Do I need a new electric CU for (Rental) EICR? (Ed.)

[RandomRash]

Hi,

A electrician said I need a new CU to rent out the house as it requires 2 RCD's to pass the EICR. My friend who rents a house said that I don't. The house was built mid 90s, assuming it's the same unit. Pictures attached, any help would be appreciated.

Kind regards
Rash

 

[flameport]

To comply with this: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/312/made
the electrical installation must comply with the 18th edition of BS7671.

That consumer unit does not, as it has no RCDs for most of the circuits.

The existing CU is obsolete and will need to be replaced with one containing individual RCBOs for each circuit.
It doesn't need 2 RCDs, and no one should even be suggesting installing such a thing.

 

[jurassic sparkk]

Tbh, you dont HAVE to but, its best to get a new board in. Not only it will provide a barrier against electric shocks/faults but it will make things in the future much easier.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Your electrician is correct, as is @flameport with reference to the requirements for renting out (which are more stringent than the requirements for owner/occupier).
Dual RCD boards are still available and can satisfy the requirements, there are arguments for and against rcbo on every circuit vs rcd on a group of circuits.

 

[martygturner]

Must and should argument again... I would ask say flameport to actually point to the regulation in BS7671 that covers the absolute must to install RCB's in a rental.. BS7671 covers both new and existing installations.

On the you should side - install a rcbo consumer unit. From a business point of view they are as cheap as they are ever going to be given a 4.2% inflation rate.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Must and should argument again... I would ask say flameport to actually point to the regulation in BS7671 that covers the absolute must to install RCB's in a rental.. BS7671 covers both new and existing installations.

On the you should side - install a rcbo consumer unit. From a business point of view they are as cheap as they are ever going to be given a 4.2% inflation rate.

The legislation is a dogs breakfast. It requires (for rented properties) compliance with regulations that didn't exist when the wiring was installed.
That being said, a new CU (dual RCD or all RCBO) will reduce the risk of you the landlord ending up in court as a result of your tenant suffering an electric shock from a faulty appliance or installation.

 

[flameport]

Must and should argument again... I would ask say flameport to actually point to the regulation in BS7671 that covers the absolute must to install RCB's in a rental.. BS7671 covers both new and existing installations.

411.3.3 requires RCDs for socket outlets
411.3.4 requires RCDs for lighting circuits in domestic premises
522.6.202 requires that cables concealed in walls have RCD protection.
The combination of those applies to almost every circuit found in a domestic installation.

All of those use the word 'shall' in BS7671, meaning it's a requirement if you want to comply with BS7671, as stated on page 18 of BS7671.
Not optional, not based on someone's opinion, not open for 'interpretation'.

While BS7671 itself is not statutory or legislation, the The SI referred to above and here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/312/made
makes it so in the case of private rentals, as it defines 'electrical safety standards' as
'the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018'
and subsequently requires that those standards are met during a tenancy as stated in 3(1)(a).

It requires (for rented properties) compliance with regulations that didn't exist when the wiring was installed.

That was the whole point, so that properties were up to date and complied with recent safety requirements.
Otherwise certain landlord types would have just claimed it complied in 1887 and it's therefore safe and proper.

 

[martygturner]

for new installations...

 

[flameport]

for new installations...

The legislation applies to all tenancies, new and existing.
New must comply before the tenancy starts.
Existing had until 1 April 2021 to comply.

 

[Terrywookfit]

I was under the impression that an EICR Was like a gas safety inspection, ie A report on the installation as found at the time of inspection Not a pass or fail,

 

[RandomRash]

Thanks for all the replies, I'm going ahead with the replacement. £650 for everything, labour, parts and EICR cert.

He only spent 5 min walking around the house and said everything else is fine. I've heard this from other landlords too, for other electricians they've had round for EICR check. Maybe because openrent give little money that they don't bother but that's a discussion for another time.

 

[old duffer]

411.3.3 requires RCDs for socket outlets
411.3.4 requires RCDs for lighting circuits in domestic premises
522.6.202 requires that cables concealed in walls have RCD protection.
The combination of those applies to almost every circuit found in a domestic installation.

All of those use the word 'shall' in BS7671, meaning it's a requirement if you want to comply with BS7671, as stated on page 18 of BS7671.
Not optional, not based on someone's opinion, not open for 'interpretation'.

While BS7671 itself is not statutory or legislation, the The SI referred to above and here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/312/made
makes it so in the case of private rentals, as it defines 'electrical safety standards' as
'the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018'
and subsequently requires that those standards are met during a tenancy as stated in 3(1)(a).



That was the whole point, so that properties were up to date and complied with recent safety requirements.
Otherwise certain landlord types would have just claimed it complied in 1887 and it's therefore safe and proper.

While BS7671 itself is not statutory or legislation....

 

[flameport]

While BS7671 itself is not statutory or legislation....

Yes, that is part of a sentence from above.
Was there a point to quoting it without the rest of the text?

Like it or not, the law requires that rented properties comply with BS7671:2018.

 

[flameport]

I was under the impression that an EICR Was like a gas safety inspection, ie A report on the installation as found at the time of inspection Not a pass or fail,

It's a report on the installation as to whether it complies with the current version of BS7671.
Outcomes are either Satisfactory meaning it can be continue to be used
or Unsatisfactory meaning it can't.

Unsatisfactory would be the result of one or more items present which are either unsafe now, or are things which will affect safety if a fault occurred such as missing RCDs, undersized conductors, no earth connection and so on.

There are plenty of items which can be listed as non-compliant but are not dangerous or affecting safety. Most older installations will have some of those simply because things have changed since it was installed.

 

[ericmark]

I have said many times that the requirement for RCD protection can be argued, however what sort of landlord would want to get out of fitting it? Once pointed out, if some one did get injured which could have been prevented had there been RCD protection, then the landlord is up the creak without a paddle.

My late mother with Alzheimer's and poor eye sight, saw an extension lead with a flickering neon and thought it was on fire, so put it in a bucket of water, had it actually been on fire, not such a bad idea, however the point is people do what in hind sight seems daft things, and the tenant does not have the option to fit RCD protection, so yes should be fitted by landlord.

In the main most use the best practice guides and there are 4 places where no RCD is considered as code C2, outside, TT, high earth loop impedance, and bathroom, the rest are code C3, I think the bathroom is likely to cause problems, as for last 15 years since BS 7671:2008 we have been allowed to reduce bonding in bathrooms as long as there is RCD protection in place, the use of plastic fittings and pipes means all too easy for bonding to be missing, so to comply the lights need RCD protection. Even if the bathroom is today bonded as required for no RCD protection, it is just too easy for the bonding to be removed, so to be on the safe side, one does really want RCBO protection on all circuits.

However my own house has no RCD protection on the heating system, everything else is either RCD sockets or RCBO's but for some reason when solar panels were fitted the RCBO protection for the heating system was removed, but must be OK as I have a compliance certificate to say so.