Mandatory electrical checks (Scotland) - wish you did business here?

[baldelectrician]

Unless this is policed and sanctions are taken against the cowboys little is likely to change

The new MANDATORY tenancy agreement (coming in December) will have detailed information on how to complain to people (such as PRHP and the local council) if the landlord fails in their duty

The new tenancy agreement will be mandatory from December

Although some landlords will fall though the net there will be a significant uptake

 

[Octopus]

For it to work all landlords need to be identified and how many are going to do that. That would mean paying taxes on rental income.

 

[baldelectrician]

For it to work all landlords need to be identified and how many are going to do that. That would mean paying taxes on rental income.

Unregistered landlords can be fined up to £50,000 and be stopped from renting properties out in Scotland- remember the council check this and they have access to the council tax records and the electoral role

 

[Des 56]

I can't argue for or against the requirement of the landlord to get an eicr
I wil though once again state that the actual Eicr will be unaffected by this new requirement because it promotes company competency rather than individual competency

Without this individual competency its all peeing in the wind

 

[Knobhead]

This is getting tedious.

The ones that think this new legislation is a good move are the ones hoping to profit. (Look at the thread title.)

The voice of reason and moderation is being swamped by a mass of meaningless ideology issued by the organizations we all know to be corrupt. By inference, to support this legislation would imply corruption and profiteering on behalf of the individual.

 

[Octopus]

Unregistered landlords can be fined up to £50,000 and be stopped from renting properties out in Scotland- remember the council check this and they have access to the council tax records and the electoral role

Just look south of the border and see how people get punished for not following the rules - not!

 

[baldelectrician]

The council are sometimes effective.
I was called in by a letting agent to a property as the council had forced the landlord to use an agent

The property needed a lot of remedial works as the electrics were quite dodgy.

This was because a previous tenant had complained to the council about the property / landlord

 

[Plonker 3]

The council are sometimes effective.
I was called in by a letting agent to a property as the council had forced the landlord to use an agent

The property needed a lot of remedial works as the electrics were quite dodgy.

This was because a previous tenant had complained to the council about the property / landlord

Do you have any links to news articles about these stories?

 

[UNG]

This is getting tedious.

The ones that think this new legislation is a good move are the ones hoping to profit. (Look at the thread title.)

The voice of reason and moderation is being swamped by a mass of meaningless ideology issued by the organizations we all know to be corrupt. By inference, to support this legislation would imply corruption and profiteering on behalf of the individual.

My thoughts as well Tony I feel sorry for the people who it is supposed to protect, the tenants who will end up paying for it with higher rents unless the council are going to set them as well as part of their policing

The whole thing stinks of becoming a council run private housing scheme where the council call all the shots and if he's lucky the landlord may see a return on his or her investment. Other councils up and down the UK seem to be rolling out this landlord licensing that has the potential to be a good money spinner for these cash strapped councils despite them suggesting that the fees will only cover the costs of the schemes

The really tedious part of this thread is the fact that there are some idiots who believe that all sparks not registered with a scam install to a poor standard while there may be a few I don't think the accusation can be levelled at all while in some cases the structure of NICEIC and other scam registered companies can sweep a lot of poor installations under the carpet with the QS set up.

The proposed electrician requirements will stop a lot of one man bands even if they are registered from doing inspections as they will not fulfill all of the criteria by reducing the number of people allowed to carry out inspections this will have a knock on effect of increasing landlord costs due to supply and demand

May be the answer is for the councils to actually employ someone who understands what an EICR is and can analyse the document that is presented rather than just file it and assume the installation is fit for purpose

 

[Octopus]

I think that by excluding one man bands is a big mistake. They have the most to lose as they can't blame an employee Whereas a company with a Q'S can get away with pretty much anything.

 

[GB.Kayak]

Quite the opposite- SELECT were instrumental in lobbying to prevent Part P in Scotland with the previous Lib/Lab coalition in Scotland pre 2007

See the check list

I do find the requirement for Employers' liability to be an interesting one ... its presence on the list may cause it to be an absolute requirement, rather than a requirement 'if required'. I have yet to read and inwardly digest the information. I also find it interesting that most references to the documentation regarding the out working of this legislation are to be found on the website of a 'quango'!

 

[UNG]

I do find the requirement for Employers' liability to be an interesting one ... its presence on the list may cause it to be an absolute requirement, rather than a requirement 'if required'. I have yet to read and inwardly digest the information. I also find it interesting that most references to the documentation regarding the out working of this legislation are to be found on the website of a 'quango'!

How many one man bands have a written H&S policy there is no mandatory requirement where there are less than 5 employees

 

[baldelectrician]

I do find the requirement for Employers' liability to be an interesting one ... its presence on the list may cause it to be an absolute requirement, rather than a requirement 'if required'. I have yet to read and inwardly digest the information. I also find it interesting that most references to the documentation regarding the out working of this legislation are to be found on the website of a 'quango'!

When I started up I had only public liability (not both) but I found out there as little or no difference (cost wise) for me to have employers as well.

I currently do not employ anyone but having it there gives me the option of taking someone on short notice as well as meeting the requirement when you take school kids on work placement

 

[baldelectrician]

Write a health and safety policy for your business

How many one man bands have a written H&S policy there is no mandatory requirement where there are less than 5 employees

The link is above

I have adapted one from the HSE site. I check it and change when required- takes 10 minutes, job done

 

[Dcf]

Most of the criteria on the checklist are requirements to be a member of select(don't know about niceic) anyway.
so I don't see how it excludes one man bands?
remember most of the current Hmo legislation came about because of a dodgy Indian landlord in Glasgow who had a fire in a property and had all the windows barred .
resulting in students burning to death.
would you like your son/ daughter to live in one of these death traps?
i don't think so
this new legislation is nothing that the landlords shouldn't be complying with already
there is a lot of hoops to jump through if you want to be a landlord currently up here and I have some sympathy with them as the tenant seems to have the upper hand at the moment.
is there much difference between a five yearl electrical inspection and an annual gas inspection in the grand scheme of things?

 

[mogga]

No matter how "regulated" it is there will still be guys doing drive by certs for a bung do 250 get caught fine is covered sort of guys doing it cheap

 

[baldelectrician]

Do you have any links to news articles about these stories?

NO

I do know it happens, I know people from the local council office who deal with the landlord regualtions and I have been told of instances off the record (no names or details provided), I have heard stories that back these things up from reputable letting agents I do work for.

The Scottish Government are a very 'soft touch' regualtor, they prefer to make the landlords comply by gently helping them along- such as requiring the LL to use an agent (but not putting it in the paper). This benefts the tenants (by getting the install to a better standard) and the LL by stopping their name being dragged through the mud

If you want to see landlords who fail to comply to the gentle approach have a look at the PRHP site and do a search

Private Rented Housing Panel - Repairs Search

The above is a Scottish Government site, this one can force a landlord to do work, it they don't the landlord is issued with a rent order- this makes it an offence to take rent from the property and is enforcible in the Sheriff Court