Private landlords in England and Scotland are now required by law to have the electrical installations in their rental properties checked every five years. This has been a legal requirement in Scotland since 2015 and was introduced in England in 2020.
Since the introduction of this legislation, we have seen an increase in the number of queries about what this means for landlords, tenants and the electricians who will be carrying out the checks. As the 1st April deadline for inspections to be carried out approached, calls to NICEIC and ELECSA’s technical helpline peaked at over 600 calls a day, more than double the daily average from last year at this time.
Many of the questions from contractors related to appropriate coding on EICRs which are not always straight forward, while landlords sought guidance on the legislation itself.
The latest guidance issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) directs electrical contractors and landlords to a variety of resources to help them navigate the new requirements, including Electrical Safety First’s Best Practice Guide (4) and the Q&A for the Wiring Regulations Advisory Group (WRAG), hosted on our website.
We also offer free to download leaflet that has a summary of landlords’ obligations. You may also find our blog post offering an expert Q&A helpful.
We strongly recommend that, although not yet a legal requirement, private landlords in Wales and Northern Ireland carry out five yearly checks on their electrical installations, to ensure the safety of their tenants and properties.
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