Electrical safety and conditions reports – Landlords Question

There's no specific legal requirement but if there were to be an accident or a fire caused by unsafe electrics then the landlord would be held responsible. The usual recommendation is that you have an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR; replaced the old Periodic Inspection Report at the beginning of 2012) done every five years. Two years seems very frequent; sounds to me as if your sparky is trying to talk up an income stream for himself.

Landlords are responsible for the electrical safety of the rented properties and there are several laws covering this. See http://www.esc.org.uk/uploads/tx_escvideolib/filedownload/ESC-Landlords-Lite_LR_03.pdf

"...How frequently an electrical installation needs to be inspected and tested during its life
depends on factors such as the type of installation, and how it is used and maintained.
For rented accommodation, the maximum period recommended between the initial
inspection (when the installation was first put into service) and the first periodic
inspection and test is five years..."

Hi,

As far as i am aware the regulations that apply is the electrical safety at work regulations.

The electrical safety council recommended every 5 years or on change of tenancy (most people ignore the change of tenancy bit)

I have tried and never found anything in the regulations that specifically say a landlord has to get their electrics checked (HMO's yes but normal domestic rentals no) but there is a Duty of Care for a landlord to ensure the electrics are safe and how can you know for sure that they are safe unless you have them tested?

Hope this helps

All my certs are for 5 years it was,nt a legal requirement at the time, As it only cost approx £150 depending on size of property, I found it worth while just for peace of mind as you dont no who previously wired it. as regs change all the time I suggest you ring the regulators.

Landlords have a duty of care as Eirian points out below. There are actually 2 NICEIC reports to choose from to help demonstrate reasonable care in this situation, The 2 reports are;

1, Domestic Visual Condition Report. (DVCR) approx. £70 plus VAT

or

2, Electrical Installation Condition report (DICR) min cost £150plus VAT

There isn’t a document called a ‘Landlord Certificate’ for the electrics in a house, despite both of the above reports being referred to incorrectly as ‘Landlord Certificates’.

Its worth knowing that most properties actually get an 'unsatisfactory' rating when checked, this is because the reports are completed and the installation checked against the latest British Standards which came into force in 2008. Most properties predate 2008 and there for do not have the latest RCD protection etc.....

As an electrical engineer and landlord I choose the Domestic Visual Condition Report (DVCR) because I know if a property gets an unsatisfactory rating using this cheaper report, It will certainly get the same 'unsatisfactory' rating if I’d instructed the more expensive, Domestic Installation Condition Report (DICR). If a property gets a 'safisfactory' rated on the cheaper DVCR then consider upgrading to the DICR as it is a more detail check, otherwise act on the recommendations in the DVCR and your electrician will tests the installation and issue a certificate and Part ‘p’ documents for any improvement work completed. Keep the initial reports and the certificates for any improvements will mean you have all the documents you need to show you have exercised reasonable care and you won’t have paid twice for it!

I've just interviewed an electrician and Landlord and debunked some of the myths in this thread - you can find the video here - https://youtu.be/DFgK3uwkLwM

Let me know if you find it useful