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As a landlord, it is your responsibility under The Landlords and Tenants Act 1985 to make your property as secure as possible for your tenants.
This refers to ensuring that a range of safety checks are carried out before renting out the property. These include electrical safety requirements as well as gas safety.
Aside from putting valuable lives at risk, failing to keep up with these checks could land the landlords in some serious trouble and they could face legal consequences.
As evidence that all the safety checks have been performed and are up to date, the landlords are awarded certificates and documents that they must provide to either a new tenant or an existing one at tenancy renewal.
Read on to find out all about landlord safety certificates, what they involve, their typical costs, how often they must be carried out, the legal requirements, and much more:
Landlords must carry out all the necessary checks and inspections before renting out their property and retain the documentary evidence in the form of a certificate that they can show future tenants and stay compliant with the law.
To keep the property safe and free from any health hazards, the following landlord safety certificates must be obtained:
By law, all landlords must have their gas appliances and pipes checked annually by a Gas Safe engineer and a copy of the certificate, which lists all the checks carried out, must be provided to tenants and the relevant agencies.
Landlords must make sure that the electrical system is safe, which includes the wiring, consumer unit, circuits, sockets, and light fittings, as well as all the appliances on the property, for example, kettles and cookers.
An Energy Performance Certificate measures the energy efficiency of a property and helps tenants determine how much they will be expected to pay to heat their homes.
Apart from the above-mentioned mandatory landlord safety certificates, there are other areas of concern that, although do not require certification, must be adhered to. They include:
Although there are no fire safety certificates, there are a number of regulations that all landlords must abide by.
They include fitting at least one smoke alarm on every storey of a building used as accommodation, fitting a carbon monoxide monitor in all occupied rooms, checking that all the alarms are in good working condition, ensuring that any furniture provided meets the fire-resistance requirements, and providing fire safety equipment in HMOs.
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002), landlords are required to carry out a risk assessment for the Legionella bacteria which typically breeds in air conditioning, heating systems, and water pipes.
According to the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020, which came into force on 1 June 2020, landlords are required to have the electrical installations in their rented properties inspected and tested by a competent person.
These regulations make it mandatory for all landlords in the country to:
After the inspection is done, landlords must:
Landlords must keep these certificates safe as they can help save on further costly investigative work. In addition to that, in the event of an injury or fire, these certificates can be used as evidence to show that the electrical installations have been installed according to the safety standards.
The consequences of failing to comply with the electrical safety regulations can land the landlords in some serious trouble. They could face the following actions if their electrical installations are found to be unsafe:
The regulations apply to all rented properties where a private tenant pays rent and has the right to occupy the property as their only or primary residence.
A few exceptions are set out in the regulations that include social housing, lodgers, student halls of residence, hostels, refuges, care homes, hospitals, hospices, and other related healthcare accommodations.
In the case of a house in multiple occupations (HMO), the regulations apply if the HMO is the tenant’s only or primary residence and they pay rent.
An electrical safety inspection, also called a periodic electrical inspection or Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), is carried out on residential and commercial properties to check the health of the current electrical installations.
The purpose of the inspection is to:
The electrical inspection is done in two parts; a visual assessment and a detailed inspection, at the end of which a report and certificate are issued.
The regulations do not cover electrical appliances that are not fixed such as microwaves, fridges, and televisions. For them, the landlords are recommended to carry out portable appliance testing (PAT).
A visual assessment is a basic check carried out to ensure all the installations are safe to use. They are focused on any visible signs such as burning, overheating, or damage.
A few obvious signs to look out for include hot outlets, flickering lights, weird odours, smoke, discolouration, sparks, electric shocks, loose outlets, messy, tangled, or frayed wires, and fires.
A detailed inspection is more thorough than a visual inspection, at the end of which an EICR and certificate are issued.
It checks the health of the electrical system and installations and must be carried out every 5 years, or sooner, depending on the condition of the electrics.
PAT testing for landlords involves the testing of all electrical appliances that are not fixed into the property’s wiring. These include microwaves, portable grills, toasters, coffee machines, kettles, televisions, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, computers, printers, and lamps.
There are currently no strict legal regulations which state that you must conduct regular PAT testing for your portable electrical appliances as part of your responsibilities as a good landlord.
The government, however, has put special emphasis on having the appliances and installations maintained and in good working condition, and the best way to go about that is through PAT testing.
It is recommended that items should be tested between 3 to 12 months depending on the type and use of the appliance.
The landlords electrical safety certificate shows whether the electrical installations are safe for continued use or not. If the EICR report issued at the end of the inspection doesn’t require any investigative or remedial work, the landlord will not be required to carry out any further work.
The report can be classified into one of three codes, which indicate if a landlord must undertake remedial work or not. They include:
If the report shows that remedial work or further investigation is required, landlords must have it done within 28 days, or sooner if specified as necessary. Written confirmation must also be provided within 28 days by the landlord to the tenant and the local authority that the work has been carried out.
If the landlord fails to get the remedial work done, they are in direct violation of the Regulations and will be served a remedial notice by the local authority.
Having regular electrical safety certificate inspections can assure that your tenants are safe and you are compliant with the law.
Typical costs for obtaining a landlords electrical safety certificate range anywhere from £79 to £169 including VAT. For exact costs, feel free to contact us for a detailed discussion of your property.
The cost depends on several factors such as the type and size of your property, the ease of access, your location, and much more.
The cost can go up or down depending on how your property is and how many rooms it has. Bigger properties require a longer checking period and take more time to complete compared to a smaller property.
Similar to the previous point, the more appliances you own, the longer the inspection will take. This includes both fixed as well as portable appliances.
This may be the case in older properties that require substantial rewiring and have an older consumer unit that needs to be updated to a newer one. The cost for this will be higher compared to no rewiring needed.
This refers to how easy it is to access your electrical unit as well as your property. If the electrical unit is placed in a hard-to-reach place, this will increase the time it will take to finish the job. Similarly, if your property is difficult to find or in a very far-off area, it may incur additional charges.
Keeping in mind the inherent dangers of faulty electrical wiring and installations, landlords must make sure that these inspections are carried out by fully qualified contractors who are NICEIC approved and can check the electrical installations against BS 7671, the UK standard for electrical safety, and the IEE Wiring Regulations.
This is very important as local authorities and letting agents accept safety certificates issued only by qualified and certified individuals.
Any electrical inspector you choose to undertake the electrical inspection of your property must be qualified and have relevant experience and adequate insurance.
This will not only help you stay compliant with the law but also give you peace of mind knowing that your tenants are safe and you have fulfilled your responsibility as a good landlord.
At Calder Electrical Services, we offer a wide range of installation, maintenance, and testing services for all kinds of domestic, rented, commercial, and industrial properties.
Our experienced NICEIC registered electrical contractors are here to deliver a professional and high-quality service following the current wiring regulations.
Our testing and inspection services include:
It is a requirement under the Electricity of Work Act 1989 that as a business or commercial space, you must make sure that the electrical installations are deemed safe for use by your employees and the public. This is done by carrying out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at regular intervals, which can range from 3 to 5 years.
Our experts can run various tests to find faults in your commercial property’s electrical system through an EICR and help prevent any accidents and injuries by recommending remedial work to fix the faults ASAP.
It is recommended in the wiring regulations BS 7671 that a domestic property must be regularly inspected and tested after an electrical installation every 5 to 10 years, or if you are buying/selling the property.
Our experts can conduct a thorough visual assessment to identify any clear signs of damage along with a detailed EICR where each circuit is tested and inspected to make sure it is not deteriorating and is safe to use.
If you are currently private renting to a tenant, you will need to make sure that the electrical installations within the property are safe for use.
Our experts can provide a Landlords Safety Certificate to identify any issues and make sure your property is safe for use and up to electrical standards and regulations. You will need to carry out a landlord electrical inspection every 5 years or whenever there is a change in tenancy.
Portable Appliance Testing tests items that are not part of the fixed wiring such as ovens, kettles, and microwaves, and so do not fall under the electrical testing of the premises.
It is recommended that they are tested between 3 to 12 months depending on the type and usage of the item.
Contact us here or call us on 0800 612 3001 to talk to our certified team of professional electricians to get your Landlords Safety Certificate!
