The electrical safety certificate which is sometimes called a landlords Electrical Safety Certificate or the more official term is Electrical Installation Condition Report is still a little lost in legislation.
A landlord will require, by law, a Gas certificate each year but this is not the case with electrical systems and appliances – there is no legal requirement at present for an annual check and Electrical Test Certificate.
However, there is a legal requirement for a landlord to provide a safe building, and in the event that there is an accident due to faulty or sub-standard electrical system or appliances, the landlord could find himself liable. There we would highly recommend that a Landlord Electrical test is completed.
It is, therefore, in the landlord’s own interests to have electrical systems checked by a competent electrician every 5 to 10 years. All Electrical appliances should be visually checked at the start of every tenancy and if it is suspected that there are fault/s then the property should be properly tested. Electrical Tests therefore should always be completed, if only for assurance and peace of mind.
What is it you need?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is for landlords whose rented property needs a full electrical inspection often for landlords who rent properties to the council.
There are generally two types of electrical testing requests for Landlords:
- An Electrical Safety Certificate (condition report) is a detailed inspection and test, reporting any remedial work which needs to be carried out. This is provided with a report and a certificate.
- A safety inspection (Visual inspection) of all accessible mains connected electrical wiring and electrical fixtures including the fuse box. This is provided with a report only.