Do You Need a Landlord Electric Certificate?
Protecting yourself from accidents and making sure you are not liable for things which you have religiously done can be saved by simple paperwork just like inspection reports.
Securing life and property is one of the rights which tenants are entitled to. Landlords have the responsibility to make sure that your home is safe from probable causes of fire, electrocution, or suffocation. Obtaining a landlord electric certificate is getting more popular as an assurance. But how credible is it?
Furnishing a tangible guarantee to tenants that the house to be rented is safe is always a good way to look credible. Hence, when a landlord can present a landlord electric certificate, tenants tend to feel more satisfied even when the rent is higher than usual.
There are many electrical service companies which claim to provide such certificate at varying rates. It is expected that a landlord would get such certificate from these companies every time a new tenant occupies a house or apartment, even when 5 years have not passed yet since the last certificate was issued.
However the term “landlord electric certificate” cannot even be found in the law. Such term may have just surfaced in substitute for ‘periodic inspection report’ or from ‘electrical installation condition report’. This causes confusion among landlords, especially new ones who are very anxious in making sure that their tenants would dwell safely in their rented apartments or private homes.
This term may also have been made up by electric servicing companies who appear to be helping the landlords. But such piece of paper may not be honoured in courts because there is no such thing as that. Only ‘periodic inspection report’ or ‘electrical installation condition report’ and the equivalent can be used in court if ever accidents happen.
Some landlords in want to save some amount tend to hi hire freelance builders and have another party issue the inspection report. Such case is a violation of the new law in wiring installation. The installation and inspection should be done by the same party. This is a protection for the landlord if accidents related to it should arise.
It is also the responsibility of landlords to hire central heating services in London to inspect the condition of heating systems, boilers, and also installation to avoid faulty wirings and any probable harm that may cause the tenants. This is if they are providing the heating system and heating appliances.
If the tenants are the ones who have a faulty heating system installed, then any accidents related to it is not the liability of the landlord.
These central heating services in London should come from legitimate companies for the tenants or the landlords to have insurance claims. Legitimate companies would also be able to provide a certificate after a safety inspection is done.
If you are a new landlord, or a tenant who is very particular with safety, then securing inspection reports should not be taken for granted, and should not be deemed to be expensive or impractical. These inspection reports may just be few pieces of paper but they would give you the security and protection that verbal agreement or assurance would not be able to give.
The author is part of a landlord’s council who promotes safety among his tenants. He is not worried on how much he would be paying central heating services in London just to make sure his houses and apartments are the best shelters for his tenants. He is helping other landlords to understand more what a landlord electric certificate is through his online articles and forum answers.











