Electrical Safety Certificates will become mandatory for all new tenancies in England from 1st July 2020, and for all existing tenancies on 1st April 2021. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 requires landlords in England to maintain their properties to the electrical safety standards.
This means your property must meet the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations and you must have a report that shows this from a qualified person. The local authority is responsible for enforcement and they can issue penalties of up to £30,000 per breach of these regulations.
If there is non-urgent work required to make the property compliant, the local authority will serve the landlord a notice detailing the work required and giving them 28 days to perform the work.
The standard EICR lasts for five years but this can be shorter depending on the qualified person’s recommendations, so you should renew it as often as required to ensure it remains valid.
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 have set out a number of different requirements around providing copies of the EICR to relevant people:
- The EICR must be given to all of the tenants before they occupy the property.
- When you replace the EICR you must provide the tenants with a copy of the new report within 28 days of the inspection.
- If a tenant requests a copy of the EICR in writing, you must also provide them with one within 28 days.
- Where the local authority requests the EICR you must provide them with a copy of it within seven days or face potential penalties.
- Any prospective tenants who request a copy in writing must be provided one within 28 days.
Here at Impulse Electrical we can provide landlord electrical safety certificates for any size home, starting from just £100. More information is available here.