Moved by
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
33: After Clause 54, insert the following new Clause—
“Requirement to carry out electrical safety checks
(1) The landlord of a rental property shall ensure that the following are maintained in a safe condition so as to prevent the risk of injury to any person in lawful occupation of relevant premises—
(a) any electrical installations; and
(b) any electrical appliances supplied by the landlord.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), a landlord shall—
(a) ensure that the electrical installation and any electrical appliances supplied by the landlord are checked for safety within 12 months of initial leasing and thereafter at intervals of not more than five years since they were last checked for safety, regardless of whether the check was made pursuant to this Act;
(b) in the case of a lease which commences after the coming into force of this Act, ensure that the electrical installation and each electrical appliance to which the duty extends is checked for safety either within a period of 12 months before the lease commences or within 12 months of any electrical installation or electrical appliances being installed; and
(c) ensure that a record of any check for safety in respect of an electrical installation or electrical appliance is made and retained for a period of six years from the date of that check, which record shall include—
(i) the date on which the electrical installation or electrical appliance was checked;
(ii) the address of the premises at which the electrical installation or electrical appliance is installed;
(iii) the name and address of the landlord of the premises at which the electrical installation or electrical appliance is installed (or, where appropriate, the landlord’s agent);
(iv) a description of, and the location of, the electrical installation or electrical appliance that was checked;
(v) any defect identified;
(vi) any remedial action taken;
(vii) the name and signature of the individual carrying out the check; and
(viii) the registration number with which that individual’s firm is registered with a Part P competent persons scheme approved by the Department for Communities and Local Government and certified as being competent in periodic inspection and testing.
(3) The landlord shall ensure that any work in relation to a relevant electrical installation or electrical appliance carried out pursuant to subsection (1) or (2) is carried out by a firm registered with a Part P competent persons scheme approved for the time being by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
(4) The record referred to in subsection (2)(c), or a copy thereof, shall be made available upon request and upon reasonable notice for the inspection of any person in lawful occupation of relevant premises who may be affected by the use or operation of any electrical installation or electrical appliance to which the record relates.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (4), the landlord shall ensure that—
(a) a copy of the record made pursuant to the requirements of subsection (2)(c) is given to each existing tenant of premises to which the record relates within 28 days of the date of the check; and
(b) a copy of the last record made in respect of each electrical installation or electrical appliance is given to any new tenant of a premises to which the record relates before that tenant occupies the premises save that, in respect of a tenant whose right to occupy those premises is for a period not exceeding 28 days, a copy of the record may instead be prominently displayed within those premises.
(6) A landlord who fails to comply with this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.”