Many landlords may have missed the news but it’s a big one. From July 2020 any new lettings legally require a landlord electrical safety certificate, also know as an electrical installation conditions report (EICR). Landlords with existing lettings have until April 2021 to obtain a report.
But what’s included in a landlord electrical safety certificate? What are the risks if you don’t arrange an EICR for your property and what rights does your tenant have? Let’s take a look.
1
EICR Legal Requirements in
England and Wales
The EICR legal requirements in England and Wales has a gray area. Electrical safety certificates for landlords were designed to prove that new equipment supplied by landlords is safe. But there was no legislation to cover regular inspection.
The new EICR landlord electrical safety certificate which became a mandatory requirement in June 2020, closes the loop. This means the onus is on the landlord to ensure a property is maintained sufficiently enough to prevent danger to people or property. The landlord certificate also puts additional pressure on landlords to undertake regular maintenance of their property.
In addition, the EICR safety certificate is now a standard requirement when applying for landlord insurance.
2
What’s included in the
EICR certificate?
An electrical safety certificate is a conclusive review of all electronics within a property and a indicates the following:
- Electrical faults which could cause shock or burns
- Ensure sufficient protection from fire or heat building up on a circuit
- Risk of overloading
- Alterations that can harm to people or damage to property
- Water or flood risks
3
EICR electrical safety certificate
landlord checks
As a landlord looking to let out a property, obtaining a landlord electrical safety certificate doesn’t need to be an expensive job. In fact you can carry out a lot of the work checked in an EICR prior to a qualified electrician arriving. Here are some of the things to check:
- Take a look around all the electrical installations, like sockets and fittings. Check for burn marks where shorting may have occurred. One of the benefits of keeping on top of your property as a landlord is that your tenants will inform you of any issues, so when it comes around to obtaining a new electrical safety certificate, you’ll fly through the checks.
- Make sure all electrical appliances that are in the property are fully working and are CE marked.
- Note the dates when inspection is due (every five years for a rental property or when you have a new tenant move in), without having a landlord EICR certificate for your property you risk heavy penalties.
4
Failure to provide a landlord electrical safety certificate.
What’s the risk?
Your tenant has a right to request an EICR landlord electrical safety certificate and you’re obliged by law to provide this within 30 days of written request.
Without an electrical safety certificate (EICR) landlords can face the following actions:
- A fine of £5,000;
- imprisonment of six months;
- in the event of injury or death, they may face criminal charges; and
- invalidated property insurance.
5
What’s the cost of an
EICR?
There are some old properties in Shropshire which means that an EICR landlord certificate can take longer than normal the first time around (or if major work has been done). But here’s a rundown of our usual prices:
- Landlord electrical safety certificate (EICR) for 1-3 bed property – £99 inc VAT
- Landlord electrical safety certificate (EICR) & PAT test for 1-3 bed property – £129 inc VAT
- Landlord electrical safety certificate (EICR) for 4 bed property – £129 inc VAT
- Landlord electrical safety certificate (EICR) & PAT test for 4 bed property – £169 inc VAT
- Commercial EICR – Get in touch to discuss your requirements.
Prices are inclusive of VAT (rate of 20%)
