Mandatory five-year electrical installation tests – a checklist
New regulations which make it mandatory for landlords in England to carry out five-yearly electrical installation tests in private rented housing came into force earlier this summer.
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 mean landlords will have to ensure that electrical wiring, sockets, consumer units and other fixed electrical parts in rented homes are inspected and tested every five years by a suitably qualified person.
Testing may be required more often than this if the inspector thinks this is necessary.
The regulations did not come into force until 1 July 2020, but actually apply to any new specified tenancies granted on or after 1 June 2020 and to existing tenancies from 1 April 2021.
Strutt & Parker has produced a short checklist to help landlords and property managers stay compliant with these new safety rules. This checklist covers:
- Specified tenancies covered by the regulations
- Key dates by which electrical installation checks must have been made
- Steps a landlord should follow after arranging for an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) to be carried out.
