Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020

The draft of The Electrical Saftey Standards in the PRS have now been laid in Parliament. The regulations still require resolution which is due soon however it is envisaged the new regulations will come into force during 2020 for all new tenancies.

View them here

As you can see in the draft document, there will be a requirement on ALL private landlords (not just HMO landlords) to ensure that an electrical safety check is done BEFORE the start of all new tenancies (predicted July 2020), and for EVERY existing tenancy, by 1 April 2021. Then electrical safety checks are to be done no more than every 5 years thereafter.

Any works identified via the checks/report must be completed within 28 days, or whatever shorter period is specified in the report.

Enforcement is by the Local Authority issuing a ‘civil penalty’ (as per Housing Act 2004 and Housing and Planning Act 2016) of up to £30,000.

The Landlord Associations are predicting a surge in the cost of electrical reports as these new regulations draw closer and are concerned over the availability of contractors.