Does a landlord have to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) carried out on their properties? This was a question asked in the My Local Electrician LinkedIn Group recently.
My Local Electrician has the low down on whether an EICR is a legal requirement and what might suffice in place of them.
The long and short of it, is that an EICR is not a legal requirement. However, a landlord does have to show a duty of care towards the tenant and prove how they ensured their property was in a safe electrical condition should a tenant receive an electric shock.
The majority of landlords opt for an EICR as this is a highly recommended and most straightforward way of ensuring the property is electrically safe. “If a landlord produces a well audited comprehensive maintenance programme in place of an EICR this is equally as acceptable and always has been” quotes a My Local Electrician LinkedIn group member.
So what are the landlords obligations?
Landlords are responsible for maintaining safe systems including electrics in line with the Landlord and Tenants Act 1985 which states a landlord is responsible “to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling house for the supply of water, gas and electricity”
Landlord responsibilities include making sure all electrical equipment supplied is safely installed and maintained. There is more information on this and other aspects of renting out a property in England and Wales at https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/landlord-responsibilities
As one landlord pointed out in the discussion “ I find that regular checking of the properties electrics is a good thing, we care about the physical quality of our properties, and we want our tenants to look after them. Our annual check of the units, include checking windows, paintwork\decoration etc, we do this by arrangement with the tenant, and have the Electrics, and The Annual Service Visit for the Gas Boilers. I am CONVINCED that when tenants see how much we care, they respect the property more”