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Landlords call for extension to safety certificates as lockdown hits contractors
Gas and electrical safety certificates should be extended for six months, as landlords struggle to source contractors to carry out work, according to representative bodies.
A third of buy-to-let owners are having difficulties undertaking work in properties because of self-isolation and social distancing restrictions, trade body the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said.
Extending gas and electrical certificates would ease the burden on work and would be in line with the government’s approach to MOT certificates, the NRLA added.
The group has also called on the government to delay the introduction of new routine Electrical Installation Condition Reports until next year.
The reports are due to come into force on July 1 and involve inspectors checking the wiring in all rooms of a property, which can take a number of hours, according to the NRLA.
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Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: “While landlords should ensure that urgent work to ensure properties are safe for tenants is carried out, routine maintenance and checks need to be delayed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“Extending the life of gas and electrical safety certificates will protect landlords and tenants from unnecessary contact and provide landlords with legal protection from enforcement action where they are simply unable to get such work undertaken through no fault of their own.”