Unlike the legislation relating to gas appliances and installations in let properties which places a strict requirement for an annual check and written report to be produced, the current legislation relating to electrical appliances and installations, whilst clearly requiring them to be “safe”, does not impose an obligation upon a Landlord to carry out an electrical check before a tenancy commences.
We do have to inform you however, that the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires that the electrical installation in a rented property is:
- Safe when a tenancy begins and
- Maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy
Unfortunately, in addition, the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 requires a Landlord to take reasonable steps to ensure that all appliances, including fridges, washing machines, kettles etc provided as part of the let are safe to use.
You must therefore ensure that you comply with all of the relevant legislation and that means you ensure that electrical appliances and installations in your property which is let out are safe. It goes without saying that you should instruct a qualified electrician to carry out an electrical safety inspection prior to your property being let or relet.
The recommendation of the Electrical Safety Council is that a portable appliance testing – the PAT test – is undertaken at least every five years or upon change of tenants (provided the change does not occur after a short period) to ensure appliances are safe. Statistics show that, despite a reasonably good record on electrical safety, each year in the UK as a result of electrical incidents the following happened:-
- there are still over thirty deaths
- nearly four thousand injuries and
- eight thousand fires
Harringtons have qualified electricians on hand, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to make contact with us.
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