Myth-busting – Electrical Safety installations Act 2020

Myth-busting – Electrical Safety installations Act 2020

11:19 AM, 3rd August 2020, About 4 years ago 129

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The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force on 1 June 2020 and will apply to all new tenancies in England from 1 July 2020.

Thanks to Bill Stiles from Adept Electrical – http://www.adeptelectrical.co.uk/ for this simple myth-busting session on the new electrical standards. If your electrician has told you that you need a new fuse board then watch this video first.

This is especially important for HMO’s as councils are now asking for these reports when applying for a licence and if the person is not qualified they are rejecting inspection reports leading to the landlord having to pay for a second report.

These new regulations require landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected at least every 5 years and tested by a person who is qualified and competent. Landlords will also have to provide a copy of the electrical safety report to their tenants as well as to the local authority if requested. For most landlords in the private rented sector, this will not require a change in behaviour. The majority of landlords already check their installations regularly, so they can provide the safest homes possible. However, to ensure every landlord can comply with these regulations, NAPIT have produced the following guidance on the requirements.

The regulations say: Private landlords must ensure every electrical installation in their residential premises is inspected and tested at intervals of no more than 5 years by a qualified and competent person. So look for someone part of NAPIT, NICEIC, Benchmark, OFTEC, STROMA, BESCA, ELECSA and APHC

The regulations apply in England to all new specified tenancies from 1 July 2020 and all existing specified tenancies from 1 April 2021. Following the inspection and testing, a private landlord must: obtain a report from the person conducting that inspection and test, which gives the results of the inspection and test and the date of the next inspection and test supply a copy of that report to each existing tenant of the residential premises within 28 days of the inspection and test supply a copy of that report to the local housing authority within 7 days of receiving a request in writing for it from that authority retain a copy of that report until the next inspection and test is due and supply a copy to the person carrying out the next inspection and test supply a copy of the most recent report to any new tenant of the specified tenancy to which the report relates before that tenant occupies those premises; and any prospective tenant within 28 days of receiving a request in writing for it from that prospective tenant

What ‘report’ should I be asking for?

The regulations just refer to a report being obtained by the person conducting the inspection and test. Typically, an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is used within the industry for this purpose. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a report carried out to assess the safety of the existing electrical installation within a property and is used to describe its condition. Parts of the system that are reported on include consumer units, protective bonding, lighting, switches and sockets etc. Its purpose is to confirm as far as possible whether or not the electrical installation is in a safe condition for continued service. The EICR will show whether the electrical installation is in a ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’ condition and will detail a list of observations affecting the safety or requiring improvements. These observations will be supported by codes.

Unsatisfactory Codes are: C1 – Danger present, risk of injury, immediate remedial action required

C2 – Potentially Dangerous, urgent remedial action required

FI – Further investigation required

A Satisfactory Code is:

C3 – Improvement recommended

Does my electrical installation need to comply with the 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations?

No- not if it is still deemed to be safe. The 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations states: “existing installations that have been installed in accordance with earlier editions of the regulations may not comply with this edition in every respect. This does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use or require upgrading”.


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Andrew

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6:42 AM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Tim C at 05/08/2020 - 18:23
If you have had properties rewired and they are showing up C1 then I would be concerned about who did the original work

C2 could be creep over time ie you have no RCD protection on your fuseboard

I would get a second opinion and look at the items catergorised as others have in this thread and found the electrician had coded wrongly to secure work

Andrew

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6:47 AM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by UKPN at 05/08/2020 - 19:07
You can buy the codemasters book its £20 and that gives you the detail on every item and what it should be coded as.

Like you I have seen so many landlords already misled into spending unnecessary money, Im not advocating dont do works, as I like to think of safety first but swapping a fuseboard because its near a door or not 18th edition is not in the regulations and makes little difference to the safety

Andrew

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6:49 AM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Denise G at 05/08/2020 - 21:43
Provided your ring main has an RCD protection it is fine. 18th edition ie if you do works to the property must have lighting on an RCD also

Old Mrs Landlord

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9:11 AM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Andrew at 06/08/2020 - 06:42
"coded wrongly to secure work"? If an electrician needs to go looking for work at this time when so many are rushed off their feet he can't be much good, so use another and you may find the recommended job is not necessary for compliance.

Martin

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19:50 PM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

My house built 1996 and the electrics are as fitted originally. Just failed inspection (C2) as consumer unit is fitted with MCB's not RCD's. Can anyone conform if that is that is correct? Thanks. PS Happy to fit RCD's just want to know the rule.

UKPN

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20:11 PM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Another consumer unit scam, your existing consumer unit is perfectly adequate. The "inspector" can't interpret the regs, at worst, a C3, with an advisory of rcd upfront.

Bill Stiles

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20:23 PM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by UKPN at 06/08/2020 - 20:11
you will need a RCD on a socket circuit if there is a chance a extension cable can be plugged in and taken outside which is something you cannot control. Also any equipment in a bathroom will require a RCD if there is no supplementary bonding for example a electric shower. I would code a domestic lighting circuit a C3 but if circuit modifications was done on that circuit that would have to be done to current regulations so would need a RCD. I hope this has been helpful

Martin

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20:35 PM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Bill Stiles at 06/08/2020 - 20:23
Thanks, but surely I can plug an extension cable into any socket and take it outside? Very confusing.

UKPN

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20:44 PM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Totally agree with Bill, but what's stopping you using a plug in rcd to any socket? I would think any houses that don't have supplementary bonding, ie kitchen, bathroom will have rcds.

UKPN

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20:49 PM, 6th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Bill Stiles at 06/08/2020 - 20:23
I have been looking at these for a week or so Bill, and it's coming across to me that "inspectors" are picking on consumer units and bathrooms. We had one this week where the "electrician" reqd rcds, but didn't notice it was a split board!!!!! Bathrooms very important, but they generally have supplementary bonding or later, rcds. I am going to check out actual dates of regs changes. Best wishes.

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