Safety advice

Electrical and gas safety, in plain English

What the rules in England ask of landlords and homeowners, taken from the bodies that set and enforce them. Every answer names its source and links to it, so you can check it.

Electrical safety

When do you need an EICR?

If you let a home in England on a tenancy covered by the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, the fixed wiring must be inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years. The result is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the inspection, new tenants before they move in, and the council within 7 days if it asks for one. Owner-occupiers have no legal duty, but Electrical Safety First recommends an inspection at least every ten years, and whenever you buy a home.

Source: Electrical Safety First (opens in a new tab) / GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

Signs your consumer unit needs replacing

A consumer unit, or fuse box, is worth having checked by a registered electrician if it still has rewirable fuses, has no RCD protection, shows scorch marks, smells of burning, crackles, feels hot, or trips repeatedly. Age on its own is not proof it is unsafe: an EICR is how you find out whether it needs replacing. Replacing one is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations in England, so it is a job for a registered electrician rather than a DIY one.

Source: Electrical Safety First (opens in a new tab)

What Part P means for your electrical job

Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical safety in homes in England. All electrical work has to meet it, but only some jobs are notifiable: installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and adding to or altering circuits in a special location such as a room with a bath or shower. Notifiable work is either done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, who certifies it and notifies building control, or notified to the council's building control before it starts.

Source: Electrical Safety First (opens in a new tab) / GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

Gas safety for landlords

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, a landlord must keep the gas pipework, appliances and flues they provide in a safe condition and have each appliance and flue checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Keep the record of each check for two years. Give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.

Source: HSE (opens in a new tab) / Gas Safe Register (opens in a new tab)

Landlord EICR by town

Landlord gas safety by town