Mandatory EICRs in Rental Properties - 1 year or 5 years

[Spazz]

Please post your comments on here - state if you think EICRs should be done every year or 5 years.
Also please state your reason behind your choice - please don't put money!, profit for us, cost to landlords etc!

I will put this forward to Parliament in favor of which one is considered best by the experts in the field (us)

Please sticky this as well please

 

[trev]

Originally Posted by Paulgwat
As someone who is planning to enter the trade

Sorry guy I missed that bit

 

[Paulgwat]

Trev thanks for your comments and Des56 I appreciate the honesty in the questions you ask rather than the assumptions made by other forum members.

I am contemplating becoming an electrician for many reasons some personal and others purely because of a love of engineering and all things technical!

My goal is to work towards becoming a designer / installer of systems such as clipsal cbus, cytech comfort, lutron, crestron etc etc and look at more cedia type applications of home automation but I am also not a fool and realise I cannot walk into that space without first spending some time learning and covering the basics and building a business and reputation.

I realise that in the current climate things are tough and it may or may not pan out the way I plan but unless I try...

Paul

 

[Paulgwat]

Originally Posted by Paulgwat
As someone who is planning to enter the trade


My question was not meant to be critical of paul,it was critical of his plans (given his higher qualifications status, that he already possess)into a trade beset with decline and low moral

I wish him well,but feel he will be swimming against an unstoppable tide with dreams of regulation of landlords for eicrs

Hi des,

Comments not taken as critical, and as for regulation it was my view on what I thought should happen if the government real aim was tomreducenthe amount of dodgy electrics - I have zero expectation that it would actually happen! More likely the government will dream another load of useless legislation that means the genuine law abiding home owner can't wire a plug without getting a tick in a box.

Paul

 

[Geoffsd]

How many more times .

This proposed legislation, on the pretence of reducing injuries and deaths, is NOT necessary.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Nicholas, the best feedback you could possibly get is from a landlord forum.

Why dont you put your proposal on there, they will give you the feedback, after all they will be paying it.

Here is one for you LandlordZONE Forums

Can you lets us know when you have asked them?

 

[Merv]

Ask a landlord his opinion of the checks, and he’ll tell you it will simply serve as another loophole for a bad tenant to avoid eviction.
If a landlord applies to a court for an eviction notice the first thing they ask is if he has protected the tenant’s deposit?
This second question will be is the EICR up to date?
If the landlord can’t prove either on the day of the hearing the eviction will be dismissed, and the landlord is put in the dock.
It will get to the stage where a landlord will be frightened of evicting anyone because there will be so many things that the tenant can use against the landlord. It’s complicated enough as it is.

Nicholas Owen seems like a misguided do –gooder to me.
He hasn’t a clue the mischief that this will cause for landlords, and for what?
And furthermore, judging by the opinions on here voiced by respected members, he also doesn’t know what he is talking about.

 

[EYES]

I would go for every 5 years. unless a new tenant is introduced to the premises. This was the landlord has the knowledge of state of the property on new possession. So for longer lets the landlord saves money but if they have 6 monthly new tennants it could end up costly.

 

[Merv]

What would happen in practice, is that before the tenant got the keys they would have to fork out for the EICR, like they do now for the credit check.
That’s the way to do it, and any subsequent checks could be added to the rent.

The law is already clear on any injuries sustained by tenants.
If a tenant is injured due to negligence by the landlord, then the landlord is accountable. So why the need for any more legislation?
A lot of these tenants simply couldn’t afford this nice little earner for electricians, which let’s face it is all that it would be.


Any figures for injuries sustained by tenants caused by faulty wiring?
I bet they’re far fewer than in private residencies.

 

[Merv]

Sorry for the large bold above, I don't know how that happened.

 

[amberleaf]

NicholasOwen
MyOwn opinion only

Icant find the article about RCDs on theforum .
Ido apologise if am in the wrong part .

RCDs. for Additional-protection . it assists against . Electric-shock . Etc

Whenwe refer to Safety . !! there’s a lot of consideration that needs donefirstly .

House-bashing . am using the right wording .
Part-P. any DIYer can work on there own house . how do you judge him competent person. ??
Anyouter trade with . Part-P . can get there little hand onto some of the action .??

Compliancewith BS-7671: Which one . ??
Therehave been considerable-changes in the standard over any Installation-life .

Firstly. Householders are legally responsibly for any electrical work in there homes .majority of householders are unaware of this .

Someone has to clean up there act here . My own opinion only .
landlords& agent ( & Private-landlords ) I believe everyrental-property should require an . ( EICR ) as . MANDATORY . every 10 years .

That’sgreat the IET has made changes to BS-7671:2011 . for professional electricians .

startat the source . You have to lobby to get the regulations made MANDATORY . not RCDs .

Joepublic . this person . householder telephonedme about a problem fuse kept blowing . has not had any checks done for years. cartridge-fuses .
Everytom dick & harry has been here .
Forgetthe word fault-finding . lets rephrase it ****finding
reverse-polarityto CU . I kid you not . Neutral & Earth . no one picked up on this matter .
4.0mmcable with junction-box onto 2.5mm .
Radialsthat thick there rings . ?
wehave stranded / solid / imperial . cables Etc
noequipotential-bonding to gas .
someplaces have no PE to lights .
onesocket feeding of the 6.0mm cooker .
inthe kitchen alone . two radials . with2.5mm tapped of . here there & everywhere .
RCDs. are not a cure . at this point .

ifthe majority of landlords & agent . ( Private-landlords & Householders ) do not bother to get the . Electrics checkedit is a complete waste of time . I’ll bite my tongue here .

Myown opinion only
Ratherthan looking at more ways to improve the current regulations . it would makemore sense to lobby to get the regulations made MANDATORY .
Itboils down to Money . Joe public
Insurancecompany’s . would like re-wires save fires & Money . in the right contents . what do wecall safety . “ Shambles “

Thishas been bugging me for some time .

Thankyou .

 

[amberleaf]

“ Guidance “ Some-Facts . At-random .

Table. 3.2. GN-3 - p.65 . recognises ( Two-distinct ) types ofrented-accommodation .
-Rented domestic-accommodation . ( Houses & Flats )
-Residential-accommodation . ( Houses ofmultiple-occupation )

Foreach Type : Table 3.2. .( Recommends ) that . Inspection & Testing becarried out at a maximum frequency of . ( five-years ) or on ( changeof occupancy ) together with an annual-routine-check.

-Rented domestic-accommodation ??.
Inrented-accommodation . generally . there is currently ( No-Legal-Obligation) for landlords to arrange for an . Annual-safety-check of . electrical-installations

Some-Facts. The-Landlord & Tenant-Act 1985 .
The( Main-Statutory-Obligation ) for . landlords regarding . ( Electrical-Safety ) isin Section-11 . of the Landlord & Tenant-act 1985 . Section-11 . requiresthe Landlord to maintain the ( Electrical-Installation ) in repair & proper-working-order . TheLandlord is required to . ensure that . prior to any letting . the ( Electrical-system )& any Electrical-appliances that are supplied as part of the rented-propertythat are supplied as part of the rented-property . are safe to use .

Paragraph3.5 . GN-3 . “ Guidance “
Inspection& Testing . ( Recommends “ Routine-checks ) Table3.2 . provides-guidance of the . frequency of such-checks .

Myown Opinion .
Question. do ( We ) want to Achieve a 100%-level of Electric-safety .
its.Now ( Over ) to the people that control our . Industryto sort this-out .

Some-Facts . ( Recommends . No-Legal-Obligation . Main-Statutory-Obligation . Are safe to use . Canthis Improve . Electrical-system .

 

[Stusparks]

I agree with the theory of mini EICR's.
If a new installation has been installed properly, a full circuit board schedule and the original installation cert available, a mini EICR would be perfect...check for broken fittings etc

 

[amberleaf]

Thisis one of these thing that will keepcropping-up .

Dan . Am askingthe forum . for some consideration on this matter . Thank you .

Amasking the forum . if its allowed to do an Unofficial-poll.
Re-Mandatory. EICRs in rented-properties .

Full-EICRs- 10 years .
Mini-EICRs- 1 year or 5 years .
- Leave it as it is .
- Room for improvement.

What safety is needed more .
- Industrial-installation.
- Comical-installation.
- Residential-premises.
- Domestic-premises.

- Domestic-premises. Mandatory . No .
- Domestic-premises. Mandatory . Yes .

- Jury is out on this .

Letsput this to Rest .

 

[trev]

Sorry for the large bold above, I don't know how that happened.

Could you not have used a bigger font Merv? I'm getting short of lamp oil

 

[Knobhead]

A lot of these tenants simply couldn’t afford this nice little earner for electricians, which let’s face it is all that it would be.

My point at the start of this farse of a thread. Why should any trade have the right to legalised robbery.

There's been a lot of fine words extoling the safety aspect, safety? it's easy money this little scam is aimed at!