New wiring regulations for commercial landlords and property owners
There are new stricter regulations for commercial landlords and property owners, as of 1 January 2019, following the release of the new 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations. These cannot be amended retroactively so you need to make sure you’re familiar with them.
During 2017/18, there were 38,321 property fires in England, with half of those fires caused by electrical faults or misuse. These could easily have been prevented and property owners and commercial landlords are directly responsible, and legally accountable, for working to do so.
The 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations sets out the safety levels for new electrical installations as well as additions and changes to existing installations. This does not just apply to the UK and Channel Islands, but numerous other countries. It ensures that your wiring systems meet the standard of the requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
Key changes
There are a number of important changes to the legislation, including the following:
Protection against overvoltage:
The new regulations make clear that surge protection must be provided where a surge could result in serious injury or loss of life, interruption to public services of industrial and commercial activities, damage to cultural heritage, or a large number of individuals at the same location being affected.
RCD protection:
RCDs are now required on lighting circuits and on all socket outlets with ratings up to and including 32A. They must also be manually tested every six months.
Arc fault detection devices:
These devises should be installed as they are designed to trip the system in the event of an electrical fault.
Euroclass class ratings:
All cables used in buildings must have a Euroclass rating.
Wiring support:
All wiring support must be supported to prevent collapse if a fire occurs. Previously, this only applied to fire escapes.
Embedded electric heating:
These areas, including heated floors, should have protection in place to prevent them from overheating.
If you own one property or multiple properties in more than one island or in the UK, we can provide you comprehensive cover that will give you peace of mind. For advice and a range of policies, call your local Rossborough branch today.
