Social Housing Electrical Safety Standard

By voting to approve new regulations that require mandatory electrical safety checks of all rented residences in the social sector, the government has confirmed that every social housing resident deserves to live in a home that is safe, warm and free from potentially dangerous electrical systems.

The new Social Housing Electrical Safety Standard (SHELSS) states that every social housing residence must be checked for electrical safety at least once every five years. Prior to the law, there wasn’t a standard in place for these homes. This oversight gave rise to inadequate safety practices which, in turn, led to a number of penalty notices being served to social landlords for poor compliance standards.

What this means to social housing landlords

Starting November 2025, every social housing residence that is assigned to a new resident must have a valid electrical certificate that confirms the safety of the home’s electrics. Landlords are responsible for furnishing these certificates before the new tenancy begins.

By May 2026, landlords must make sure that all of their social housing properties have been inspected and certified as electrically safe.

How Sureserve can help

Sureserve fully understands the complexity of the work that will need to be carried out to comply with the new SHELSS regulations. Our experienced teams have been conducting safety and compliance checks for gas, electricity, fire, water and more for decades. Our long history of top-quality work and satisfied partners is a testament to our expertise and superior customer service. You can trust the professionals at Sureserve to complete every job entrusted to us with precision, integrity and a commitment to excellence. 

With over 4 million social housing homes to check before May, the earlier you reach out to us the better. Busy times are coming. Those who wait too long to secure a partner to provide electrical safety certificates may not make the November 2025 and May 2026 deadlines.