It’s common knowledge that UK landlords have many different responsibilities when it comes to managing and running their rental property. However, some landlords are still uncertain about what those responsibilities are, especially when it comes to their rental property’s electrical systems.
Landlords are responsible for ensuring that their tenants remain safe at all times when living in their property, and this includes ensuring that they don’t experience any kind of electrical injury. So, with this in mind, what kind of measures do landlords need to take to guarantee this?
In this helpful guide for landlords, we’ll look more closely at the various electrical checks that they must carry out along with the different risks they face and the certificates that they must obtain to comply with the law.
Electrical Safety Checks
The first thing that UK landlords need to do is arrange to have a safety check of the electrics carried out on the property every five years as a minimum. This must be carried out by a fully qualified electrician. Landlords are responsible for ensuring the tenant is protected from explosions, fires, shocks, and burns. If the check detects any issues, it is your responsibility as the landlord to carry out the repairs and to pay for those repairs that may be needed to the sockets, fuse boxes, or wiring.
Once the qualified electrician has carried out the electrical safety check, they issue the landlord with a valid electrical safety certificate, which should be retained as evidence that the rental property is deemed to be electrically safe for tenants to live in. The certificate covers all of the necessary electrical checks, including lighting, sockets, and wiring. Furthermore, it lists all the improvements that the landlord has to make.
In legal terms, the certificate has to cover all electrical risks, including whether or not the electric circuits’ capacity is sufficiently strong, whether the electrical work inside the property has been carried out to an appropriate standard, and whether they have been properly earthed.
As a landlord, you need to ensure that you have obtained an up to date certificate. You must also ensure that you’ve provided a copy of this certificate to your existing or new tenants and retain a copy yourself that you can show to your local authority if and when it is requested.
Landlord Regulations Regarding Electrics
As well as ensuring that you carry out safety checks on your rental property’s electrical system at least every 5 years, there are other regulations that you have to comply with in order to be in line with the law.
You must ensure you’re meeting the Wiring Regulations 18th edition standards, and any concerns or risks identified in the safety check have to be rectified within a 28 day period.
For electrical appliances, there’s a bit of ambiguity in the law. It isn’t actually legally required for a landlord to have the electrical appliances inside the property checked by an electrician but nevertheless, the landlord is responsible for those appliances and is required to ensure that they are safe for use. Therefore, it makes sense to get them checked on a regular basis for your own peace of mind.
Can Landlords Carry Out Electrical Checks Themselves?
Although getting an electrician to carry out an electric safety check is only needed once every 5 years, landlords can still do other electrical tests and checks while carrying out their regular property inspections. There’s no need to actually be a qualified electrician to carry out these checks. They can also be very helpful in ensuring there are no accidents.
When carrying out your regular property inspections, take a look at the following:
- Whether or not the power outlets are functioning correctly.
- Where there are any flickering lights in the property.
- Whether any brown marks or stains can be seen beside the power outlets.
- Whether any crackling can be heard from electrical items.
- Whether any of the fuses are tripped.
- Whether any sparks are coming from power outlets during use.
- Whether any electrical appliances no longer work.
- Whether exposed wires can be seen.
- Whether there are any non-functioning switches.
These are all very simple checks that can be done by anyone, so you or your lettings agent can easily take a look at these elements of your rental property’s electrical system while performing the six-monthly inspections that are routinely done to assess the condition of the property.
Spotting these issues at an early stage will not only ensure your tenant’s long term safety when residing in your property, but it can also save you money in the long run. Rectifying an electrical problem before it gets out of hand will ensure that there isn’t a costly breakdown or incident to deal with at a later stage.
How Much Do Electrical Safety Checks Cost?
Since electrical safety checks are an essential element of being a landlord, you’re going to need to set aside some money in your budget to cover this five-year cost. You may, therefore, want to have some idea about how much you’re likely to need to pay for this check to be done. There are several factors that need to be taken into account when determining the price of an electrical safety check. Firstly, the property’s size is one element to keep in mind while the area in which the property is located is another. On average, you can expect a qualified electrician to carry out an electrical safety check and supply the necessary certificate for around £265.
Landlords are responsible for ensuring that their properties stay in good condition for their tenants to live in. That includes ensuring their property’s safety. As long as landlords comply with the law and ensure that they carry out regular checks on the electrical systems and appliances inside their rental properties, they can be confident that they are adhering to their responsibilities as landlords and that their tenants will enjoy having a pleasant and safe home to live in.