Hi. I had a full electrical test and cert done at the start of the existing three year tenancy in October 2018. Do the new rules require another one before 1st April this year? Thanks for your help.
The requirement now is that the inspection meets the 18th edition wiring regulations, which came into force in Jan 2019. You should check your report to see if these were used. If not, your existing report will not be legally compliant.
You don’t need to if it was satisfactory and they have given you a period that is still valid
Regulation 3 requires that landlords have the electrical installation inspected and tested at intervals of no longer than every 5 years. Electrical safety standards (the 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations) must be met throughout the period of that tenancy.
The 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations came into effect in 2019, so if a landlord already has a report for a property that was carried out after this date and has complied with all the other requirements of the Regulations, they won’t have to have another inspection for 5 years, provided the report does not state that the next inspection should take place sooner.
Existing installations that have been installed in accordance with earlier editions of the Wiring Regulations may not comply with the 18th edition in every respect. This does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use or require upgrading.
It is good practice for landlords with existing reports to check these reports and decide whether the electrical installation complies with electrical safety standards. Landlords might also wish to contact the inspector who provided a report to ensure the installation complies with electrical safety standards.
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I’m afraid this is a good example of why you should never trust Goverment guidance on new legislation. At best it’s some Ministers guess at the regulations theyve commissioned. At worst its just misleading. All the legal opinion I’ve read suggests that the guidance is at odds with the law and that there is actually a requirement to ensure the inspection meets the requirements of the 18th edition wiring regulations, even though the installation itself doesn’t have to fully comply if its safe.
The local authority have advised us that we can use existing EICR ( as it is an HMO), which I have been since last year.
Is this incorrect?
If it was done before Jan 2019 then yes the advice is likely to be incorrect.
It was given to us last year, July 2020
It sounds like that should be fine.