Extraction fans in kitchen and bathroom

[F]

I'm in the middle of sorting out the rewiring of a property and am led to believe that extraction fans are required in the kitchen and bathroom if it is to be let. Is that correct?

[HLAH]

ya go.

H

[meow2222]

no

[Lobster]

Only if the rooms concerned are undergoing a change of use (ie different room is now the kitchen and/or bathroom) or if one or both is completely internal; or if the property was built since the current regs came into being which say that new builds must comply.

Nothing specific to being let; however IMHO if you're rewiring the place anyway you'd be nuts not to incorporate both... it will benefit the property in keeping it properly ventilated. Let properties are notorious for condensation/mould problems.

David

[The Natural Philosopher]

They are required in most cases as part of building regs anyway.

[F]

Thanks! All I have to do now is translate it into English!

[Lobster]

Well if you do, do bear in mind the other replies which point out that these building regs are irrelavant to your letting scenario; as are basically the regs themselves unless your property was built since they were released...

David

[F]

One response was a clear 'no' but another was 'They are required in most cases as part of building regs anyway'. Which leaves me confused!

[Lobster]

I suspect the "no" was in connection with the letting scenario, which is correct; and the "They are required in most cases as part of building regs anyway" is also correct, but the building regs concerned may or may not apply to you, as I tried to explain in my post. Both those answers suffered from being too brief, hence they were apparently totally contradictory!

If you want a one-word answer to your query: tell us when the property was built, and whether you are changing the use of either bathroom or bedroom.

You might also want to look at my (conicidental) current thread about condensation in rented properties, which is why I said I thought you'd be daft not to go ahead and fit the extractors regardless! :-)

David

[meow2222]

There is no requirement for a property to meet current building regs, whether a private dwelling or let. There is thus no blanket requirement for fans.

For many years it has been a requirement to have forced ventilation for bathrooms with no other means of ventilation, ie for the minority of b'rooms with no window, fixed vent, etc.

For a more precise answer you'd have to have told us when it was built and what the ventiation situation was with b'room and kitch.

NT

[F]

Apologies for the lack of information.

The house was built in 1959.

Both bathroom and kitchen have been so since 1959. The kitchen will continue to house a washing machine and gas hob.

All windows in the house are being replaced in the coming week and there will continue to be openers in both bathroom and kitchen.

Both kitchen and bathroom have vents in the wall with grills over them. I'd prefer to block up the one in the kitchen to maximise the amount of wall cupboard storage. This need to improve storage space, along with the need to reduce rewiring costs, is the reason for wanting to lose at least the fan in the kitchen.

My father will continue to live in the house for the time being, but I'm expecting that he will need to move into a residential home within the next few months for additional care. Hence the need to obtain rental income to pay the fees.

If I've missed anything out, let me know!

TIA

[Lobster]

OK, the answer is definetely "NO" to installing extractor fans then, from a legal point of view.

But I still think you should reconsider!

But a big NB here: as there are existing fixed vents do bear in mind that they may well be very necessary if you have certain gas appliances: that's a whole new can of worms. Try the Gas Fitting FAQ at:

David

[F]

Thanks.

Understood!

Tonight's required reading!

[jim]

I agree so far as Building regs are concerned...but....

Perhaps you also need to consider whether the house will become an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) on being rented out.

*IF* it does then it probably will require to meet additional Building Reg-type rules imposed by the local council (& you as landlord will need to register with the council). The few sets of HMO rules I have seen (from a variety of councils) indicate each council makes up its own rules though they do have lot in common. Pattern is of a pig's breakfast of cribbed regulations.

The effect of many HMO rules is to force imposition of (& compliance with) the latest (ie current) Building Regs on property which would otherwise be exempt - so in your case you could be forced to instal ventilation as a condition of letting. There's also a tendency for individual councils to add Nanny-state rules.

A single house can become an HMO simply by being shared by 3 or more unrelated tenants (eg students). Regardless of occupancy, HMO regs can apply to a house with 3 stories - eg with an attic room. Becoming an HMO has Planning Permission implications & may not be so simple to reverse out of. BEWARE.

It would be a good idea to check (anonymously so you don't alert the council) what HMO rules are applied in your area.

Beware also of the stealth HMO registration tax (hundreds of smackers). If you have HMOs in n council areas you need to register n times (that's n x the original no of smackers).

If you own several HMOs in a single council area, that also = an enhanced no of smackers, though only 1 registration is required (SFAIUI).

Consider careful *LEGAL* drafting of the tenancy agreement to limit occupation to tenants approved (& hence numbers limited) by yourself (& make sure the tenants must indemnify you if anything they do makes the house an HMO).

+++++ On the other front, be very careful before blocking an air vent into any room with a gas, oil or soild fuel heater. It is something I would avoid even if the regs appeared to allow it. Maybe you can find an alternate path for the duct? - eg reroute it into the ceiling/floor void above between joists - but if you do you will need to box the duct in plasterboard to make it fire-proof.

HTH