The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has come out in support of new laws proposed by government officials.
In the next few weeks parliament is due to vote on new mandatory electrical wiring checks in all rental properties.
The proposed law which seem very likely to be passed will mean that, if requested to do so, landlords will have to supply new tenants with an electrician’s report within 28 days of receiving notification. If the request comes from a local housing authority, that report will need to be supplied much faster, within just 7 days.
If the proposal is passed into law, it will come into force for all new tenants by July 1st of this year and for existing tenants by April 2021.
Mr. David Cox, the Chief Executive of ARLA, has said that “this proposed law will do much to create a level playing field in the industry and ensure higher safety standards for tenants.”
Mr. Cox went on to explain that many Landlords already conduct such testing on a voluntary basis anyway, so in theory, it shouldn’t be too much work to implement any changes.
Industry expert and Petty Real director, Ian Bythell, welcomes the change, saying “these regulations are intended to make the world a safer and a fairer place. In fact, similar legislation has existed in other countries for some time now. The UK is basically playing catch up.”
Electricians have warned landlords to take the requirement seriously and ensure that a qualified professional undertakes the work. The nature of these checks is quite technical and should ideally be undertaken by an experienced, senior electrician.