Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Policy

This policy explains how the Council will extend its Civil Penalty powers under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 “the Electrical regulations” to serve Civil Penalty Notices on non-compliant landlords and managing agents for failing to provide an Electrical Safety Certificate to tenants and at the request of the Council.

The approach set out in this policy aligns with the Council’s Policy for imposing financial penalties under the Housing Act 2004 and Housing and Planning Act 2016 and should be read as an addendum to this policy.

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) came into force on 1 June 2020 and were released in two phases:

• For new tenancies granted from 1 June 2020, from 1 July 2020.

• For existing tenancies, from 1 April 2021.

Their purpose is to require landlords to ensure that electrical installations in rented properties are safe, by having them inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person, at least every five years, and providing a copy of the electrical safety report to their tenants and if requested to their local council.

Under these Regulations, we can require landlords to carry out remedial works or even arrange for the repairs to be done and to recover the cost from the landlord. The level of penalty for landlords who do not comply is up to £30,000, and section 5 contains information about how we will decide what the level will be.