The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force on 1st June 2020, and require five-yearly inspections of electrical installations.
The new regulations will apply to all new tenancies from the 1st July 2020 and to existing tenancies from the 1st April 2021.
Landlords will have to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a ‘qualified and competent’ person at least every five years and they will have a legal obligation to provide a copy of this report to their tenants.
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Landlords legal obligations are:
- Ensure that the electrical installations in their rented properties are inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years.
- A ‘Satisfactorily’ report must be provided by this person providing the results of the test and a date for the next inspection and test.
- Provide a copy of the satisfactorily report to current tenants within 28 days of the inspection.
- Provide a copy of the satisfactorily report to new tenants before they move into a property.
- Provide a copy of the satisfactorily report to any prospective tenant within 28 days of receiving a request for it.
- Provide a copy of a copy of the satisfactorily report to the Local Authority within 7 days of receiving a request for a copy.
Inspections
Inspections will test the ‘fixed’ electrical parts of a property such as the wiring, sockets, fuse box and light fittings. It will also include fixed equipment such as showers and extractors.
They will check for
- Any defective electrical work
- Any potential electric shock or fire hazards
- Any electrical overloading
- Lack of earthing or bonding
The Report
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) will show if the electrical installation is safe for continued use. The report may require further investigative or remedial work. Inspectors will use the following codes to indicate the severity of the issue.
Code C1 – Danger present. Risk of injury. The electrical inspector may make any C1 hazards safe before leaving.
Code C2 – Potentially Dangerous
Code C3 – Improvement recommended. Further remedial work is recommended at some stage but not required for the report to be ‘Satisfactory’
Remedial Work
If the inspection report shows remedial works such as C1 or C2 codes are present or further investigation is necessary, then a landlord must complete the work within 28 days or sooner if requested. Landlords must provide written confirmation to their tenant that the work has been carried out and the report is now satisfactory.
This is a very brief summary but full details can be found at: Government Guidance