Landlords in Northern Ireland must soon guarantee that electrical safety checks have been carried out at private tenancies and at frequent intervals after the first inspection.

The Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) take effect from 1st April after they were introduced by the Northern Ireland Assembly in response to a 2023 public consultation.  

Under the new rules, if a tenancy does not change between 1st April and 1st December 2025, then an electrical safety inspection must be completed before 1st December.

Qualified

It will be illegal to start a new private tenancy without gaining a report from a qualified professional who must test and inspect every fixed electrical cable or fixed electrical equipment located on the consumer’s side of the electricity supply meter. Local councils will be able to issue notices to landlords if they suspect their property doesn’t have a legitimate inspection report.  

The Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 gave the Department for Communities power to create future legislation for private tenancies over areas including tenancy deposits, information to be issued to tenants, and notice to end periods.  

Progress

Propertymark has created a new fact sheet to help landlords and agents understand their legal requirements under these new regulations.  

Henry Griffith, policy and campaigns officer at Propertymark, says: “We welcome progress taken by the Department for Communities to establish electrical safety standards in private rented homes in Northern Ireland. We thank the department for continuing to work with us following the initial consultation to ensure that the new regulations work in the best interests of the sector.”  

Members can view the fact sheet here: Fact sheet: The Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 | Propertymark  

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