Electrical Safety Guide For Landlords
Landlord Legal Requirements
Anyone who lets residential accommodation (such as houses, flats and bedsits, holiday homes, caravans and boats) as a business activity is required by law to ensure the equipment they supply as part of the tenancy is safe.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 requires that all mains electrical equipment (cookers, washing machines, kettles, etc), new or second-hand, supplied with the accommodation must be safe. Landlords therefore need to regularly maintain the electrical equipment they supply to ensure it is safe.
The supply of goods occurs at the time of the tenancy contract. It is, therefore, essential that property is checked prior to the tenancy to ensure that all goods supplied are in a safe condition. A record should be made of the goods supplied as part of the tenancy agreement and of checks made on those goods. The record should indicate who carried out the checks and when they did it.
It is strongly advisable to have the equipment checked before the start of each let. It would be good practice to have the equipment checked at regular intervals thereafter. You should obtain and retain test reports detailing the equipment, the tests carried out and the results.
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC), in collaboration with the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) and a number of leading UK housing associations, has produced a guide to electrical safety in the communal areas of residential properties in England & Wales.
Building on the success of the Landlords Guide to Electrical Safety, the guide is intended to address electrical safety in communal areas including areas accessible by staff, residents, and others visiting a property.
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) has teamed up with the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) and a number of other organisations to produce a new guide promoting electrical safety in the communal areas of residential properties in England and Wales.
Landlords Guide to Electrical Safety - Download Documents
The ESC was approached by ARMA after concerns were raised in the wake of several high profile electrical incidents including the fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell, London, in July 2009 which resulted in the death of six people, including a mother and her three-week-old daughter. The fire, which was caused by an electrical fault in a television in a 9th floor flat, spread rapidly to other floors of the residential block.
The Guide aims to raise awareness among residential landlords - including housing associations, local authorities, private landlords and property management companies - of their legal obligations relating to electrical safety and provides guidance and advice on areas such as stairwells, corridors and boiler rooms.
Book your PAT Testing Today !
Call us for a free no obligation quotation
Tel.: +44 01952 246557
E-mail: service@amptronic.co.uk
