Electrical safety is a major obligation for landlords; they have to ensure the safety of tenants or they risk fines or jail terms.
Landlords have to offer regular electrical installation condition audits to their tenants.
Each year, hundreds of people die as a result of electrocution or deadly electric burns, while there are thousands of unintentional electrical fires in homes.
All landlords are also obliged to offer gas safety certificates. However, the rules around electrical safety are slightly different.
But there may be more you have to do depending on where your buy-to-let is.
- Landlords have an obligation to keep a property safe and habitable. This means carrying out repairs as required and applies to electrical items such as switches, sockets, light fittings or fuse boxes.
- They also have to provide Electrical Installation Certificates for any new fittings that are put in. These can be obtained from a fully registered electrician.
- It is recommended that you conduct Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) every five years, again by a fully registered engineer or electrician. (Landlord electrical safety certificates London)
- Any tenant moving in from December 2015 must be provided with a copy of an EICR and a Portable Appliance Test for mobile objects such as cookers and microwaves.
- An EICR comprises an inspection and test electrical appliances by an electrician, who will check if the circuits may be overloaded and detect any electric shock threats or substandard electrical work.
- The electrician who performs these checks must be employed by a company that is a member of an accredited registration scheme.
- Tenants are advised to watch out for any damaged switches or loose screws or wiring. If a landlord does not get a report done or make any suggested changes they can be reported to the Private Rented Housing Panel.
- The agency deals with landlords who do not comply with set regulations for housing.
- The PRHP can give a repairing order, which is a legally required. If a landlord does not repair the faults then they could be forced to let their tenants pay less or no rent until the error is fixed.
Related:
Electrical safety condition report
CCTV installation South London
What is an Electrical Safety Certificate?
An Electrical Safety Certificate is a certificate issued by a certified electrician to prove that all electrical circuits and appliances in a property are in good working condition and do not pose danger to residents.
In Wales, England and Northern Ireland, it is not a legal requirement for landlords to acquire. However, it is recommended to have electrical systems checked every five to ten years.
Landlords are responsible for ensuring that safety checks of their premises whether commercial or residential, are done by a certified electrician at least once every five years, and the start of a new occupancy.
The person conducting the inspection must be a member of an accredited registration scheme.
Repairs should be done quickly and appliances made safe to use before re-letting the property.
It’s always recommended that all landlords should make sure that they are fulfilling the appropriate electrical safety regulations to ensure that all electrical equipment supplied is safe.
Get sporadic inspections of electrical appliances by a qualified electrician.
How long does an electrical certificate last for?