Back in February, the Government announced tougher electrical safety standards to protect private tenants. They recommend mandatory electrical safety checks for all privately rented properties every 5 years, including providing safety certificates for tenants.
On the 19 July, a movement by James Brokenshire, Housing Secretary was made for mandatory electrical checks to be a legal requirement due to the private rental sector (PRS) falling behind the social rental sector for safety features.
Research shows 72% of local authority homes and 77% of housing association homes had all the recommended electrical safety features, whilst private rental properties was only at 59%.
There is no question for laws to be in place protecting tenants, but there is confusion in the market as to what will be in the legislation. Will landlords be responsible for appliances their tenants bring in and will they need to be checked? Will there be guidance on best practices provided to those in the private sector?