New Electrical Safety Rules for Landlords
Mon 25 Feb 2019
New Electrical Safety Rules for Landlords
In 2018 the Government ran a consultation for electrical safety in the private rented sector. Following this, it was announced that there would be new regulations that required landlords to undertake 5 yearly safety checks of electrical installations in their properties.
In January, Housing Minister Heather Wheeler MP announced some more information on this topic. Landlords will be required to ensure that the people they employ to carry out these safety inspections are fully qualified to do so. Of course, where a landlord lets a property that is fully managed by an estate agent, the agency has a responsibility to ensure that their contractors are fully qualified as standard already.
Full guidance on what constitutes a minimum level of competence will be published in due course. These guidelines for electrical safety rules for landlords will clearly determine where responsibility and accountability lie for these inspections.
As well as improving the peace of mind for tenants, instigating measures like this will also have a positive impact on the overall material improvements to landlords’ properties.
Combined with the tenant fee ban that comes into play on 1stJune this year, this is yet another example of the Government’s determination to drive up standards in the private rented sector.
