Landlords Advice

Electrical Safety Within A Rented Property

All electrical equipment should be kept in safe, good working order at the start of every tenancy and maintained in a safe condition through out. As stated in the Landlords & Tennant Act 1985. One solution is to have all portable equipment PAT tested to ensure electrical safety.

All property being rented out must have the electrical installation system tested to ensure electrical safety and all appliances supplied are safe to use. This is stated in the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and The Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Failure to comply with this regulation is a criminal offence and can result in a £5000 fine, possible manslaughter charges in the event of deaths, your property insurance may be invalidated, the tenant may also sue you for civil damages and six month's imprisonment.

It is important to ensure that all electrical appliances and fittings within the property are safe and in good working order. Unlike gas regulations, there is no law that says you must have a landlord electrical safety certificate. But, should any electrical fittings or appliances within your rental property cause harm to a tenant you could be held liable.

In the event of an incident or the tenant making a complaint the defence of ‘due diligence’ may be accepted as reasonable steps have been taken to prevent these incidents. Document must be shown to back this up.

DBM can offer an inspection and testing service in which a qualified electrician can carry out periodic inspections on the property. All tests will be fully documented & certificated and copies provided.

For more detailed information please feel free to contact us