Landlords, are you ready for the change in electrical safety and reporting legislation?

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If you are reading this article I imagine you are either aware or curious of impending changes to legislation around electrical safety and reporting. If not, I hope to cover everything you need to know in the following article.

It is expected that the House Of Commons and Lords will, in the coming days/weeks, pass The Electrical Safety Standard in The Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. This will mean that every landlord in England will be required to have a Domestic Electrical Installation Condition Report carried out by a qualified electrician. Once carried out, the report will be valid for 5 years.

The new regulations are being brought in with the intention of ensuring all rental properties are safe for human habitation, with The Residential Landlords Association stating that over thirty deaths and thousands of injuries are caused every year due to the lack of electrical safety. The most high-profile case recently being, the fire at Grenfell Tower, which killed 71 people and was thought to have originated from a faulty fridge freezer. A staggering 10% of fires are due to substandard or faulty electrical installations.

(Source: https://www.rla.org.uk/)

The regulations will come into force from 1^st July 2020 for all new tenancies and from 1^st April 2021 for existing tenancies. Once the report is carried out the landlord/agent must follow the listed time frames and guidelines:

• A copy of the certificate must be kept and renewed every 5 years.
• The tenant must be provided a copy of the certificate at the start of every new tenancy – as landlords currently have to do with Gas Safety Certificates, EPC’s etc.
• Provide a copy to the tenant, at request, within 28 days.
• Provide a copy to the local authority, at request, within 7 days.
• Ensure any works detailed in the report are carried out within 28 days, unless stated otherwise in the report.

Failure to do so can result in a penalty of up to £30,000

Management Service

Our reputation for attention to detail is reflected within our comprehensive management service. The service includes transfer of utilities, cleaning, gardening and other maintenance, detailed check in of the tenant, management of rental account in relation to regular outgoings (ground rent, service charges, maintenance contracts etc), staff on 24 hour emergency call to your tenant, quarterly inspections followed by written reports, organisation and supervision of running repairs, monthly account statements by post or email, liaison with your professional advisors (accountants, solicitors, tax advisors), liaison with insurers where claims are undertaken, vacant property management via regular inspection and final inventory check plus refund of tenants deposit after over-seeing cleaning/gardening/repairs and assessing dilapidations.

To discuss our bespoke management service packages, call Our Property Manager Chris Ramsell on 01235 772299.