@Natalie98There are many regulations you need to comply with, things you need to do etc, for gas, electrics, general safety and so on. Information online is often unclear as to whether or not you *need* to do it. For example, you might find information that some legislation might apply to "Assured Shorthold Tenancies", which implies that it does not necessarily apply for "holiday guests" because they are not on any form of tenancy. Legal guidance, information and advice for property owners really does need to be improved.
Does this particular property need an electrical test every year? Or every 3 years? Is it a legal requirement to get appliances PAT tested every year? Every 2 years? Never? How often do we need to test smoke alarms? Do we need a fire blanket or a fire extinguisher or both or neither? What about requirements of the insurance company? Or local authorities? AAARRRGGHHH!!!
We work on the basis of "better safe than sorry" - we do various things whether they're legally required or not. Every property we own or manage must have electrical and gas certificates and must be tested annually. We do a fire risk assessment on every property. We do a general safety risk assessment on every property. We have smoke alarms and CO2 alarms and test them on every changeover. We provide fire procedures and general safety information in our guest information packs. All housekeepers are given a safety briefing on every property. They carry spare batteries for smoke and CO2 alarms. They check that fire extinguishers have not been used / have not expired. The list goes on and on, but hopefully you get the picture!
It can be very useful to stay in a hotel or with an experienced AirBnB host and read the information they provide to guests. You can normally find someone to do fire and safety risk assessments for you - sure, it costs money, but better safe than sorry.