Letting agents are being urged by PropCert, a major supplier of property certificates for property professionals, to consider gaining access to a larger pool of reliable tradespeople, including qualified electricians, to help cope with future spikes in rental demand and manage regulatory and compliance changes, as the extension of the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 in April 2021 moves closer.

With many letting agents currently processing a high number of tenancies, there is more pre-tenancy administration work to carry out and compliance measures to meet following the recent introduction of The Electrical Safety Standards in the PRS on 1 July.

The new rules, which require an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) to be undertaken before the start of all new tenancies, with all fixed electrical installations inspected at least every five years by a qualified professional, means that there is now greater demand for professionals carrying out electrical checks.

Some agents are under pressure to get these checks completed quickly so moves are not delayed.

Since the new rules were introduced in July, some agents have had to assess the electricians they work with and the processes they have in place to keep up with demand and remain compliant.

Tom Harrington, managing director of PropCert, said: “While activity levels in the rental market may have slowed slightly during August and September, demand is likely to remain consistent over the coming months as we approach the New Year.”

“At the same time, research shows that tenants are staying in rental properties for longer. This means the number of electrical checks property professionals are required to carry out could double by next spring as the private rental sector continues to grow in size.

“Therefore, they need to have the systems and procedures in place to cope with a high number of required electrical checks.”

The electrical safety regulations will be extended to cover all tenancies from 1 April 2021, and Harrington says that agents have a small window to make sure checks are carried out for existing tenancies if they want to remain compliant.

He added: “It may seem like a long way off, but agents need to start preparing now to ensure the relevant checks for all existing tenancies are carried out in line with next year’s extension.

“Between now and next April, the requirement for electrical checks will grow substantially and there could be significant pressure on local tradespeople if they struggle to cope with increasing demand.

“Agents need to make sure they are working with suppliers which can cope with high demand for electrical checks well ahead of the deadline extension so they are not put under necessary pressure.”

Given that PropCert has a national database of over 250 electricians, Harrington is hoping to encourage more agents facing mandatory electrical checks for new tenancies to consider partnering with suppliers like his.

Harrington continued: “We can help agents to manage electrical checks more easily, providing them with a large pool of certified contractors so they can work with alternative electricians if their usual provider is unavailable.

“Agents can benefit from placing orders online, tracking with real time updates and storing certificates securely. An efficient and time-saving system like this can help them to cope with the rise in number of checks required as we approach the extension of the regulations next April.”