The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has introduced legislation for landlords in England to make it a mandatory requirement to have electrical safety checks carried out in their properties. These electrical safety checks are to be carried out at intervals of no more than 5 years by a qualified and competent person. This new legislation comes into force on 1st June 2020 for Landlords in England for electrical safety checks to be completed on their properties following the timeline below-
(a) all new specified tenancies from 1st July 2020; and
(b) all existing specified tenancies from 1st April 2021.
WHAT IS AN ELECTRICAL SAFETY CHECK?
This is a series of inspections and tests of the electrical installation, which does not include electrical appliances. It is recommended that appliances are also checked for safety, however it is not a requirement of the legislation.
WHAT DOCUMENTS SHOULD I RECEIVE?
This will depend on the work carried out, for some existing installations there may be a valid (less than 5 years old) Electrical Installation Certificate covering the whole property, this would have been issued when the installation was first installed or rewired. If there is no valid Electrical Installation Certificate then a report is required, this is generally known as an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). This report will provide you with an overview of the condition of the electrical installation and, where relevant, will list any remedial works that may be required.
If you are a landlord with any questions or wish to book an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) then get in contact with us!
Further Informtion:
NICEIC
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020