Legal Requirements

Buying or Selling your property

If you are selling your property we can provide you with a Periodic Inspection wiring report suitable for your sellers pack. Depending on the findings, reports for a domestic property may be valid for up to 10 years.

If you are looking to purchase a new home, we can arrange for a Periodic Inspection to be completed on any potential property. As a homeowner’s survey does not include testing of the electrical wiring, the report will provide peace of mind and could help you negotiate the buying price should the wiring not meet the current British Standards.

Letting

You must maintain the electrical installation and any equipment provided by you, in a safe condition.

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires landlords to ensure the electrical installation is safe when the tenancy begins, and that it is maintained in a safe condition throughout that tenancy.

One way of ensuring safety is to undertake a regular visual inspection of the installation, looking for any obvious signs of damage such as damaged cables, socket-outlets showing scorch marks, etc.

In addition, the Institution of Electrical Engineers recommends that electrical installations are formally inspected and tested by a competent person on change of occupancy, and at least once every ten years.

Businesses

Any business premises from Guest houses, Shops, Offices or Hotels, are required under the Electricity at Work Regulations, that the electrical installation be checked. We can provide installation testing to satisfy this requirement.

Building Regulations

Part P of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) was introduced by the Government on January 1st 2005. It is designed to reduce accidents caused by faulty electrical installations and to prevent incompetent installers from leaving electrical installations in an unsafe condition.

Part P applies to the following situations:

Dwelling houses and flats
Dwellings and business premises that have a common supply eg shops that have a flat above
Common access areas in blocks of flats such as corridors or staircases
Shared amenities in blocks of flats such as laundries or gyms
In or on land associated with dwellings – such as fixed lighting or pond pumps in gardens
Outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses

Approved Document P is called ‘Electrical Safety’ and will be complied with if the standard of electrical work meets the ‘Fundamental Requirements of Chapter 13 of BS7671:2001’.

Section P1 of Part P states: ‘Reasonable provision shall be made in the design, installation, inspection and testing of electrical installations in order to protect persons from fire and injury’

Section P2 of Part P states: ‘Sufficient information shall be provided so that persons wishing to operate, maintain or alter an electrical installation can do so with reasonable safety’

Part P applies only to fixed electrical installations that are intended to operate at low voltage or extra-low voltage which are not controlled by the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988 as amended, or the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 as amended.

Note 1: The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations (1992) apply in common parts of flats and similar buildings if people such as cleaners and caretakers are employed to work in them.

Note 2: The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) cover all electrical work carried out professionally and the competence of the individuals carrying out that work

Note 3: Part P is concerned with safety and does not directly cover system functionality

Note 4: Part P does not specifically cover dwellings in places of work normally covered by the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989), such as caretakers flats in schools, MOD barracks etc.

To obtain a copy of the 'Approved Document P' dealing with Electrical Safety in Dwellings, visit the Government Planning portal Website at: www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1131042 or click here to download the Approved Document Part P, PDF on Electrical Safety.