As of the 1st of April 2025, new electrical safety standards have come into law in Northern Ireland, affecting both tenants and landlords.
The new policy is in place to reduce preventable injuries and fatalities due to a rented property's electrical installation.
How have electrical safety standards changed in Northern Ireland?
Following a public consultation in September 2023, the Northern Ireland Assembly approved the new regulations in November 2024.
Moving forward landlords are required to undertake electrical safety checks in full before a Private Rented Sector (PRS) property is let, and must be inspected every five years there forward.
If local authorities think that a property doesn't have a genuine inspection report, they will be able to send notices to landlords.
If an existing tenancy running from before the 1st of April 2025 and will not change before the 1st of December 2025, an electrical safety check must be undertaken before the 1st of December.
The safety checks must be undertaken by a qualified professional, and they must test all hardwired electrical installations within the property.
The report must be retained for the next inspection, and a copy of the report must then be supplied to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection, or to a new tenant before they start their tenancy.
Tenants should then regularly report any electrical issues they experience during the five year period between inspections to the landlord for action to be taken.
If compliance is of concern to you as a landlord, speak with your local lettings experts to discuss how our fully managed landlord service can help you navigate legislative changes.
Reeds Rains E-marketing Executive
