Subject to approval by both Houses of Parliament, landlords and agents will need to ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new tenancies in England from 1 July 2020 or from 1 April 2021 for existing tenancies.
The Government has produced The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 which state that landlords must ensure every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person. The Regulations also state that a landlord is required to obtain a report of the results of the inspection and test, supply it to each tenant within 28 days and retain a copy until the next inspection is due.
Obviously, in the current environment, these plans may be delayed but the key point, that many people overlook, is that an electrical inspection checks an installation meets CURRENT standards and these standards change and become more rigorous every year – so if your property has not had a major electrical upgrade in the past 10 years, it will probably need one now and that will mean major disruption for your tenants.
