Landlord Electrical Responsibilities

As a landlord your responsibilities to your tenants are high. It’s important to keep them safe and provide them with utilities that are safe to use and provide heating, lighting and water without endangering life. In order to provide these services as part of your role as landlord it’s crucial you keep things well maintained and serviced on a regular basis.

RML – Electrical Contractors for Landlords.

The government has been stepping up its act and putting stringent rules in place to ensure that landlords are obeying the law. It is now mandatory for landlords of private rented property to have electrical installation checks to ensure they’re safe to use every 5 years. They are also spending time discussing how they can strengthen the laws even further by creating fines for those that don’t comply, that could be in excess of up to £30k.

Our Landlord Electrical Services could save you from legal and financial penalties.

By keeping your properties safe for your tenants, and carrying out regular improvements to electrical installations, you will not only improve the property value, but also prevent fire hazards and electrical accidents that could result in death. There is a higher risk to private tenants from dodgy electrical installations than there is to those who occupy social housing. No wonder then that the government is so keen to do something about it and penalise those who flagrantly flout the law.

In 2016 the Housing and Planning Act was introduced with tough new powers to ensure much improved electrical safety standards in the private sector. This could be soon followed by a Private Member’s Bill that will require landlords to attend to the safety of their property more rigorously and give tenants rights to take legal action against them.

EICR – The Electrical Installation Condition Report. 

Here RML we provide what’s known as an EICR. This is a periodic inspection of your electrical infrastructures in your properties including the installations, it’s fairly comprehensive and will ensure the safety and well-being of your tenants. This is something that’s quite complex and detailed and requires an expert to carry out.

We’re trained to be able to spot a problem no matter how well hidden it is for now.

Spotting subtle malfunctions, and anomalies that are invisible to the eye but are set to cause trouble at some point, and other problems you or your tenants may not be aware of, requires someone who’s been trained to a high standard. If you don’t do something now, it could cause you bigger down the line. Make sure you hire a registered electrician who will inspect your property, look at the wiring, the electrical installations, wear and tear and you will receive a report from the electrician. Any issues are meant to be acted on promptly.

PAT Testing

This stands for Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and involves the checking of portable electrical appliances for safety. Anything you own and your tenants use should be tested, and this could be something like a fridge, a cooker or a freezer. We realise this includes stationary equipment, but it is these items that can cause a hazard as well as kettles, heaters or TVs. Again, you need a registered electrician who’s trained to carry out this type of work.

RML – Let us be your regular landlord electrician.

Here at RML we pride ourselves on being the best in the business. We’re registered, we’re trained and we are qualified experts. We’re the best people to help you comply with the law and give you and your tenants peace of mind. We are the best team of electrical contractors for landlords in West Lothian and our landlord electrical services are both comprehensive and good value for money. Why not get in touch today and put your mind at rest?