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Electrical Safety Regulations
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
These regulations require that all appropriate electrical equipment supplied in a property must be safe to use. Unlike the Gas Safety Regulations, there is no mandatory requirement for the equipment to undergo any safety testing, but the duty of care remains the same.
The following guidelines apply to all electrical appliances supplied for the tenancy:
- leads should not be worn or frayed and be complete with no joins;
- trailing leads and the use of multiple plug adaptors should be avoided;
- correct plugs (marked ‘B SECTION 136') should be fitted and correctly fused;
- plug sockets should be firmly fastened to the wall or skirting;
- any moving parts should be guarded;
- electric blankets should be serviced according to the manufacturer's instructions; and
- microwave doors should be clean, free from corrosion and effective.
- washing machines, cookers, etc, should be serviced and in good working order;
- electrical heaters and central heating appliances should be serviced annually;
- fireguards should meet BS3248; and
- any fire extinguishers should be marked ‘BS6575 1985'.
Although there is no mandatory requirement for equipment to be checked - nor any stipulations as to how often the electrical supply or appliances might need to be checked - we urge all our landlords to have all electrical appliances and electrics (wiring, plugs and sockets, etc) checked before the start of a tenancy and regularly thereafter.
If landlords or agents should be found guilty of non-compliance with these regulations, the penalties are severe in monetary terms and include possible imprisonment.
If landlords and/or agents can prove that ‘reasonable' steps have been taken and all due diligence to (a) avoid committing an offence and (b) rectify any problems brought to their attention, then the danger of prosecution could be avoided.
Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations 1994
These regulations require that where any plug, socket or adapter supplied for intended domestic use, that it complies with the appropriate current standard, and specifically that:
Building regulations part P, Electrical safety in dwellings
Part P came into effect in England and Wales on 1 January 2005 making it a legal requirement for certain types of electrical work in dwellings - and associated buildings such as garages, sheds, greenhouses and outbuildings - to comply with the UK safety standard BS 7671:2001.
The table below summarises the types of electrical work that are affected by the legislation. Anyone carrying out these ‘notifiable' types of electrical work must either be registered with one of the Government-approved Competent Person Self-certification Schemes or they must submit a building notice to the local authority before starting the work.
Whether work is notifiable is dependent on the nature of installation work proposed and its location within a dwelling. The location is important because some locations may pose a greater risk. The table below shows which types of work are notifiable and which are not: