What is required?
As a landlord you have a responsibility to carry out your landlord electrical checks. The landlord electrical checks required are an electrical installation condition report (EICR), portable appliance testing & fixed appliance testing (PAT testing) and visual electrical inspections.
Failure to carry out the landlord electrical tests can result in hefty fines from your local authority and in rare occasions the local authority may carry out the landlord electrical checks and bill the landlord for the work carried out.
Where does this requirement come from?
The requirements for landlord electrical checks are set out in BS7671 and under sections 13(4a) and 19B(4) of the Housing Scotland Act.
The aim of the landlord electrical checks is to ensure that the property is electrically safe from things like electric shock and fire. It is the landlord’s duty by law to prove that the properties electrics are in a reasonable state of repair and the way to do this is by having a valid EICR, PAT Test and Electrical Visual Inspection.
How often are the electrical checks required?
Landlord electrical checks vary on when they are required by what the check itself is. Electrical visual inspections are required by BS7671 to be carried out every year. A EICR should be conducted every 5 years or change of occupancy whichever is first.
Any remedials detailed in the EICR must be carried out before a passed certificate will be issued. Finally, PAT testing must be carried out on your appliances, both fixed and portable every year in a rental property.
How much do electrical checks cost?
Landlord electrical checks needn’t cost the earth with many companies offering subscription options allowing the cost to be split over the year. The subscription costs are generally around £20-30 per month and come with yearly checks of the property with the relevant documentation being issued when due and valuable discounts on electrical services.
The standalone costs of the landlord electrical checks are as follows:
- Visual electrical inspection – £30-50
- PAT Testing – £50-100
- EICR – £100-200
These are just guide prices for your landlord electrical checks as the price will vary dependant on the size of the property, number of electrical circuits, accessibility, number of appliances and locale.
The paperwork you should receive.
Once you have had your landlord electrical checks carried out you will be issued with a full EICR report consisting of detailed notes and codes between C1 and C3 detailing any remedial action required.
You will receive an electrical visual inspection report detailing any remedial work required and any improvements recommended and finally, a PAT test certificate & log book detailing all appliances passed or failed.
Other associated tests.
When having your landlord electrical checks carried out you will also want to consider things such as fire doors, fire extinguishers, smoke/heat/c02 detectors, legionella risk assessment, gas safety check and more. There are also legal requirements for these items which I will go into in another article.