During the last 12 months, the media has given coverage to the legal obligations of landlords and letting agents in the area of electrical safety, but very little mention has been made of what tenants can rightfully expect.
As a tenant, your landlord is required to ensure that the home you are renting is safe and fit for you to live in throughout the course of the tenancy. That means that they must keep all electrical installations in safe working order, but that does also require collaboration from you. As a tenant, you need to inform your landlord of any electrical faults as soon as you notice them, allow a qualified electrician to enter the property to undertake testing and carry out repairs, and ensure that any appliances that you introduce into the property are safe to use. Should you spot a fault, however, under no circumstances should you attempt to rectify it.
Since 1 July 2020, landlords have been obliged to have an electrical safety check carried out in private rented homes at least once every five years. Once the check is completed, the electrician will provide a report for the landlord, and you should receive a copy. If you moved in on or after 1 June 2020, the first electrical check should have been undertaken before you moved in, so it’s a good idea to contact your landlord and request a copy of the report if you haven’t received one.
During the test, the electrician will test and inspect the fixed electrical installations throughout the property. This will include the wiring, the plug sockets, the light fittings, the fuse boxes, any electric showers and the extractor fans. The safety of portable items such as TVs, white goods, kettles and toasters, will not be tested unless your landlord has also requested a portable appliance (PAT) test. It isn’t a legal requirement for landlords to commission a PAT test, but it is the sign of responsible letting if they have one done.
The electrical safety condition report, or EICR, that the electrician produces will either confirm that all the installations meet the required standards or will identify areas where repairs are needed. It will also state when the next report is due. Your landlord is required to give you a copy of the report within four weeks of the inspection, and to ensure that the repairs have been carried out.
You will need to provide access to the property both for the test and for any repair work. It’s possible, although unlikely, that you may need to vacate the property to allow the repair work to be carried out efficiently. If this is the case, you may ask the landlord for a rent reduction. And should the condition of the electrical installation be so bad that you feel unsafe, you may be able to negotiate an early release from your rental agreement. It is not advisable, however, to withhold rent from the landlord in protest.
For Mark Smith, owner of MS Electrical Services, when it comes to electrical safety in rented properties, it’s all about co-operation between landlord and tenant. ‘The legal requirements that were introduced recently are a huge step forward in electrical safety in the rental market,’ comments Mark. ‘Clearly, the onus is on landlords to ensure that their properties are safe, but there is also a need for the tenants to contribute. It’s vital that any electrical faults are communicated as soon as they come to light, and to allow access both for testing and repairs. It’s also important to chase the landlord for the latest EICR report, so that everyone understands the precise position regarding electrical safety testing.’
At MS Electrical we offer PAT testing and fixed wire testing for landlords in and around Cambridge. Should you have any concerns about your electrical safety, please contact us for advice or to request a no-obligation quotation.
