The milestone Westminster event was held on December 10th to showcase and promote debate on a new, groundbreaking home safety certificate and package of supporting guidance.
Developed by a sub-group of influential industry forum the Electrical Safety Roundtable (ESR), the certificate brings together everything from legal requirements on gas and electrical safety checks as well as confirmation of working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to a legionella risk assessment, falls prevention checklist and more.
Commenting on the event, MP and Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group Barry Sheerman said: ‘Safety in the private rented sector is an issue that affects the lives of millions of tenants across the country. It is vital for Government and industry to move forward together and this event represents a promising step along that road.’
Chris Town of the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) commented: ‘By making life easier for the conscientious majority of landlords, the Home Safety Certificate is a great way to improve safety without increasing regulation. This is really good news for landlords, who can now benefit from a clearer understanding of their obligations, without being subjected to unnecessary red tape – an approach that complements RLA’s Safe and Secure House campaign.’
Representatives of over 40 prominent organisations attended the Private Rented Sector Safety Shocks event to progress an industry-led solution for an area of the housing market where a third of properties fail to meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard. This concept received support from: LABC, ARLA, Savills, JELF, NAPIT, Ombudsman Services, Propertychecklists.co.uk, and EcoSurv among others.
