Electrical Safety for Landlords

The electrical safety standards for the private rented sector in England came into force on 1 June 2020 and applies to all new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021. The regulation sets out new rules for landlords to ensure all fixed electrical installations are safe and maintained correctly.

What does it mean as a landlord?

As a landlord, you're responsible for the safety of the electrics throughout the property – this includes the installation itself and any electrical appliances you've provided. You'll need to make sure these are safe when a new tenant moves in and maintained for the duration of their tenancy.

For landlords in Scotland or whose properties are classified as HMO’s it is a legal requirement to get an EICR completed at least every 5 years.

As of 1st June 2020, private landlords are now legally required to have an EICR at least every five years.

If you started a new tenancy on or after 1st July 2020, you should have completed an inspection and testing before your new tenants moved in. For existing tenancies, you'll need to complete it by 1st April 2021.

But if you don't, you could face fines of up to £30,000 and your insurance could be invalidated. Banning orders may also be brought for serious or repeated offences.

What is an EICR?

An EICR (Electrical Inspection Condition Report)checks whether your property's wiring and electrics are safe and is always carried out by a qualified electrician.

What happens during an EICR?

There are five main things your electrician will do when performing an EICR:

1. They'll record the results of their inspection and tests to make sure the electrics are safe to be used until the next inspection (following any necessary works)
2. They'll find and report any damage or wear and tear that might make the electrics unsafe
3. They'll check for anything that doesn't meet the IET wiring regulations
4. They'll check for anything that may cause electric shocks and high temperatures
5. They'll provide a record of the installation at the time of inspection
   
   

What an EICR provide and what does it tell me?

An EICR provides landlords with a summary of the condition of the electrics in the rental property and recommend any observations or remedial action required in order to ensure that the electrical installation is in a satisfactory condition for continued service, compliant with the current British Standard for electrical safety (BS 7671). Generally, an EICR will provide coding against any electrical installation, fixtures, fittings or equipment which fails to pass electrical safety inspection.

The coding’s are categorised into 3 types – C1, C2 & C3.

Code C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) must be rectified to meet Electrical safety standards.

Code C1 means that anyone using the installation is at risk and remedial work should be carried out immediately.

C3 indicates an observed finding which whilst not immediately dangerous would be a beneficial improvement to the safety of the electrical installation.

For more information about electrical safety, you can read the government guidelines here.