Landlords require safety certificates by July 1

Owners of rental properties in France with gas and electrical systems over 15 years old in co-propriété buildings (such as flats with shared communal areas) built before 1975 need to supply a diagnostic check certificate as of July 1.

By January 1, 2018 all rental properties must comply and the measure will apply to both empty and furnished dwellings, leased as a principal residence.

This was formerly only obligatory for property for sale but the new measure for landlords is intended to guarantee the safety of tenants.

A study by the National Electrical Safety Observatory revealed that seven million electrical installations are a potential hazard risk in France. More than 200,000 homes catch fire each year, often due to a faulty electrical installation and of these incidents, nearly 60% are related to electrical equipment.

According to Diagamter's network of diagnostiqueurs, or checkers, 5,000 people are poisoned each year as a result of gas leaks, and 100 of them die. It was these figures that lead to GRESEL (Reflection Group on Electrical Safety in Housing) advising on the setting up of the new mandatory checks.

Once issued, gas and electricity certificates will be valid for six years.

As for those for a property sale, gas checks will include three main safety points:

• - the status of fixed appliances for heating and domestic hot water production or using a gas-fuelled combustion engine;
• - the condition of fixed gas supply piping and its accessories;
• - the layout of the rooms where the gas appliances work, allowing ventilation of these rooms and the evacuation of combustion emissions.

Meanwhile, to obtain the electricity certificate, the following must be checked:

• - a check of the general controls and safety apparatus, and its accessibility;
• - at least one differential device appropriate to the conditions of earthing, at the source of the electrical installation;
• - a power surge protection device on each circuit;
• - an equipotential connection and an electrical installation adapted to the particular conditions of premises containing a bathtub or shower.

You can find a certified diagnostiqueur to carry out the checks here.