Electrical Wiring Safety Standards Regulations 2020 (England) what you need to know before you hand over those keys...... 
A Landlord from England has been ordered to repay £260,000.00 to their tenants because they were living in an overcrowded and unsuitable accommodation. Some of the rooms did not have heating and were not properly ventilated. There were electrical issues at the property and some tenants were sleeping on bunk beds in a room too small. The new Electrical Safety Standards came into force in April 2020 (18th edition of the wiring & electrical installations Regulations (Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020). This places a duty on landlords to ensure that the electrics in the rental property are inspected by an accredited electrical engineer and the report should be served on the Tenants within 28 days of receipt. If you fail to obtain this report, then there is a fine of up to £30,000.00. If the Landlord does not deal with the electrics, then the Local Authority can remedy any defects and then charge the landlord. In this particular case, the Landlord was found guilty of a number of important regulatory breaches at the property and this resulted in a rent repayment order being awarded. If you are a Landlord worried about your obligations then please call our Newbold Team who will happily provide you with free initial advice, just to put your mind at rest in nothing else. The amount of fines that you could be liable for would cause most Landlords financial hardship, or may even result in financial ruin. If you are a tenant who feels your Landlord is breaching any regulations then please speak to our tenant team; we may be able to handle the matter on a NO WIN NO fee arrangement and our disrepair team handlers will help you through the process. You may have a claim under S11 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 which states that the structure of the property must be in good working order, including essential services (gas/heating/water and not least electrical wiring). If you are a Landlord, then if you have already been served with a improvement notice, then please ring our Landlord team who will be able to advise you if you have breached the regulations, how to remedy the issues and if you have been fined, how to appeal the fine.