If you rent out a residential property then it is your legal responsibility to carry out an EICR test every five years. This is to ensure that all electrical installations are safe and comply with the latest regulations.
This article will discuss what an EICR test is and how it works, and also the reasons why you should be having one done regularly. It is also good practice to have PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing) carried out on any electrical appliances that you provide to your tenants. This will help to keep them safe and will show you have a record of any tests that have been carried out.
The EICR, or Electrical Installation electrical testing london Condition Report, is a document that confirms the condition of an electrical installation and that it is safe to use. This is an essential part of being a landlord as it shows you have met your legal duties and protects you and your tenants from any potential hazards or risks.
A trained electrician will visit your property and carry out a thorough inspection of the fixed electrical wiring. This will include checking the condition of the fuse board, sockets, switches and lighting fixtures. It will highlight any issues that need to be repaired or replaced e.g. old fuse boards that don’t comply with current regulations, round pin sockets or cast iron switches. It will also confirm the suitability of the circuitry for its current usage and the presence and condition of any bonding and earthing systems.
In addition, an external ground loop impedance test will be carried out on all installations using a TN-S system. This is to make sure that the impedance of the external circuit is low enough to prevent a fault occurring due to a grounding issue.
Once the inspection is complete, an electrician will produce a professional document stating the results of the tests carried out. This will be classified as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Landlords must supply a copy of this to any tenant within 28 days of the inspection and also to the local authority on request.
If the test is unsatisfactory then the landlord must undertake any remedial work necessary to bring the installation up to standard within 28 days, or the period specified in the report. The landlord must also supply a written confirmation of the completion of any remedial work to the tenant and local authority within 28 days of that completion.
The Electricity at Work Regulations require that all electrical installations are tested by a ‘qualified and competent’ person, usually an electrician. The electrician must be registered with a recognised body that operates a scheme of inspection and testing. There are a number of competent person schemes operating in the electrical safety industry, which can be found online. However, membership of these is not compulsory and landlords can still employ competent electricians who are not members of any such scheme.