Why Do Landlords Have to Complete An Electrical Inspection?

Roughly 20% of UK housing is rented.
There are two main Acts of Parliament that enforce a statutory responsibility on property owners
regarding the safety of electrical devices:

1. The Consumer Protection Act 1987 landlords electrical testing obligations.
2. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The Consumer Protection Act has an effect on all persons who let real estate in the course of their business as it describes these individuals as "suppliers", i.e. they are supplying goods to the tenant. There are actually a number of items of secondary legislation under the umbrella of the Consumer protection Act that happen to be immediately strongly related to the supply of electrical goods, such as:

1. The Low Voltage Electrical Equipment Regulations 1989
2. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
3. The General Product Safety Regulations 1994
4. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994
Electrical Safety in Rental Property

Separately from the Landlord’s Common Law duty of care, the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 (and several other statutory regulations see below)calls for that the electrical devices are secure at the start of every tenancy and maintained in a safe condition right through the tenancy.

Electrical hazards are additionally protected by the Housing Health and safety Rating System under the Housing Act 2004.

In the event of commercial premises and dwellings in multiple occupation there exists a statutory responsibility under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 for the accountable individual (the property manager) to carry out yearly Fire Safety Risk Assessments, which in turn involve electricians in Camberley safety risks.

If you let property as a landlord you must make certain that the electrical system and all appliances provided are secure - failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the The Consumer Protection Act 1987 is a criminal offence and could lead to:

A fine of ?5,000 per item not complying
Up to 6 months imprisonment
Possible manslaughter charges in the case of deaths
The Tenant may additionally sue you for civil damages
Your property insurance could be invalidated

These regulations are imposed by the Health & Safety Executive.

Essentially, these regulations demand an obligation on landlords to make sure that all electrical equipment supplied by these individuals remains safe and secure for usage by the tenant. The Consumer Protection Act offers a defence of 'due diligence', i.e. a landlord may defend a contravention of the Act if he can prove that he took reasonable steps to prevent committing the offence.