landlords & eicr
WARNING – LANDLORDS FACE SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL RISKS & HEAVY FINES
landlords get certified
Before Purchasing a property
There are several obvious items to check when purchasing a property such as the quality of the boiler, roof, damp and the structure – many of which will be picked up by surveys. Surveys show that 67% of new home owners fail to check their electrics. The cost of remedying electrical issues after moving in averages approximately £2,000, with some costs rising as high as £10,000.
Inspections
However, if you want to check the electrics then you would need a separate inspection by a registered electrician.
A survey of more than 2,000 homeowners who purchased their property in the past two years found of the 2.4 million property sales in the past two years, only 37 per cent have used a an EICR.
fault finding
We’re encouraging people to use a registered electrician to do a quick and relatively inexpensive check to ensure they know exactly what they’re getting into with the property purchase.
Safety first
Not conducting an EICR significantly increases the risk of additional expense, and electric shock or fire, to the buyer and their family.
What is an eicr?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report inspects the state of the switches, sockets, fixed wiring and any other power sources in a property to check they comply with international safety standards.
Similar to a home or building survey, you can get this done before contracts are exchanged on a property purchase.
They need to be done by qualified electricians and will involve a visual inspection to identify any overloaded or broken power sources as well as electrical testing to make sure all the connections are safe and correct.
Costs will vary depending on the size of the property and where you live but expect to pay £150 to £250.
There may be more to pay if anything needs to be fixed but this could help you negotiate the purchase price and save you money in the future.
There is no legal requirement to get an electrical report when buying a residential property but since December landlords in Scotland have been put under a legal requirement to ensure their rented properties are electrically safe by providing regular reports, or they may face fines.
Any tenant moving into a rental property in Scotland since December 2015 must be provided with a copy of an EICR accompanied by a Portable Appliance Test for movable objects such as microwaves.
These rules do not apply to landlords in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY FIRST’S TOP TIPS ON HOW TO CHECK THE Landlords – your electrical safety obligations
AH Electrical Services has found that landlords are exposing themselves to significant financial risks from fines and invalidated insurance through not acting on their electrical safety obligations.
Landlords are also putting millions of UK private tenants at risk of serious accident or fire. We have clarified your obligations for electrical safety in rental properties and provide a range of resources to help you keep your tenants safe.
Your responsibilities as a landlord
Landlords are required by law to ensure:
That the electrical installation in a rented property is safe when tenants move in and maintained in a safe condition throughout its duration.
That a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) has a periodic inspection carried out on the property every five years. If your property is not an HMO, you are not legally obliged to do this.
However, we recommend that a registered electrician carry out an EICR on your rental property every 5 years. That any appliance provided is safe and has at least the CE marking (which is the manufacturer’s claim that it meets all the requirements of European law).
To meet these requirements a landlord will need to regularly carry out basic safety checks to ensure that the electrical installation and appliances are safe and working.
AH Electrical Services recommends…
That a visual inspection of the property is conducted between tenancies
Making sure that your property has adequate RCD protection on all circuits
Using a registered electrician to carry out any work on your property
Carrying out regular safety checks on the electrical appliances provided as part of the rental agreement
Electrical Safety First has found that landlords are exposing themselves to significant financial risks, from fines and invalidated insurance, through not acting on their electrical safety obligations.
Landlords are also putting millions of UK private tenants at risk of serious accident or fire. We have clarified your obligations for electrical safety in rental properties and provide a range of resources to help you keep your tenants safe.
Landlords are also putting millions of UK private tenants at risk of serious accident or fire. We have clarified your obligations for electrical safety in rental properties and provide a range of resources to help you keep your tenants safe.