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Landlord electrical safety certificate

Grumpy
Hi all, my father in law has a rental property that was completely rewired and with new split load CU five years ago. The installation is now due an inspection. Will the fact that the CU is plastic constitute a "fail"?

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    davezawadi (David Stone):

    Inspection to chapter 6, and therefore BS7671, are quite simple to follow given the correct qualifications and experience. If it inspects as safe, it matches BS7671 requirements for an electrical installation which is what the legislation requires. If it is a new installation it must exactly match, if existing then judgement of safety comes into play which is obviously not what you are attempting to apply to the CU for example

    As I keep trying to explain, part of the law does NOT CONCERN TESTING AND INSPECTION. The law isn't saying you must be compliant with chapter 6, it says that you must be compliant with all of BS7671. To quote:

     


    Duties of private landlords in relation to electrical installations

    3.—(1) A private landlord who grants or intends to grant a specified tenancy must—

    (a)ensure that the electrical safety standards are met during any period when the residential premises are occupied under a specified tenancy;


    “electrical safety standards” means the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018

     

    That part of the law says nothing about it being safe or testing ok; it just says it must comply at all times with BS7671:2018. I cannot see any way in which (for example) a plastic consumer unit in an occupied rental can comply with 3(1)(a). If you see a way, please talk me through it in a similar way you would explain it to a judge.
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    davezawadi (David Stone):

    Inspection to chapter 6, and therefore BS7671, are quite simple to follow given the correct qualifications and experience. If it inspects as safe, it matches BS7671 requirements for an electrical installation which is what the legislation requires. If it is a new installation it must exactly match, if existing then judgement of safety comes into play which is obviously not what you are attempting to apply to the CU for example

    As I keep trying to explain, part of the law does NOT CONCERN TESTING AND INSPECTION. The law isn't saying you must be compliant with chapter 6, it says that you must be compliant with all of BS7671. To quote:

     


    Duties of private landlords in relation to electrical installations

    3.—(1) A private landlord who grants or intends to grant a specified tenancy must—

    (a)ensure that the electrical safety standards are met during any period when the residential premises are occupied under a specified tenancy;


    “electrical safety standards” means the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018

     

    That part of the law says nothing about it being safe or testing ok; it just says it must comply at all times with BS7671:2018. I cannot see any way in which (for example) a plastic consumer unit in an occupied rental can comply with 3(1)(a). If you see a way, please talk me through it in a similar way you would explain it to a judge.
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