New Electrical Safety Regulations For Wigan Landlords

Wigan Electricians are going to very busy in the next 12 months as they will have to test the electrics of every private rented property in Wigan and potentially may have to install new fuse boards and wiring in some circumstances.

This is likely to cost on average over £350 to each Wigan Landlord

All new tenancies from the 1st July 2020 will need to have had their electrics tested

The new IET electrical regulations enforce a duty on all private landlords to ensure that their electrical installation complies with the 18th edition (from 2018) of the IET wiring regulations.
Any property built before the middle of 2018 will comply with the 17th edition regulations, or earlier editions.
However, rental properties with earlier compliance regulations may not necessarily fail the new test.

A qualified electrician will need to test your rental property against the new 18th Regulations, Which May cost between £150 - £350 depending on the size of your property.

The Electrician won’t fail a property who complies with a previous regulation, unless there is a good reason to do so

All rental properties must have been tested against the 18th Regulations standard by 1st April 2021, irrespective of the length of the tenancy or start date

All landlords must give any new tenant a copy of the inspection report before they start the tenancy. Also, landlords must give a copy of the report to any prospective tenant who asks for it in writing within 28 days of a request during the tenancy itself.

Even with the coronavirus situation, the Government indicated that Landlords should still make every effort to follow these new electrical safety regulations from the 1st of July, yet those same regulations also allow for situations where a landlord cannot carry out their obligations.

Landlords must demonstrate they have taken all reasonable steps to comply with the law. If they do that, they will not in breach of the new regulations (including the duty to comply with a remedial notice). Landlords ( and their Letting Agent ) should keep copies of all communications they have had with their tenants and with electricians as they tried to arrange the work, including any replies they have had, together with any other evidence they have on the electrics of their rental property.

The local authorities are tasked with policing this – and they too have the right to request to see copies of any Electrical Report and works done. They can force a landlord to comply with the legislation and also may issue a civil penalty up to a maximum of £30,000.

Landlords should also be aware that there is nothing in the legislation allowing them to blame their Letting Agent, so my advice would be to ensure your agent is in the ball and to keep copies of your correspondence with them

If you would like to discuss the issues around this new legislation please contact us anytime and we will be happy to help

01942 233999