Landlord electrical safety certificate
Bury St Edmunds
Electrical testing for landlords and their properties
Landlords are legally bound to provide a safe environment for their tenants. This includes the property’s electrical system and any electric appliances included as part of the rental.
Since July 1st 2020, the law now demands each property must hold an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICE) before a new tenancy can begin. This report is considered the electrical safety certificate, standard to the industry.
JW Warren Electrical are happy to provide electrical certificate testing and reports for all landlords offering single occupancy properties or Houses in Multiple Occupancy. Our testing procedure is designed to meet all the obligations of the Government regulations.
Why electrical testing is important for landlords and tenants
Deterioration of electrical installations, wiring, and equipment
Damage to switches, sockets, cables, and electrical equipment and appliances
Misuse and overloading of the installation and its equipment
Insufficient, or lack of maintenance
Vandalism
Legal requirements of electrical safety for landlords
This applies for all new tenancy contracts signed after July 1st 2020 and pre-existing tenancy contracts from April 1st 2021.
A copy of the written report (that acts as the electrical certificate) must be provided to each tenant before they move into the property. For existing tenants, a copy of the report has to be provided within 28 days of the inspection.
Where the report dictates further investigation, or that repairs and upgrades are required, they must be completed within 28 days of the initial inspection and carried out by a qualified technician.
Local authorities can request a copy of the report, and if they do, the landlord must supply them with a copy within 7 days of their request. A landlord failing to meet the regulations or break the law in accordance with them can be fined up to £30,000 for each breach.
Landlords stand to face multiple penalties for each issue that isn’t resolved. You can see just how important it is to hold the correct certificate of electrical safety, not only for the safety of your tenants but to run your business legally and avoid excessive and unnecessary fines.
BS 7671 requirements for electrical installations
IEE wiring regulations – 18th Edition
Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
Health & Safety at Work regulations 1999
Provisions and Use of Work Equipment regulations 1998
Electricity at Work regulations 1989
Testing completed by fully qualified City & Guilds engineers
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for landlords
JW Warren Electrical are specialists when it comes to handling inspections and reports. We are here to offer landlords expert advice on their properties, assisting them with all the regulations and certification they require.
Our testing procedure covers all areas of the legal requirements, including:
Testing fuses and circuit breakers and their ratings
Fuse board testing
In-built and fixed appliance testing
Possible overloads, shock risks, and fire hazards
All installation circuitry
Lighting, switch, and socket systems
Earthing and bonding
24/7 Emergency call-out electrical service
We know that accidents happen, and our electrical appliances and systems can fail us at any time, night or day. That’s why we offer all of our clients the peace of mind that a qualified electrician provides.
Our phone lines are always on and ready to take your call. Whatever your electrical crisis may be, and whatever electrician services you need, our one-hour emergency service is available to everyone in the Bury St. Edmonds area.
We offer advice and recommendations where any areas of the report result in a classification that demands remedial work
Code C1 (C1): Danger present. Risk of injury.
Code C2 (C2): Potentially dangerous.
Code C3 (C3): Improvement recommended. A C3 issue doesn’t necessarily need to be resolved for the report to be deemed satisfactory—it’s merely a recommendation that will improve the electrical safety of the property.
Further Investigation (FI): Further investigation into the property is required immediately.
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) for landlords
Typically, this covers white goods such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, and cookers. It also includes less obvious items like TVs, kettles, microwaves, and coffee machines, or plug-in heaters and air-conditioning.
Items belonging to the tenants are their own responsibility, and won’t necessarily be included in any PAT testing carried out under the landlord’s request. For their safety, they should organise PAT testing to hold the correct electrical safety certification for their own electrical appliances.
Landlord testing for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs)
A House in Multiple Occupancy is one that is rented by at least 3 people who are not part of the same household (for example, a family). However, these tenants share facilities within the property, such as a kitchen or bathrooms.
What happens if your property requires remedial work after testing?
You are under no obligation to choose us to carry out the work, but in many instances we can carry out the work while we’re there, saving on additional call-out charges.
If you would prefer to source an alternative electrician, they must provide written confirmation that the work has been carried out, appropriate to the electric certificate. This confirmation must be supplied by an electrician who is qualified to do the work and to certify its safety.
Which types of property are exempt from the Electrical Safety Regulations?
Some properties are exempt from this type of electrical safety testing. The safety of those properties is managed by alternative organisations, providing an appropriate electricity certificate.
These include social housing, a home with a lodger, student halls of residence, hostels and refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices, alternative healthcare accommodation, and tenants with long-term leases of 7 years or more.
Full details of these exceptions can be found in Schedule 1 of the Regulations.