At MS Electrical we believe that moving into a new home should be an exciting and positive experience for both tenant and landlord. But, above all, it should be completely safe. According to industry body Electrical Safety First, however, UK landlords are still putting millions of private tenants in danger by failing to fulfil their electrical safety obligations. Not only that, they’re also exposing themselves to huge financial risks.
A quick look at the statistics brings into focus the need for landlords to take electrical safety far more seriously. More than 350,000 serious injuries are caused every year by electrical accidents, with more than 50% of house fires resulting from faulty electrical products.
Tenants are more than seven times more likely to experience a house fire than homeowners, and an astonishing 1.7 million private renters say that their landlord has ignored them when they have flagged up an electrical issue within their rented property. It’s estimated that 1.3 million tenants are waiting for their landlords to resolve an electrical issue which has been brought to their attention. And all this despite the threat of a £20,000 fine hanging over any landlord who is found to have failed to meet their obligations in terms of electrical safety.
As Mark Smith – owner of MS Electrical Services, who carry out PAT testing in Cambridge, Ely and Newmarket – observes, landlords simply shouldn’t be taking such risks with their rental properties. “We find it amazing that there are so many issues regarding electrical safety in rental properties,” he comments. “We’d encourage prospective and existing landlords to contact us to carry out their PAT testing and fixed wire testing, because we understand that 80% of local authorities are cracking down on landlords who are failing to meet electrical safety standards in their properties. And when you consider that their insurance could be invalidated should an accident or fire occur because of an electrical fault, it’s far better to be safe than sorry.”
To discuss your PAT testing and fixed wire testing requirements and to arrange an initial site visit, please call MS Electrical on 01223 850301 / 01353 665106.