AB has written a few articles over the last 12 months on the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, and now Arla Propertymark has written to Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, Minister of Housing, stressing concerns about anticipated and widespread failure in compliance.
The regulations came into force on the 1st June 2020 requiring all new private rented tenancies from the 1st July 2020 to have electrical installations inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person, and provide a copy of the report to tenants. From the 1st April 2021 these regulations will roll out to all existing tenancies that started before 1st July 2020.
Arla Propertymark believe that whilst many letting agents have this in hand for new tenancies concerns remain about the ability to comply with the 1st April 2021 deadline. With the added complications of the pandemic, two lockdowns, Tier restrictions, access to properties, the availability of electricians, back logs and carrying out essential remedial work after the initial inspections, Propertymark is urging the UK Government to extend the requirement by at least twelve months until April 2022. They are not however, asking the Government to reconsider the regulations altogether, just the roll out to existing tenancies.
You can read more on Propertymark’s website here and the open letter on Property Eye’s blog this morning, and the current Government’s guide here. In the meantime AB will blog any developments as and when they happen.
