New Electrical safety law

A new law is to be introduced which will see landlords obliged to carry out electrical safety inspections on rented properties. This new law is to come into effect from December 2015 and it is designed to reduce the number of electrical related fires.

Anyone carrying out electrical inspections must be employed by a firm that is registered with the NICEIC. Emma Clancy, CEO at NICEIC commented, “The private rented sector in Scotland has grown significantly in the last decade yet many of the homes available in the sector fail to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.

Inspections must be carried out before a tenancy starts and during the tenancy of no later than five years. It is not necessary for an inspection to be carried out when a new tenant arrives as long as one occurs every five years.

Any dangers or threats that have been found must be rectified, along with an electrical safety certificate and a coy for the tenant.

In addition to making sure the installation, supply and fittings are safe the inspection must also include a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) to assess the safety of any appliances provided by the landlord. Any appliance that fails the test must be removed, replaced or repaired.