s control, or if reasonable attempts by the landlord to obtain consent from a third party for works were made but consent was not obtained.

Whilst this Act extends to England and Wales, its practical changes only affect properties in England as similar obligations affecting landlords in Wales are dealt with under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.

Here at Simply-Docs our property templates were updated to reflect these legislative changes when the Act came into force for all new tenancies made on or after the 20 March 2019. Our property templates can therefore be used for all existing tenancies of less than seven years from the 20 March 2020. We have also published a Guidance Note on the Act which can be found here.

The current strain of coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, is part of the same family of viruses that includes the common cold and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). There are now three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the UK and the outbreak has spread across China and to at least 18 countries globally.

If the new strain of coronavirus follows the same pattern as the SARS outbreak in 2003, it may be that the impact on the UK is quite limited. Coronavirus is not, however, an issue that employers can just ignore. At present, the risk level is assessed as being low to moderate, but the situation is evolving all the time.

What can I do to keep my workplace and employees safe?

Providing a safe and healthy workplace for employees is a legal requirement and employers should consider the following:

• In general terms, the government advice is for people who may be infected by the coronavirus to take simple, common-sense steps to avoid close contact with other people as much as possible, much as they would with other flu viruses.
• If any employees are required to travel to China, employers should be sure to follow up-to-date government advice (see advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office). Consideration should be given to cancelling visits to affected areas and assessing whether any meetings could be done via electronic means such as Skype or other online video meetings instead.
• Business continuity plans should be reviewed.
• Where employees have recently returned from China, consider allowing them to work from home until it is certain that they are not infected.
• Good hygiene standards should be enforced across businesses with clear hand-washing instructions displayed in kitchens and bathrooms.
• In the event that coronavirus spreads rapidly in the UK, employers will have to review sickness absence policies and add instructions to follow if employees believe they may have been exposed to the virus.

Advice on infection prevention and control for healthcare providers, including care homes, can be found here on the GOV.UK website.

Updated on 6 February 2020 with new number of confirmed cases in the UK.