Gas & Electric Certificate

tbs624

I’d also be interested to know to which law Simonne15 is referring .

AFIAA the duties of a LL regarding electrical safety are contained within the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Consumer Protection Act 1987, the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the Building Regs 2000.

Those who manage HMOs have specific legal obligations on electrical safety certification (as TJ27 has mentioned above) under The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Additional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2007.

Non-HMO LLs who voluntarily sign up to a local accreditation scheme may need to have regular electrical safety certification and some Councils will insist on electrical certification if the tenant is using gone of their bond/deposit schemes.

As Clutton says, maybe an overzealous electrician after extra work - a possible misinterpretation of the fact that the Institute of Electrical Engineers *recommends* an inspection/test every ten years or on a change of tenancy?

The minimum best practice guidelines set out by the Electrical Safety Council are :

·Check the condition of wiring, and check for badly fitted plugs, cracks and chips in casings, charring, burn marks or any other obvious fault or damage.
·Check that the correct type and rating of fuses are installed where these are re-wireable.
·Ensure that all supplied appliances are checked by a competent person at suitable periods and that any unsafe items are removed from the property. Record details of all electrical appliances, including their condition and fuse rating.
·Ensure that instruction booklets are available at the property for all appliances , and that any necessary safety warnings are given to tenants.
·Avoid purchasing second-hand electrical appliances for rented properties that may not be safe and energy efficient.
·Maintain records of all checks carried out.

Whilst taking on board the comments of zfrl, the term “competent person” does not necessarily mean a qualified electrician AFIAA.
Many LLs do provide elec safety certificates even where not specifically required to do so for their own peace of mind and that of their tenants, but am not sure what law Simonne's post referred to.

(On a personal level, I think that all properties, whether rented or owner occupied, should be required to have an electrical installation safety certificated inspection done every 10 years.)

Premier_2

I think there is some confusion here over between an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) and a non-HMO property.

If the property is not let as an HMO, there is no legal requirement for any electrical test certificate.

As mentioned by TJ27, if the property is let as a HMO then the property needs a copy of the current electrical safety inspection of the hard wired system. This is required every 5 years and a report produced on the recognised form (see Appendix 6, BS 7671). The inspection must be carried out by an authorised competent person who is a member of a scheme approved e.g. NICEIC or ECA

Also required is a declaration by a competent person that all electrical appliances provided by the landlord have been tested and are in safe working condition. (Competency may be through technical knowledge or experience but must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations).

mchale

clutton wrote: »

if your electrics are ok you will get a cert for 5 or 10 years, so not too costly ....

but bear in mind after a change in tenants, that cert is void

ooop's didn't see post 7, ignore me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



back again, didn't see post 14, pull yourself together man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tbs624

erm...tonytee - why the forum gravedigging?

The thread is *two years old*, so hopefully the OP has got him/herself sorted by now.

jamesbrown01

There are around 30 deaths and 4,000 accidents annually in the UK involving electrics, so don't think it can't happen in your properties.
If you let property in England & Wales you must ensure that electrical equipment and the electrical system are safe.

There is currently no statutory requirement to have annual safety checks on electrical equipment as there is with gas, but it advisable to do so as you can still be liable if things go wrong.You should ensure that tenants are given copies of operating and safety instructions for ALL equipment in the premises and you should carry out regular checks. Some gas service companies (Gas Safe Registered) now do electrical checks when they do the annual gas checks.