As a landlord, you will have a myriad of responsibilities when it comes to your rental property. Anything and everything from decorating and repairs to fitting new appliances and obtaining electrical safety certificates.
It’s fair to say that your main responsibility will be ensuring your rental property is safe not only for your tenants to live in but also as an investment for you. Below are some important facts about electrical safety and what your requirements are as a landlord when it comes to electrical checks and certification.
Electrical Faults Cause House Fires
Over the years, in an age that sees individuals owning phones, laptops, tablets, TVs, games consoles and more, homes are using more and more electrical appliances and more electricity. Sometimes, the wiring could be faulty, the equipment could be damaged or sockets overloaded.
- According to official government statistics, over 50% of accidental domestic fires are caused by faulty electrics. Of those, faulty appliances and leads cause around 25%.
- Annually, there are nearly 8,000 electrical fires in residential dwellings across the UK. This results in an average of 4,000 injuries and 30 deaths.
- Statistics show that people renting homes are more likely to be injured or die in electrical related fires than homeowners.
It’s no surprise then that it is essential for all landlords to carry out regular Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR) and Portable Appliance Testing (PAT). By doing so you’ll not only be protecting your tenants, but also your investment!
Find a knowledgeable, skilled and experienced electrician to carry out the testing and any remedial works to the highest standard.
There are Heavy Fines For Breaking The Rules
It is a legal requirement for all landlords to carry out an EICR at least every five years or at the start of new tenancies. If you are found to have dangerous and non-compliant electrics you could be fined up to £30,000. Some insurance policies also require an EICR to remain valid and if you have an HMO you could have your licence revoked.
An EICR will identify any hidden electrical deterioration that may be lying undetected in your rental property. Reputable electricians and testing services will be able to quote for your EICR quickly and easily.
Warning Signs Of Faulty Electrics
Electrical installations will, unfortunately, deteriorate over time, no matter how vigilant we are, causing a potential fire hazard or electric shock risk. There are a few obvious ways of identifying faulty electrical equipment. These are all signs your property needs urgent attention from an electrical engineer.
In older properties the wiring can be visually degraded, or you could see some exposed wiring that is frayed or even chewed by unwanted visitors. This is a big electric shock risk!
Flickering lights and/or a buzzing sound could be a sign that there is a problem with your electrical connection somewhere behind the scenes. This may be down to a faulty switch or wiring that needs to be replaced.
If the fuse box keeps tripping it is likely something a circuit is overloaded or there is a fault somewhere.
Discolouration or even smoke around plug sockets is a major warning sign that an appliance is overheating or there is a fault with the socket or wiring. Seek help from an electrical engineer right away and switch off your electricity.
Avoid Dodgy Electricals Bought Online
We all tend to shop around for the best deal online. Occasionally, this can be at the detriment of our health and safety. Around one third of us have purchased cheap, counterfeit and/or unbranded electrical equipment online. That’s about 18 million UK residents!
Counterfeit electricals are usually cheaper as they use inferior materials and haven’t been independently tested or don’t meet performance specifications. You may have read stories about phone chargers catching alight and plugs sparking. These below par electricals often malfunction, causing electric shocks, burns, fires and even explosions.
Sometimes it’s worth paying a bit more for the real thing to ensure a safe rental property and to prevent fires. It’s also best to get all appliances PAT tested to be sure.
Landlords aren’t obligated to PAT test electrical equipment but it is expected, unless you have a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) where PAT testing is a legal requirement. If your property is let unfurnished the responsibility for faulty electrical equipment lies with your tenant.
Electrical Safety Legal Requirements for Landlords
Even though most of us will have the common sense to regularly have the electrical wiring and equipment checked in our rental properties, the government recently introduced a law ensuring all landlords have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested at least every five years. This was implemented to improve safety in all residential premises and particularly in the private rental sector to ensure high-quality, safe and secure housing.
EICRs need to be supplied to tenants and to the local authority when requested.
What To Do if Electrical Faults are Identified
Hopefully, your EICR will show no electrical problems. But if it shows there are faults that need to be rectified, you can get a quote from a qualified engineer to get these issues further investigated and repaired.
You will have up to 28 days to rectify these faults and supply a new EICR showing no faults to your tenants and the local authority, if requested. If the faults are considered extremely dangerous, they will need to be fixed immediately. Your EICR will explain which type of fault/s your property has.
How Can I Arrange an EICR?
You will need a competent and qualified person to carry out the inspection and any remedial works. If you’re based in London, Greater London or the South East, you can find a team of qualified, knowledgeable and experienced inspectors and engineers at HEXO Electrical Testing. Speak to a member of their friendly team to get a quote today.