15/05/2020
New: Landlords' Safety Obligations
Up until now, unlike with Gas Appliances, there has been no specific requirement for Landlords to have regular electrical safety inspection and testing, although in the event of a claim by tenants a landlord would be able to show that he had done his best to ensure safety by having a certificate to show the property had been inspected and tested,
From July this year the "Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020" make this compulsory with massive penalties (up to £30,000) for non-compliance. Inspection and testing must be carried out by a competent electrician at least every 5 years and with every new tenancy.
The landlord receives an "Electrical Installation Condition Report" showing the results of the inspection and testing and this also shows areas which require further investigation or remedial work. There are 3 levels of urgency: Code C1 means there is danger present and which must be rectified immediately. C2 means potentially dangerous and requires attention but not necessarily right away, and C3 means that part of the installation does not conform to the latest wiring standards and an upgrade is recommended but not mandatory.
If there are codes C1 or C2 present on the report then the certificate shows that the installation is "Unsatisfactory" and the landlord is legally obliged to take remedial action and the electrician would then provide a further certificate to show that this work had been undertaken.
JV Electrical perform this Periodic Inspection and Testing, both for Landlords and homeowners (where it is recommended every 10 years and is required by solicitors for a house sale).
These are very thorough inspections and tests and require every light fitting, every power socket, switch, junction and connection along with consumer unit (fuseboard) to be examined along with many individual electrical tests to be carried out and the results interpreted, I need access to every room and in any loft space along with garages, sheds or any outside places with electrical equipment or connections. I am likely to be at the property for most of the day and a lot of that time the power will need to be disconnected, It is not a quick easy job and does not come cheap!
Our prices start from £150 for a straightforward studio apartment or one bed bungalow to many hundreds for a 5 bed property on 3 floors, Looking on various electricians forums we are concerned that there may be a "race to the bottom" where some firms attempt to undercut everyone but the standards fall. This means that one of two things happen: the job is rushed and either fraudulently or carelessly an inaccurate report is produced, or secondly the cheap report turns out costly because the electrician adds unnecessary C1 and C2 codes, forcing landlords to either have expensive "remedial work" or go to a reputable electrician, pay the money and get the proper inspection, test and report!
You normally get what you pay for and something that seems too good to be true (which I would say under £100 for a full inspection and test) probably is!
