What You Need To Know About Electrics for Buy To Let - Part Five

It's worth knowing that if you have work done by someone who is not a competent person, a building notice or full plans must be submitted to the local authority building control officer, who will charge you to do an inspection instead. This could cost around £200 but the cost varies by local authority.
So it's worth using a “Competent Person” instead to save on this fee.
A “competent person” is an electrician who is registered with one of the main electricians bodies approved by the government and the advantage of using a competent person is that they don’t need to notify the local authority before the work begins or have it inspected after - because the local authority will accept a certificate from the person carrying out the work as evidence that the requirements have been satisfied.
If you use a competent person, at the end of the job, they will give you a BS7671 Installation Certificate to confirm that their work complies with the rules and a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to say that the work meets with building regulations.
If you sell the property, this will need to be shown to a purchasing solicitor on request.
Copyright David Lawrenson 2007
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What You Need To Know About Electrics for Buy To Let - Part Four

If you are planning electrical jobs, be aware of the new “Part P” regulations.
Since January 2005, for more complex electrical jobs you now have to use properly qualified people.
The idea was to protect the DIY enthusiast from themselves and put an end to faulty installations by cowboys.
Now, home electrical jobs are classified into “notifiable” and “non–notifiable”.
Non-notifiable work, which you can do yourself, include replacing sockets, outlets, control switches and ceiling roses unless these are in what is deemed to be a high risk area where it is exposed to water, such as a bathroom, kitchen or a garden.
Notifiable work includes any new installation, rewires or partial rewires, new consumer unit fittings, putting in one or more new circuits, extensions to circuits in kitchen bathrooms or gardens, lighting circuits, heating controls, air conditioning, ventilation and extractor fan systems.
Work on showers (whether electrically heated or pumped) or on cookers and the installation of kitchen appliances is notifiable as is work on fire, security or an environmental control systems.
If in doubt, ask the Buildings Control Officer at your local authority.
For notifiable work, the job has to be done or inspected and certified by what’s called a “competent person” - which means a person who has attained at least the British Standard BS7671.
More on this tomorrow.
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Copyright: David Lawrenson 2007

What You Need To Know About Electrics for Buy To Let - Part Three

All properties built after June 1992 will have mains wired smoke detectors put in on each floor, but it’s always worth considering putting these in anyway as many tenants have a habit of taking battery operated ones out if they go off accidentally - and then forgetting to put them back after they've cleared the smoke from their burnt toast!
If your smoke detectors are not hard wired, part of your regular maintenance cycle should involve checking smoke detector batteries regularly and asking your tenants to let you know if they need replacing.
It’s also a good idea to lightly vacuum the detector elements of smoke detectors too.
Part Four tomorrow will look at the newish Part P Regulations covering electrical work
Copyright: David Lawrenson 2007.
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Mortgage Lenders As Hell Bent on Profits As Ever

I usually opt for a mortgage rate linked to the Bank Of England base rate.
In the days when bank base rates were going down my mortgage lender would out through the reduction a month in arrears.
Now that bank base rates are on the way up, my lender is putting up the rate on my mortgage that same month.
How very convenient for them! I wonder how much extra profit that generates.
They have assured me that this is a "system change" and the same speedy rate of adjustment will happen when rates go down.
Let's see shall we.
Somehow, I'm very sceptical. (I used to work for two big clearing banks and a big insurer so I know the tricks we used to pull, you see!)
Please write and tell me your moans about mortgage lenders.
I'll try to include it in any future article I write and it could even make it into the new edition of my book.
david@lettingfocus.com
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What You Need To Know About Electrics for Buy To Let - Part Two

So who can do a full electric check?
Most people will opt to use an electrician from NICEIC or from the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) - the members of these organisations do the bulk of domestic work.
It's worth keeping records of all safety checks that are carried out -the electrician will give you a report for you to keep.
Also, as general good practice you should avoid using old appliances or if you do use them, get the electrican to check they work properly.
The key thing to keep in mind is that all appliances you provide must be in working order and operating instructions and safety warning notices should be supplied too.
Part three tomorrow.
Copyright David Lawrenson 2007
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What You Need To Know About Electrics for Buy To Let - Part One

Firstly, it’s worth saying that unlike with gas certificates, there is no legal requirement for landlords to have annual safety checks on electrical equipment. However, that said, it is a criminal offence to “fail to ensure that the electrical system and appliances are safe.” (Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations 1994)
So any wise landlord should ideally have electrical equipment and wiring checked before first letting a property as well as having periodic checks done too.
It's worth getting what's called a “Periodic Inspection Report” done by a qualified electrician. The cost for one of these depends on the size of the property but for a typical 2 or 3 bedroom terrace property it will be in a range from about £100 to £300 - how much will depend on area.”
Copyright David Lawrenson 2007.
Part two tomorrow.
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