During July 2018 the Government announced new legislation that proposed that landlords will need to have electrical installations with their property portfolio checked every five years. Belvoir letting Agents in Wednesbury recommend to landlords that electrical checks are carried out on any new property they introduce into their portfolio.
The problem for landlords and tenanted properties is that landlords cannot be certain what tenants are doing to the property during tenancy. An additional issue with electrics is you cannot actually see the issues as cables are buried in walls or run below floor boards or in lofts and even when you can visually see cable it can difficult to determine if a cable is faulty or not.
Belvoir letting Agents in Wednesday firmly believe that the new legislation will be passed this year and final proposals will follow the conclusion of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. Dame Judith is due to submit her final report to ministers in spring this year.
The Independent recommendations published for consultation today, include:
· 5 yearly mandatory electrical installation safety checks for all private rented properties.
· Mandatory safety certificates confirming installation checks have been completed along with any necessary repair work provided to both landlord and tenants at the beginning of the tenancy and made available to the local authority on request.
· A private rented sector electrical testing competent person’s scheme should be established to ensure properly trained experts undertake this work. This would be separate from existing building regulations competent person.
· Landlord supplied electrical appliance testing and visual checks of electrical appliances by landlords at a change of tenancy should be promoted as good practice and set out in guidance.
Belvoir Lettings Agents in Wednesbury believes that largest majority of landlords who manage their portfolio with Belvoir lettings Agents in Wednesbury are already commitment to the safety of their tenants. However the planned change with mandatory electrical testing will support the safety of tenants where tenants are victim of rouge landlords.
If you are a landlord and have a property that you are looking to let in Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Darlaston, Tipton, Dudley port or the surrounding arears call our dedicated lettings team located on the corner of Market Place in Wednesbury High Street on 0121 506 7670.
