The importance and benefits of a fixed wire test were further underlined for us this week when we attended a domestic rental property in Cambridge. As you can see from the photos, the cable had started to burn significantly inside a fuse board that was not fire-rated. Not only that, the fuse was also starting to show heat damage, and in our opinion it would only have been a matter of time before it caught fire and caused serious injury, if not death.
For Mark Smith, owner of MS Electrical Services, discoveries such as this one reinforce the need for landlords and letting agents to be rigorous with their electrical safety testing. ‘The government has introduced legislation around electrical safety testing which means that landlords and letting agents are compelled to comply,’ comments Mark. ‘While this is excellent news, we’re finding that some rented properties are still being neglected, and that isn’t good news for tenants who are entering into rental agreements in good faith. As well as achieving compliance with government regulations, ensuring that your fixed wire testing and PAT testing are up-to-date gives everyone – and especially your tenants – peace of mind. We would urge any landlords and letting agents to contact us if their electrical safety testing is overdue.’
MS Electrical offer fixed wire testing for landlords and letting agents in Cambridge, so please contact us for advice or to request a no-obligation quotation.