Landlords and agents will need to ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new tenancies in England from 1 July 2020 or from 1 April 2021 for existing tenancies.
The Government has laid The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 meaning landlords must ensure every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person. The Regulations also state that a landlord is required to obtain a report of the results of the inspection and test, supply it to each tenant within 28 days and retain a copy until the next inspection is due.
We have contracts in place with Electricians to carry out the required inspection and can offer rates as follows to all customers of Lenwell (unfortunately, currently we are unable to provide any inspections for landlords that are not clients of Lenwell)
Where your property is managed by ourselves we will arrange an Electrical Safety Check on your behalf. The current rates are as follows:
Proven breaches of the Regulations can result in the local housing authority imposing a financial penalty of up to £30,000
No, tenant appliances are not part of the check
Portable appliance checks are the responsibility of the appliance owner, therefore, we recommend landlords remove portable appliances from their property prior to letting
We have arranged preferrential rates with local electrical contractors and where your property is managed by us we will arrange the check on your behalf. Current rates are on this home page and a full list of charges for any repair work that could be required can be downloaded from this page
Yes.
Where, on expiry of the fixed term the tenancy rolls over into a periodic tenancy automatically by statute rather than by contract, the periodic tenancy would be a new tenancy. Therefore, those properties let on statutory periodic tenancies where the Fixed Term expires between 1 July 2020 and 1 April 2021 will require an inspection and test at this point under the Regulations.
Yes.
They do not apply to social housing, shared accommodation with a landlord or landlord’s family, long leases, student halls of residence, hostels and refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices as well as other accommodation relating to healthcare provision.
This is a different type of safety check which is the responsibility of the appliance owner, therefore, we recommend landlords remove portable appliances from their property prior to letting. It is not however currently a legal requirement to have a PAT test done, but it is a legal requirement for landlords to ensure that electrical appliances provided with the property are electrically safe.
Where the landlord has been prevented from entering the property by the tenant or tenants, the landlord will not be deemed to have failed to comply with the Regulations. Keep proof of all communications regarding a tenants refusal to allow access.
5 Years from issue.
