Landlord electrical responsibilities

As a landlord are you aware of your electrical responsibilities? This guide includes information on electrical checks, certificates, and risks.

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As a landlord, you have a responsibility to keep tenants safe inside your properties from electrical injuries. So, what exactly are your landlord electrical responsibilities?

Well, you need to arrange for an electrical safety check to be carried out every 5 years. You also need to ensure this is done by a properly qualified electrician. Remember, you’re responsible for protecting your tenants from burns, shocks, fires, and explosions.

If any issues are found during the check, you’ll be responsible for repairs. This may include repairing wiring, damaged sockets and faulty fuse boxes.

What are landlord electrical safety certificates?

Once a safety check has been carried out by a competent electrician, you’ll be issued an electrical safety certificate. This document is evidence that the property you rent out is safe for your tenants. It covers essential electrical checks, such as wiring, sockets and lighting. The certificate also lists any improvements you need to make.

Legally, this certificate needs to cover any electrical risks, whether the capacity of the electric circuits is strong enough, if there's a poor standard of electrical work, and whether the electrics are correctly earthed.

Make sure you have an up-to-date certificate, that you provide a copy to new or existing tenants, and that you’re prepared to show this to local authorities if they request it.

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New landlord electrical regulations

Electrician updating sockets for landlord

In 2020 a range of new electrical regulations for landlords came into play that legally you need to follow.

As well as getting safety checks every five years, these regulations state that you need to ensure you meet the standards in the 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations. What’s more, any risks or concerns highlighted by your safety check need to be addressed within 28 days.

When it comes to appliances, the law is a little ambiguous. It’s not a legal requirement that you get any appliances in your property checked, however, you’re still responsible for these appliances and need to ensure they’re safe to use.

For further guidance on the new landlord electrical regulations, please visit the Gov.uk page where these are explained in more detail.

Electrical checks and testing for landlords

While you’re only required to get an electrical safety check every five years, there are a number of electrical checks and testing that landlords can carry out during inspections. You don’t need to be an electrician to perform these checks and you may help prevent an accident.

Consider checking the following as part of your property inspections:

Whether power sockets are working
Whether any lights are flickering
Whether there are any stains or brown marks next to power sockets
Whether any electrical items are crackling
Whether any fuses have been tripped
Whether any power sockets give out sparks when used
Whether any appliances have stopped working
Whether there are any exposed wires
Whether any switches aren’t working

Need an electrical safety check?

As a responsible landlord, you’ll want to have your properties checked every five years by a competent and qualified electrician. But how can you find an electrician you can trust?

Well, our members are thoroughly checked to ensure you get the best service possible. With recommendations from your neighbours, you can be sure you’re hiring the right worker for your job.

We’re so confident in our members’ abilities that we’re now offering a work guarantee that provides up to £1,000 of cover to put things right in the unlikely event something goes wrong. What’s more, this guarantee is completely free, as long as you use an eligible trade. To find a range of local electricians, just use our free search feature to save yourself time and energy.

Looking for more tips and guidance when choosing an expert for your job? The HomeOwners Alliance website is packed with information plus DIY guides for home projects.

How much does an electrical safety check cost?

Once you’re ready to go ahead with your electrical safety check, it may be handy to know how much you need to budget for this. Our electrical safety check cost guide has all the prices and information you need. The average cost for an electrical safety certificate for landlords is £265 but this will vary depending on the size of the property and other factors included in our guide.

As a landlord you’ll be responsible for keeping your properties in tip top condition. This ensures your tenants have a pleasant place to live and that they’re as safe as possible. The average homeowner pays £848 on property maintenance a year so ensure you budget for this. Our property maintenance cost guide is a great resource with average prices of different maintenance jobs.

Which tradespeople should you use for the job?

It’s crucial that your electrical safety checks are carried out by a qualified electrician. Not only is this the best way to protect your tenants and property but this is a legal requirement.

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