Mandatory Electrical Safety Checks to be Introduced "as Soon as Possible"

Mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rental sector will be introduced “as soon as possible”, a Government minister has confirmed.

Heather Wheeler MP, the Secretary for Housing, Communities and Local Government, insisted that the Government is “working to bring regulations on mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector into force as soon as possible, subject to parliamentary approval and timetable”.

The Government responded to its consultation on electrical safety in the private rental sector in January this year.

Wheeler has now announced that the Government will work with the industry to “produce guidance for landlords, setting out the skills and qualifications relevant to determining competence of those carrying out inspections”.

“We further intend to work with local authorities in England as we develop the range of sanctions available to them for non-compliance,” she added.

We will continue to keep you up to date with details of the new mandatory electrical safety checks.

At the same time, the Government was questioned over whether it will introduce a nationwide registration of private landlords and their properties in England, as in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“The Government has no plans to introduce a system of national registration for private landlords,” Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth stated.

Instead, he claimed that the Government is focussed on tackling rogue landlords, referring to the national database of criminal landlords and letting agents, which was introduced in April 2018.

Lord Bourne added that the Government is committed to making the database publicly accessible, as in London, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

He also pointed out that, unlike in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, local housing authorities in England are able to introduce selective licensing schemes in targeted areas to tackle specific problems. The Government has commissioned an independent review of the effectiveness of selective licensing, which is due to report in spring 2019.

Recently, a leading solicitor spoke out against selective licensing.