Earlier this month, the Government announced that they would be bringing in mandatory electrical checks for landlords.
This was largely prompted following recommendations that came out of the Grenfell fire tragedy, where a faulty fridge in a kitchen on the fourth floor caused the fire that took the lives of 71 people.
Although the date of implementation of the new checks has not been divulged, landlords will have to undertake them every 5 years.
It seems that the private rented sector does suffer from poor standards of electrical safety.
The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT) found that tenants in privately rented properties were being put at significant risk.
Over 40% of NAPIT members said that they found more serious electrical hazards in private rented homes than in any other form of tenure, and over 90% supported the idea of mandatory electrical safety checks every five years.
The NAPIT Trade Association Chairman, Frank Bertie, commented:
“Introducing these checks has the potential to dramatically improve safety in the Private Rented Sector, and ultimately save lives. The NAPIT Trade Association has long been calling for inspections to be required at least every five years, and we set out this position in our response to the Government’s consultation into electrical safety in the Private Rented Sector earlier this year.
“We hope that the Government will recognise that these checks should be carried out by a qualified electrical inspector, and supported by an Electrical Installation Condition Report, to ensure that they are carried out to the required standard.”
The Residential Landlords Association also welcomed the news and hosted a blog about electrical safety for landlords on its website.
This interview from the 2016 National Approved Lettings Scheme Conference addresses some of the issues of electrical checks in the private rented sector:
Landlords can find out more about the guides and resources mentioned in the video by visiting the NAPIT website.
To help you keep to the regulations, a list of Home Safety Guidance Documents has been created by NAPIT, including a Routine Visual & Operational guide.
Keeping our landlords compliant is a huge part of our remit, and Northwood has its own legal department that keeps up to date with all the latest legislation, ensuring that our 80 plus offices around the UK have the very latest compliance information.
All Northwood offices around the UK will be gearing up for this new electrical compliance requirement, and will be undertaking the checks for those landlords using our fully managed service and Guaranteed Rent service.
Northwood is one of the largest and most recognised estate agents in the U.K. and the leading supplier of Guaranteed Rent to give landlords complete peace of mind.
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