Tenants are a nightmare for allowing workman in – EICR?

Reply to the comment left by Stephen Terrey at 05/11/2020 - 16:51
Stephen

One bridge at a time. If you can get the contractor in for the check, worry about what the remedials later on. Once you hjave the report asssess the dangerous/urgent needs and maybe get these done first. Go through them with the tenant and get his buy in

I've had rewires done and a good electrician will make hardly any mess. Maybe a bit harder with concrete, though.

Reply to the comment left by Graham Bowcock at 05/11/2020 - 16:56
Hi Graham
You're right about one bridge at a time. However, the first report I got a couple of years ago, did say wiring was old, problems with bonding on some of the lighting and that it needed a rewire - ok he may have been looking for work. But this guy is always busy and he did say get 3 or 4 other quotes - so quite confident work needed doing.
TBH not really sure how tenants brother "swung" it, in the end, to get everything ok.

Thanks

steve

Reply to the comment left by Steve at 05/11/2020 - 17:21
Remember that if you get a report with a C1 or C2 issue you have to get the remedial work completed within 28 days, so not much leeway if a rewire is required.
If you already know that a rewire is necessary I would have thought it best to get it done before having another inspection and get the contractor to issue an EICR on completion of the work.

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 06/11/2020 - 00:10How can you possibly get a rewire done within that time frame or anything else that that requires a tradesman? Utterly impossible to achieve!

Reply to the comment left by Paul Shears at 06/11/2020 - 04:20
Don't ask me, ask those who drafted the regulations.

Hi Steve,
I think we have your tenants brother in one of our properties. They are paranoid about contactors in the property even without cv and lockdown.
In view of age of electrics, I guarantee you property will fail on things like: -
Have all circuits got RCD protection
Have all lights got earth (if any metal fittings)
is any high level trunking either metal or secured with metal fixings
Are all bathroom fittings clearly marked to confirm zone suitability
etc, etc.
The legislation requires that the landlord must make best endeavours but cannot insist on the necessary access.
I have made sure that I have a paper trail to show how hard we have tried and that the tenant has exercised their right to refuse.
Knowing what our tenant is like I sought access to "carry out the test, all essential upgrades and certification" Otherwise if you just seek access for the test which reveals major faults that he won't allow you to repair you are opening up a whole can of worms. It is one thing trying to gain access with no known defects but quite another to allow them to live there if "dangers" are known.
Very best of luck. I share your problem.
And of course a great many thanks to the numpties of Westminster who think continuing implementing this during a pandemic is a good idea.

Surely a lot of landlords are having trouble complying with the new EICR regulations, and together we have a strong case in demanding postponement of the start date of this new regulation. We have just gone into the 2nd lockdown and it looks like it is going to be for longer than the first. The sensible thing is for the government to review the enforcement date and postponing it until they have lifted the lockdown.
Are the landlords representative ( ARLA , etc... ) not doing anything about this? we need a voice to counteract this clearly badly timed decision, landlords are not against the measure itself, they should provide a safe environment for their tenants, but I question why, since we have lived without this certificate for years, we have to have it implemented right now , in the middle of a pandemic. Is this just another sign of disarray from this government? like the test & track fiasco?

A solution I found to a similar problem was to ask the tenant if she could move in with her mother for a few days whilst the work was carried out, and by way of compensation I let her off the rent for the month.
Rent for a month may seem like a lot of money, but I knew that floorboards would be coming up and walls chasing out as there weren't really enough sockets and there were only two circuits for the whole house!
My tenant and her three children were able to visit grandma for a few days and although she had to clean up the dust when she got back, she was happy with saving the rent money and getting some say in where extra sockets were installed.
My electrician was happy as he had 3 days uninterrupted to do the work.
And frankly, I am happy. It was my last house needing an EICR so I no longer have that worry, and by having a refurbished installation, with additional sockets and an EICR, I have probably improved the value of my property by at least the amount it has cost me.

Reply to the comment left by Jessie Jones at 07/11/2020 - 10:56
I have thought about saying move out for a week or so and I'd let them off rent - even for the whole month as compensation for the aggro. But they really don't like the idea of anyone in their property when they are not there. And both their families are abroad.

Thanks

steve

Just because an installation is old doesnt mean it will fail. My wiring is 40 years old. I fitted an electric shower and, as there was not space in existing fusebox decided to have a new 18th edition consumer unit with RCBOs. And had it tested. No remedial work needed to the wiring.

A neighbour had her 1960s wiring tested, this had no earthing. She retained most of existing wiring and had earth wire (cpc) added, the electrician managed to thread it through existing trunking,

Re comments about BigMc. The Eicr is about testing your installation to the safety standards (the regulations) that were in force at the time when it Was first installed. This means that
You don’t have to upgrade to new colours, put in a metal consumer unit etc. Have a look on .YouTube. , there are loads of videos. Search for dses eicr. Dses is an electrician who explains what eicr is and why you don’t have to do upgrades.

Avoid anyone who insists that you need to comply with the latest regs is looking for work, the regs only tell you about how new installations should be carried out. Eicr tests safety.

An 18 month Eicr sounds dodgy! As they run for 5 years I’m wondering if a wothhless piece of paper was bought in a pub. There should be a dated sticker on the fusebox.

If you must have an EICR, and your tenants prevent this then you cannot legally rent the property. You must therefore evict them? That’s my interpretation.

And you must commission and pay for the EICR. They can’t give you a piece of paper saying it’s ok.