New electrical safety regulations for social housing: what social landlords need to know

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) (Amendment) (Extension to the Social Rented Sector) Regulations 2025 impose new legal duties on social landlords to improve electrical safety in social housing. These changes are designed to bring the social rented sector in line with the private rented sector.

This article outlines what the new duties mean for social landlords, why the changes are being introduced, and how they align safety standards with those already in place in the private rented sector. We also advise next steps for landlords.

Why are these changes happening?

Social landlords already follow strict rules to keep homes safe and hazard-free and many have been working to a five-year cycle for electrical checks. The new regulations aim to raise safety standards further and align the social rented sector with the private rented sector, ensuring consistent protection for tenants.

Who do the regulations apply to?

The rules apply to residential premises, any property that includes a dwelling, which tenants have the right to occupy as their main home and pay rent. This includes both tenancies and licences to occupy.

Key exceptions include:

• Shared accommodation with the landlord or their family
• Long leases, including shared ownership leases, or tenancies of seven years or more
• Student halls of residence
• Hostels and refuges
• Care homes, hospitals, and hospices
• Other healthcare-related accommodation
• Mobile homes, caravans, and boats

What are the new requirements?

Social landlords must ensure that:

• The electrical installations are inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person. 'Electrical installations' include:
  
  • The 'fixed' electrical parts of the premises, such as the wiring, socket-outlets (plug sockets), the light fittings and the consumer unit (fuse box)
  • Permanently connected equipment such as showers and extractors
  • Circuits provided for specialist equipment such as solar PV systems and battery storage
• The electrical appliances provided as part of a tenancy are inspected and/or tested, known as PAT testing. Tenants are responsible for checking the safety of their own electrical equipment.
• Provide tenants with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) within 28 days of an inspection and to new tenants before they move in.
• Any identified remedial works are completed within 28 days of an inspection.

When do these rules take effect?

The regulations are being introduced in two stages:

• From 1 November 2025: applies to new social housing tenancies granted after 1 December 2025.
• From 1 May 2026: applies to existing social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025. 

For existing tenancies there are also transitional provisions which provide that:

• Electrical installations must be inspected and tested by a qualified person before 1 November 2026.
• Electrical equipment must be checked by a qualified person before 1 November 2026.
• Unsafe equipment must be repaired or replaced within 28 days.
• Subsequent checks must be carried out at least every five years.

What do landlords need to do?

Landlords of social housing stock will already have processes in place to comply with legislative frameworks, such as the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and so may already be compliant with the new regulations. However, we recommend that landlords undertake a compliance review to ensure that they have the policies and protocols in place to meet the new standards.  

The government has published guidance for landlords on this new legislation, click here to view.
 
If you need advice or support on any aspect of these new regulations or on housing law generally then contact our property disputes team.