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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Comments

Andrew

13:27 PM, 7th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Old Mrs Landlord at 06/08/2020 - 09:11
I think that is the point we were making - and electricians who offer cheap reports are possibly using as a loss leader to fish for work

Andrew

13:29 PM, 7th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin at 06/08/2020 - 19:50
See Bill Stiles comment on this point - very thorough knowledge being shared

Andrew

13:33 PM, 7th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin at 06/08/2020 - 20:35
absolutely - therefore you should have an RCD - if there is a garden an electric mower or strimmer is likely to be used. Not everyone has RCD's used in plug sockets hence protecting the users - logical steps to protect people

Martin

13:35 PM, 7th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Andrew at 07/08/2020 - 13:33
Thanks all, RCD's it is then.

Porky

7:59 AM, 8th August 2020, About 4 years ago

What is the expanded definition of "qualified and competent" for carrying out the IECR? Being a member of one of the listed associations such as NAPIT or NICEIC etc may be assumed to be sufficient but not essential. So what actual qualifications are acceptable and how much experience is required to satisfy the new regulations in England?

Seething Landlord

8:22 AM, 8th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin at 06/08/2020 - 19:50
Don't forget that a copy of the report together with confirmation that the remedial work has been completed must be sent to the local housing authority within 28 days of completion of the work, also to the tenant.

Bill Stiles

9:00 AM, 8th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Porky at 08/08/2020 - 07:59As I stated in the video go for a contractor with a testing and inspection qualification with public indemnity insurance

UKPN

9:40 AM, 8th August 2020, About 4 years ago

As Bill says, but also experience, how much? I don't think it actually says. This whole thing is a bit ambiguous as regards quals and experience. Ins is standard of course.

Porky

9:45 AM, 8th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Bill Stiles at 08/08/2020 - 09:00
Yes but what is the actual testing and inspection qualification? I have a degree in electrical and electronic engineering plus 45 years in industry undertaking research and develipment and consider myself more than competent to conduct the tests and complete the EICR but is that sufficient for instance, I'm assuming not ??

Porky

10:03 AM, 8th August 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by UKPN at 08/08/2020 - 09:40Yes i get the insurance bit if you are working in other peoples property.
Who exactly validates what qualification the test engineer has and his or her experience as being sufficient. Very vague to me.

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