Phthalates found in dolls Almost 30 per cent of the dolls tested in a recent trading standards project exceeded the legal limit for health-damaging phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to serious health issues, and there is a strict legal limit on their presence in toys – they cannot exceed 0.1 per cent of the plasticised material. Unscrupulous manufacturers use phthalates to soften the plastics when making dolls and other toys. A child putting one of these toys in its mouth could absorb the chemicals. If a toy exceeds the limit, then it does not comply with the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011. Non-compliance is a criminal offence and the maximum penalty – for each offence – is a fine of up to £5,000 or a maximum prison term of six months, or both. As mentioned in the spring edition of TSBN, trading standards officers across England and Wales bought cheap plastic toy dolls and submitted them for testing to find out whether they contained phthalates. During the project, 158 samples were tested and the key findings are outlined below: l 47 samples (29.7 per cent) were found to contain phthalates in excess of the legal limit l 31 (66 per cent) of these non-compliant samples were also incorrectly labelled, indicating a general lack of understanding of the legal requirements that apply in the EU l 38 (80.9 per cent) of the samples that failed contained at least one per cent of the round-up Summer 2016 round-up phthalate found; shockingly, 34 of these contained more than 10 per cent A previous sampling project carried out by CEnTSA in 2014 found that 20 per cent of the toys tested exceeded the limit. On this occasion, the results were even worse – nearly 30 per cent were non-compliant. There is clear evidence of a problem with the presence of phthalates in plastic dolls, so businesses involved in the toy supply chain need to be aware of this when sourcing products. Guidance on the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 can be found at Gov.uk Find out more There are a number of ways to find out further information, including: contacting your council or private sector housing team for advice; using a model tenancy agreement form; reading the guide for landlords on tenancy agreements. You should also: consider joining an accreditation scheme such as the Midland Landlord Accreditation Scheme; visit the National Landlords Association; visit the Residential Lettings Association; and read the private rented sector code of practice. Aware of crime? Report it anonymously to Trading Standards The level playing field that nurtures and promotes economic growth and development for businesses, locally and nationally, is maintained by Trading Standards. It partly does this by providing advice and assistance to honest and legitimate traders who request guidance on legislation, and by assisting those traders who lose their way in the world of Trading Standards and need a little help to become compliant. Where businesses choose to trade outside the law and ignore the advice and guidance given, Trading Standards tackles them by using appropriate enforcement action. A lack of willingness and cooperation to comply with trading law – and any engagement in criminal activity – undermines and harms legitimate trade. This inevitably leads to honest businesses being disadvantaged and having to compete against traders who offer inferior goods and services. To survive, the honest business may be forced to lower its standards or its quality of product, resulting in unsatisfied consumers. Left unchecked, this leads to a loss in consumer confidence, and has resulted in certain trade sectors being mistrusted. By working with Trading Standards, legitimate businesses that believe their sector is being damaged and undermined by unscrupulous traders can now help focus and target Trading Standards’ resources, and reduce the harm being inflicted upon their profession. Traders who believe their profession’s reputation is being harmed and undermined by illegitimate traders working outside the law can now report people engaged in such activities via the anonymous, automated hotline 0300 303 2636 or by using the online reporting system www.centsa.org.uk/anonymous-hotline Working together to rid professions of unlawful traders will result in better reputations for these sectors, and improve consumer confidence and trust. This will, in turn, encourage growth in trade and economic development, both locally and nationally. Report foul play to create a level playing field for all. Credit: Paul Gudger For further information please contact your local Trading Standards Service Landlords: need-to-know Do you rent out your property? If so, you have a number of responsibilities to your tenants. As a landlord you must: l Keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards l Make sure all gas and electrical equipment is installed and maintained safely l Issue the tenant with a gas safety certificate every 12 months l Provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property l Protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme l Check whether your tenant has the right to sublet your property if it is in England l Give your tenant a copy of the ‘How to rent checklist’ when they start renting from you (you can email it to them) l Fit and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms l Follow fire safety regulations for property in a purpose-built block of flats or for houses and property converted into flats l Ensure any furniture you supply meets fire safety requirements and features permanent labels stating this l Not use any unfair terms in your tenancy agreements House in Multiple Occupation If you let your property to several tenants who aren’t members of the same family, it may be a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). Your property is an HMO if both of the following apply: at least three tenants live there, forming more than one household; and the toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities are shared. A household consists of either a single person or members of the same family who live together. It includes people who are married or living together, and people in same-sex relationships. An HMO must have a licence if it is both: l Three- or more storeys high l Occupied by five or more people A council can also include other types of HMOs for licensing. Contact your local council for details on how to get a HMO licence. Credit: Murray Dewar Images: Lena Lir / Shutterstock Credit: James Greenaway