The SHR has issued an update to its Annual Assurance Statement FAQs as per the below:
Q: We have been unable to complete all of our Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR’s) which were due. Should we disclose this in the Annual Assurance Statement?
A: Yes. Given the importance of tenant and resident safety if a landlord has not carried out all due EICR’s at the point of submitting the AAS it should identify this in the AAS. If the landlord has been unable to complete all due EICR’s because of external factors such as the pandemic, or supply chain problems, the landlord can highlight this in the AAS. The landlord should set out in the AAS the timeframe for completing all due EICR’s
Since then, a number of members have contacted SFHA asking for some suggested wording in this regard, as an update to our Suggested Clauses for inclusion in Annual Assurance Statement document. Back in 2020, we had produced supplemental Covid-19 guidance to our Self-Assurance Toolkit that included some suggested clauses relating to gas safety which can be adjusted for this purpose.
The following wording may be useful for organisations in drafting this aspect of their AAS, in cases where you have been unable to gain access for EICRs due to the pandemic. This is not intended to be prescriptive, and can be adjusted as necessary:
We currently have [X] properties which do not have a valid EICR. This is a direct result of the pandemic and understandable tenant concerns about potential transmission of Covid by inspecting contractors, who require access to every room in a property to carry out these inspections. We have appointed a contractor and are working with the tenants concerned to reassure them that all necessary precautions continue to be employed. All outstanding inspections are scheduled to be completed by [x] [As reported in our ARC, these properties are currently categorised as 'in abeyance' for the purposes of the SHQS]
The members who have been in touch are working to 31 March 2023 for completion, and you may wish to add some further accompanying narrative to the above if the deadline you are working to goes beyond this date.
