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Information for existing property owners From 1st January 2005 people carrying out electrical work in homes and gardens will have to follow the new rules in the Building Regulations - known as Part P. Except for a few minor electrical repairs nearly all electrical work should now be carried out by a person registered with a competent person scheme - by far the largest of which is NICEIC. That person will be required to give you a Certificate to confirm their work follows the new rules. That Certificate will be required by surveyors and solicitors if ever you decide to sell your property. Any work carried out after 1st January 2005 by a person who is not a member of a competent person scheme will be treated as uncertified and may have to be removed and replaced by certificated work. ONLY THE PERSON CARRYING OUT THE WORK CAN ISSUE THE CERTIFICATE. If you wish to do electrical work yourself, or ask a friend or a relative, or an electrician who is not a member of a competent person scheme - you may do so - HOWEVER - you need to inform the Local Authority Building Control Department before you start the work and after the work is completed. They will issue a certificate - for a charge. You may have difficulty selling your property if you do not have the right certificates for any electrical work carried out after 1st January 2005. Coincidentally the colours of the live and neutral wires in electrical cables are changing from red and black to brown and blue. The old colour cable is no longer available. It is very easy, therefore, to identify work that should be supported by a certificate.
When the work has been carried out - and Certificated - a Certificate of Electrical Safety will be issued. Any work carried out in the future will be Certificated - all of these Certificates will be required when the property is sold.
FURTHER INFORMATION Telephone 0870 1226 236 or go online to www.odpm.gov.uk/approved documents or contact your Local Authority Building Control Department. These Regulations do not only apply to property you are renting out - they apply to all residential properties in England and Wales, including your own house. RECOMMENDATION Landlord’s have a ‘duty of care’ towards their tenants to ensure the property is safe to live in. If your property has not had an Electrical Safety Report within the past ten years it would be wise to arrange for this to be carried out as soon as possible. This will discover any unsafe installations and will detail any repair or maintenance work required. After the work is completed a Certificate of Safety will be provided by the electrician - all other work carried out after this will also be certificated. HOW DOES IT EFFECT LANDLORDS? The Regulations state that an Electrical Safety Inspection should be carried out at least once every ten years or ‘on change of occupancy’. It is assumed therefore that at each change of tenancy after 1st January 2005 a new Electrical Safety Certificate will be required. This will, amongst other things, identify any DIY electrical work done by the previous tenant without the Landlord’s (or the Agent’s) knowledge or authority. HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE 1st OCTOBER 2006 IS A KEY DATE New legislation requires you from 1st October 2006 to keep a WRITTEN RISK ASSESSMENT on file. The risk assessment should take the form of:- a/ Identify how a fire could start and what could burn. b/ Identify the people at risk. (Tenants and visitors to the building). c/ Evaluate the above and take action to remove and to reduce the risk. d/ Keep a record of the hazards you identify and the action you have taken to
reduce or remove them e/ Review your risk assessment periodically. Failure to be able to provide a written risk assessment can lead to a fine and imprisonment. For further information you may visit http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire If you have a Fire Certificate it will be abolished, therefore do not rely on this as sufficient to act as your risk assessment. It would be appreciated if you could send a copy of your risk assessment for us to keep on our files.
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