New guidance has been launched to help provide consistency and transparency on how to conduct thorough electrical safety checks on private rentals, and how to report properly on any defects found.
Best Practice Guide 10: Electrical safety standards in the private rented sector, produced by charity Electrical Safety First, is aimed at electricians, letting agents, landlords and tenants in understanding what inspection and testing is required and how to produce a detailed report.
Although it is now mandatory for landlords to carry out electrical installation condition reporting (EICR) at least every five years – consistency of reporting varies hugely, according to David Powell, electrical installation safety engineer at Electrical Safety First.
He points out that a major problem is that an EICR could cover lots of areas, so it is important to establish and agree with the landlord or person ordering the work what’s to be included and what is not included in the electrical safety check, which is why the guide has been produced.
Powell said: “It is setting a bar about what is the minimum standard to expect, and what should be inspected and tested. It also sets out how to record findings clearly in the extent and limitations section of an EICR and elsewhere in the report.
“Many organisations have collaborated and agreed on this guidance, and it has also had input from several industry bodies, government departments and letting agents.”
The current testing is inadequate I believe, you only have to test a small percentage of sockets and switches. A bit like having an MOT where they test one brake and say the others are probably OK then. There is always the possibility the landlord tells the electrician which sockets and lights to check …
I’d be interested to know what other landlords do, I have 100% testing – more costly, but peace of mind.
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I’ve seen some pretty shocking “satisfactory” reports over the years and is fair to say many an electrician as in all walks of life are good, bad and ugly. Underlying factor with most ugly reports is always centred around …. … how quick they can get home! One recently I questioned instructed by an award winning letting agency, did they actually visit the property?
We were asked to send in our electrician and he immediately condemned the property, light switches were teetering on being live, some cables were rubber, ring main was hooked up to a light source, visibly broken and hanging off wall sockets etc etc. Details were reported to the local housing enforcement as not only was the occupiers at risk of fatal electric shock and it questionable why the property hadn’t caught fire.
What did the local enforcement officer do? I’ll have a word with the agent, period. What did the agent do? Nothing, they would not accept their contractor would do such a thing or put another way ……. concerned over their liability. Tenants vacated and the landlord has changed agent.
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