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Tenants and landlords in Northern Ireland are being urged to familiarise themselves with new electrical safety standards that begin on 1 April 2025.
On 19 November 2024, the new regulations were approved by the Northern Ireland Assembly in response to a public consultation throughout September 2023.
From today, the regulations introduce the responsibility for landlords to ensure that electrical safety checks are finished at a private tenancy and at regular intervals after the first inspection.
Local authorities will have the power to provide notices to landlords if they believe the property does not have a legitimate inspection report.
An electrical safety inspection must be finished before 1 December 2025 if a tenancy does not change during 1 April 2025 and 1 December 2025.
Propertymark says it is important to know that it will be illegal to start a new private tenancy without acquiring a report from a qualified professional from 1 April 2025. The professional must test and inspect every fixed electrical cable or fixed electrical equipment found on the consumer’s side of the electricity supply meter.
The Department of Communities was given the power to produce further legislation for private tenancies over areas like tenancy deposits, information to be given to tenants, and notice to stop periods after the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 received Royal Assent in April 2022.
On 1 April 2023, sections one to six of the Act began, while sections seven to twelve were slowly implemented once extra regulations were established, some of which have now been introduced, like the one that requires landlords to complete electrical safety checks.
Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, said: “Propertymark has always supported the Department for Communities’ efforts to improve standards in private rented homes in Northern Ireland and it is vital that the regulations work in the best interests of the property sector and for the safety of tenants.
“Electrical safety inspections must be carried out with a report confirming the property meets electrical safety standards before any new tenancy is granted from 1 April 2025, therefore, we encourage all agents to ensure they are aware of the impact of these changes and adapt business practices accordingly.”
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