Council supports new tougher safety standards to protect tenants

The majority of landlords who rent properties in the private sector provide good quality homes, where their tenants are safe and secure. This is a serious responsibility and includes making sure that the electrics are safe, including power points, lighting and fuse boxes.

From 1 July 2020, new regulations also set requirements for regular inspections to be carried out, and production of safety certificates by properly qualified electricians.

Horsham District Council’s Environmental Health and Licensing team is responsible for enforcing this legislation, and where a landlord fails to provide a suitable safety certificate at the start of the tenancy, repair a fault, or comply with other safety requirements, the team can require the landlord to comply, and/or impose a civil penalty of up to a maximum of £30,000, for each offence, or continuing failure.

Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Community Matters and Wellbeing Cllr Tricia Youtan said:

“As a council we welcome these new regulations which are being put in place for the protection of our residents who are tenants in private properties.

Rest assured that if landlords do fail to comply, our enforcement team will not hesitate to take the necessary action.

Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Community Matters and Wellbeing Cllr Tricia Youtan

All fixed electrical installations must now be inspected and tested, at least every five years, by a competent electrician. Also for any new tenancy, granted from 1 July 2020, they must have been inspected before the property is let and safety certificates, in the form of an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), must be given to new tenants at the start of the tenancy.  For existing tenancies, certificates will need to be provided from 1 April 2021.

If a fault is found, or certain improvements identified, they must be carried out within strict timescales.

Further information is available on the Council’s website at: Advice on electrical safety standards

Additional help for tenants can be found here: Help for tenants regarding electrical safety

For further advice or information please email the Environmental Health team at publichealth.licensing@horsham.gov.uk

For media queries please email press@horsham.gov.uk