Starting tomorrow all landlords of privately rented properties across the UK will need to provide their tenants with documentation that shows their property meets electrical safety standards. What this means is that they will need to hire an electrician to conduct Inspection and Testing on the electrical installations throughout and produce a report, the new rules state this should be done every five years to determine that they are safe.
Inspection and Testing is a common skills amongst electricians, the document they will produce upon completion is known as an EICR or Electrical Installation Condition Report. This document does exactly what you'd expect and highlights the condition of electrical installations throughout the property, what's working correctly, what is safe and what could cause concern. These new laws mean that if landlords cannot produce this document they could face a fine of up to a maximum of £30,000!
Why are these laws now in place?
This is something that should have been done years ago. After people have lost their lives over unidentified electrical faults within privately rented properties. Such as Prof Alliston back in 2019 who was found face down in the garden of a privately rented property he was sharing with his wife. He had been electrocuted by a cable that had become live due to a fault. The coroner later called for mandatory electrical safety checks in rented homes. Some landlords may regard this process as a headache for themselves but it is vital in keeping the public safe in their homes.
Need to learn Inspection & Testing?
If you are a working electrician who has not carried out Inspection & Testing since qualifying or you simply want a refresher on the topic we offer a Level 3 Inspection & Testing course here at Able Skills. If you already have a relationship with a landlord doing re-wiring, odd jobs and so on this could be a great opportunity for you. Our course is taught over 6-days and will give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to carry out the task and produce Electrical Installation Condition Reports to a high standard!
The instructor will guide you through the subject of Inspection and Testing on both old and new installations. The course will focus on theory, making references to Guidance Note 3 which is the IET's official document on the topic. They have tons of experience preparing students for the exam process.
How does the exam process work? Well, you will need to first complete an online online multiple-choice examination, comprising of 60 questions! You'll have 2-hours to complete this test and it is open-book meaning you will be able to refer to Guidance note 3, the 18th Edition book and IET's On-site guide.
Following on from here you will need to complete a written exam comprising of 4-questions. You will have an 1hr and 20 minutes to write your answers. Finally, to successfully complete a 2.5 hour practical assignment; comprising of a full Initial verification and a Periodic inspection (combined within the same assessment) of a three-phase electrical installation, including completion of all appropriate documentation. To get started, contact us and we can secure your place on the course at the next available date!
Additional Information:
If you are looking for more insight on our Level 3 Inspection & Testing course or any of the Electrical courses that we teach here at our centre of excellence call 01322 280 202! You are also completely welcome to visit our training centre in person, our office is always open to anybody interested in Electrical courses or any other training with us. We just ask that at this time you are conscious of social distancing and wear a face covering whilst talking to our staff. Our office is open 7-days-a-week between the hours of 8:30 - 16:30!