This is not a drive by

[Ned Gibbons]

So I'm a tenant, just had the letting agent's electrician perform an eicr.

Would anyone like to guess what the test consisted of?

Quick hint, they arrived at 4pm on a Friday.

 

[Micktw68]

I'm still not sure how I'm going to procede with this. But I'd be interested to know how long people would think it would take to do properly.

The house is a 3 bed semi, built in 1999. It's as far as I can tell completely as built. Gas heating, 2 ring finals (kitchen and rest of house), two lighting rings and 3 radials for cooker, tube heater in air cupboard and smoke alarms. No downlights, just a single pendent in each room.

For me thats 4-5 hours of testing and inspecting (I do both).
I’m sure theres lads and lasses on here that are faster .

 

[Des 56]

Look on the bright side,they have supplied you with a piece of paper that really only needs to be issued to the person ordering the work

 

[Dave OCD]

The tenant is also legally entitled to a copy of the EICR , although in this case it might only be of any use if the bog roll runs out.

 

[Dave OCD]

Ned, is the EICR from a firm registered with the NICEIC or Napit ? If so I'd voice my concerns- and put it in writing !

 

[Ned Gibbons]

Ned, is the EICR from a firm registered with the NICEIC or Napit ? If so I'd voice my concerns- and put it in writing !

I haven't checked all the schemes, but they're not NIC EIC. I've found a not very professional Twitter account. I get the feeling it's a one man band property maintenance company who's trying to make a quick buck.

 

[Dartlec]

I haven't checked all the schemes, but they're not NIC EIC. I've found a not very professional Twitter account. I get the feeling it's a one man band property maintenance company who's trying to make a quick buck.

What was on the test results sheet? lots of LIMs, or have they used 'generic 90s install.pdf'? What about Ze? Even the meter changers have a a plug in socket tester that would have verified polarity!

In my experience, supplementary bonding wasn't bothered much with during those periods, so likely to be at least a C2 with bathroom lighting (unless Class 2 fitting and plastic pipes maybe - but a picture of the consumer unit wouldn't tell anyone that).

What you have is the equivalent of the old dodgy MOT certificate. Ticks a box and everyone hopes that nothing happens. Landlord should be aware that's the risk he's taking though.

As usual those of us that do it properly and want to prove a safe installation will end up either being undercut or will only see the properties that are well maintained anyway - and the whole exercise will leave the worst houses no more safe than they were when the legislation came in....

 

[Dartlec]

I'm still not sure how I'm going to procede with this. But I'd be interested to know how long people would think it would take to do properly.

The house is a 3 bed semi, built in 1999. It's as far as I can tell completely as built. Gas heating, 2 ring finals (kitchen and rest of house), two lighting rings and 3 radials for cooker, tube heater in air cupboard and smoke alarms. No downlights, just a single pendent in each room.

A lot depends on access and number of circuits - but I honestly don't see how it's possible to do a useful report in less than 2-3 hours on site (less if there are multiple people perhaps).

The first hour is often taken up working out what the circuit that is labelled 'unknown' does, discovering that downstairs and upstairs lighting are reversed, that the one socket in Timmy's room is actually on the kitchen ring, and trying to find the mains water stopcock (seriously, why do so many tenants NOT know where this is?)

Maybe it will be better the next time round when there is a previous document - who am I kidding - no-one will be able to find it by then or it will be quickly obvious that it was a drive by and less than useless as a starting point!

 

[Soi disant]

it does not need to be compliant with 18th.

The law says it does.

 

[Mike Johnson]

The law says it does.

That would mean the regulations are retrospective which they are not.

 

[radiohead]

The law says it does.

The EICR is required to be carried out to to requirements of the 18th, that does not mean the installation is required by law to be compliant with the 18th.

 

[telectrix]

The law says it does.

what law???

 

[pc1966]

seriously, why do so many tenants NOT know where this is?

Well for my flat:

• Nobody told me when I moved it
• Years later found one stopcock under the shelf in the wardrobe, only visible because I was down at foot level looking in for some reason. Found it shut off cold water to bathroom but not kitchen, WTF?
• Years after that gas board changed me meter and supply pipe as no longer allowed a riser within the block of flats. Had to cut back board under the kitchen sink and LO! Another stopcock permanently boarded up!
• Also found what should have been the main water pipe bond behind the kitchen sink's backboard, a length of 6mm from CU that was ready to go, but obviously the fitters had boarded up before the sparky got back so never done.

So in my case the main water pipe (ancient lead thing, flats date from 1910 or similar) was split somewhere in wall/floor before the two hidden stopcocks for the flat.

 

[DPG]

The law says it does.

If this was the case then every house would need to have every inch of its wiring ripped out and replaced with the new colours.

As above, the regs are NOT retrospective.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Oh just think how much work would be available if any new regs where retrospective. ?

 

[Soi disant]

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations—

.
.
“electrical safety standards” means the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018
.
.
Duties of private landlords in relation to electrical installations

3.—(1) A private landlord(1) who grants or intends to grant a specified tenancy must—

(a) ensure that the electrical safety standards are met during any period when the residential premises(2) are occupied under a specified tenancy;