PIR on rental property

[algas]

As above is this now mandatory, or advisory.

 

[crystal ball]

Now called EICR, not mandatory AFAIK, some agents demand them and maybe insurers might, if anything goes wrong and someone is injured you at least have a paper record that all was well ( within the limitations) at the time of inspection

 

[algas]

How long do they last for

 

[JohnW2]

How long do they last for

No fixed period of time, but the older they are, the less value will they be if something goes wrong.

They are just like MOT certificates in that they obviously only reflect the condition of the electrical installation on the day it was inspected. If someone tried to tell you that a vehicle was 'safe' on the basis of a 5-year-old MOT certificate, I doubt that you would be convinced

Kind Regards, John

 

[crystal ball]

I think NICEIC recommend five yearly or change of tenant for rentals

 

[EFLImpudence]

It is not up to NICEIC to recommend anything.

Would they back you up if anything went wrong?

 

[Iggifer]

You could maybe give 5 years on an installation that was ~10 years old. I think once you're getting to 15-20 years plus you couldn't really recommend a 5 year interval unless it really was immaculate.

 

[crystal ball]

It is not up to NICEIC to recommend anything.

Would they back you up if anything went wrong?

I am no fan of the NICEIC but plenty of organisations - insurers, county councils etc still refer to them regarding EICRs, what do you mean by backing you up if anything went wrong?

 

[EFLImpudence]

I just meant that they recommend this and that (make up their own rules) as if they are in control but don't want to know when things go wrong.

The fact is, other than a general duty of care to ensure that a rented flat is fit for purpose, there are no statutory electrical requirements in England.

It is up to the landlord to satisfy himself regarding the duty of care. As usual, no one knows what it really means.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I am no fan of the NICEIC but plenty of organisations - insurers, county councils etc still refer to them regarding EICRs,

They do, because that is the only such organisation they have heard of.

It doesn't mean anything, does it?

 

[WhydidIstart]

As has already been said, in England and Wales there is no statutory requirement for a landlord to have annual safety checks on electrical equipment (unlike gas).

However as a landlord you have a Common Law duty of care to make sure the property is ‘safe’ which includes the electrics and electrical appliances that you supply. The Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 requires electrical equipment to be safe at the start of every tenancy and maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy. The Housing Act 2004 also covers electrical hazards.

If you have a commercial property or HMO, the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 creates a statutory duty for the assigned ‘responsible person’ to do annual Fire Safety Risk Assessments, which include electrical safety risks.

So in summary, it’s all about liability. If nothing goes wrong, nobody is going to do anything. However if something goes wrong the regulations are enforced by the Health & Safety Executive who may prosecute you and also the tenant may make a civil claim against you.

In the event of something happening, ‘due diligence’ may be accepted as a defence. You would need documented evidence to show you took ‘reasonable steps’ to avoid committing an offence. So do you feel what you are doing is reasonable? If your mate did some electrical work on a old house, it’s never been inspected and you can see some wiring that looks dodgy to you, then I’d suggest not. If you have a new build that’s not very old, no alterations to the wiring, it all looks modern and undamaged and you supplied brand new appliances with instruction manuals, then in my view that’s reasonable.

Remember it doesn’t have to be something serious, tenants have been known to chance “your installation damaged by new iPhone”. Being able to say “here’s my pack of documentation relating to the electrical installation” enables you to shift the onus to the tenant to show it was your electric installation and not their dodgy Chinese charger...

 

[crystal ball]

They do, because that is the only such organisation they have heard of.

It doesn't mean anything, does it?

I agree totally but if your insurers or landlords assoc or whatever insist in NICEIC its up to you to comply or not, I have lost many an EICR because the powers that be insist on NICEIC reports

 

[EFLImpudence]

Unfortunately that is the case.

I suppose the blame lies with Napit and the other schemes, and Elecsa before the merger, for not doing anything about it, but they don't really care about you either, do they?

 

[Doggit]

I believe that an EICR is done every 10 years for an owner occupied property, and 5 years for a rented property. But there's no requirement for one to be done on the change of a tenant. A visual inspection should be conducted every six months to make sure the tenants are keeping the property in a good condition, and you should be able to spot if anythings damaged, or they've been making changes that would require an new EICR.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I believe that an EICR is done every 10 years for an owner occupied property,

Yeah, right.

and 5 years for a rented property.

Yeah, right.
You did write 'is'.

Agents will likely do it every year to cover themselves.
The quality of the inspection is of no interest to them. They have no knowledge about electrical installations or anything else.

But there's no requirement for one to be done on the change of a tenant.

There are no requirements in England.

A visual inspection should be conducted every six months to make sure the tenants are keeping the property in a good condition, and you should be able to spot if anythings damaged, or they've been making changes that would require an new EICR.

That is good advice.