For rental properties, HMO's [ houses in multiple occupation] Landlords and building and estate Managers, the following services can be provided:

 

The following is an extract from Guidance Note 3 [ inspecting and testing] published by IET [ Publishers of the "Wiring Regs" BS7671: 2018:

 

"1.3.2 Rented domestic and residential accomodation

 

In England and Wales the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11 Repairing obligations in short leases sub -section [1][b] implies that a landlord "shall keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for the supply of water, gas and electricity".

 

This Act does not directly specify periodic inspection and testing of the electrical installation. Periodic inspection and testing is a means of demonstrating compliance with the Act. Any repairs must be carried out by a competent person. The landlord is responsible for confirming the compentency of any contractors carrying out such work.

 

Due Diligence

 

The requirement to employ competent persons is not automatically discharged by employing an NICEIC registered contractor, it is merely advisable as a first step. The Client must look further:

 

  • Who is actually going to be on-site undertaking the electrical work or Inspection?
  • Have they the requisite experience and knowledge to safely execute the task?
  • Ensure that tenders for electrical work state that they will comply with BS7671:2018 and that an appropriate / valid Certificate demonstrating said compliance will be issued.
  • Establish that the NICEIC guarantee of standards is applicable to the issued Periodic Inpection Report. If the Contractor is not an Approved Contractor [ in addition to also being a Domestic Installer], then this type of work will be outside the scope of registration. You can check contractor credentials here.

Part P

 

The specific section of the Building Regulations for England and Wales that relates to electrical installations in domestic properties. Part P provides safety regulations to protect householders, and requires most domestic electrical work to be carried out by government-registered electricians, or to be inspected by Building Control officers. As an NICEIC registered contractor, any notifiable works in Dwellings is "self certified", removing the need for the landlord to pre-notify any electrical works.

 

Fire Safety in Rental Property

 

Fire safety within the home and in commercial property is an important issue for landlords, especially in mixed use premises such as houses in multiple occupation HMOs where unrelated occupiers, who live independently from one another, share common areas of the same building.

 

This area of law is covered by both the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.