Grampa Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Mandatory Electrical Safety Checks – Government announcement today Government has announced they will introduce a mandatory requirement for landlords in the private rented sector to ensure electrical installations are inspected every five years. This is part of plans to drive up standards across the PRS and reduce deaths, injuries and fires caused by electrical faults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 This has been expected for many years now and I welcome it. I'm kind of surprised that legislation has taken so long. With all the other safety requirements it does seem ridiculous that regular electrical checks were never made mandatory. Although I've no doubt it'll be a pain in the arse and probably expensive, I do support it. There are an awful lot of properties that have poor/atrocious DIY electrical installations.....as any landlord buying anything more than a couple of years old will know. The Tories may be making a dog's dinner of Brexit but they deserve a pat on the back for this legislation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted July 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 I think it is long overdue. Even properties that appear to be in good order can have some nasty surprises A two bedroom ground floor flat I purchased a couple of years ago was in very good all round order and only because I like to get a elecky cert on my personal properties at least once, established the electrics in this flat were dangerous and I had to have a complete rewire. But many landlords wouldn't have. What a lot of landlords also fail to realise that unless they have taken out a separate insurance liability policy they are very unlikely to be covered by the block insurance if their rental is a flat and a claim relates to a incident inside the flat that is the landlords responsibility. If you own a freehold rental property it most likely has cover built in to the buildings/contents cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melboy Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 I fully support the new legislation. I have just bought a modern run down (and I mean run down flat) and the electrics will have to be completely done for safety's sake. Big bill coming my way. I could have got away with a make-over of switches, sockets, lights etc and a box change but no, do it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted July 20, 2018 Report Share Posted July 20, 2018 When viewing property which you may consider buying its often worth having an electrical survey carried out. I find its often quite easy to visually identify potential electrical problem areas on the first viewing. You can usually negotiate the cost of any electrical work required off of the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil8999 Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 Yes its a good requirement, I agree, but the cost needs to be reflected in the rent, how do you get low cost housing and rent when the government keep introducing new legislation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 You amortise the cost of the electrical check over the 5 year renewal period. An electrical check costing say £600 can be offset against tax. So, the £600 cost reduces to £480 or £360 depending on your tax band. Divide 480 by 5 = £96 pa or £8 pcm........so your rent won't necesarily need to rise. Why are you making this into a problem that doesn't exist ? If your electrical check identifies lots of repairs......then they needed doing anyway and you shouldn't be letting a property with unsafe electrics in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melboy Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 £600 for an electrical safety certificate RL? Mine will cost me £125 from a registered electrician and the paperwork to go with it. Yes, repairs to any defective installation word require additional expense for you. True the cost is absorbed over the 5 years and the cost is tax deductable from your rental income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil8999 Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 On 7/21/2018 at 12:29 PM, Richlist said: You amortise the cost of the electrical check over the 5 year renewal period. An electrical check costing say £600 can be offset against tax. So, the £600 cost reduces to £480 or £360 depending on your tax band. Divide 480 by 5 = £96 pa or £8 pcm........so your rent won't necesarily need to rise. Why are you making this into a problem that doesn't exist ? If your electrical check identifies lots of repairs......then they needed doing anyway and you shouldn't be letting a property with unsafe electrics in the first place. No problem, just stating a fact, any cost no matter how many years you divide it by is still a cost, this in turn should be passed on to the tenant. All my properties are to the required standard, I don't need government intervention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 I've never paid to have a full electrical check carried out. I have sold a property recently where the buyer paid for a full electrical check and the two guys who carried out the check told me they were charging my buyer £600, that's why I used the figure in my example. It wasn't very good value for money because the only defect they could write on the report was that the strip light on the shaver socket wasn't working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanrent Posted August 12, 2018 Report Share Posted August 12, 2018 What date was the electrical test made mandatory. I had one of my properties completly rewired about 8 years ago can anyone tell me when a new test will be required Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted August 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2018 it is only mandatory for HMO's at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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