DASH has found that landlords are exposing themselves to significant  risks from fines and invalidated insurance, through not acting on their obligations – particularly in fire and electrical safety.

DASH does regular property visits and is still finding that in more than 50% of cases a hazard relating to fire safety is found, and in most cases the landlord does not have a valid electrical safety report.

Your responsibilities as a landlord……..

Fire Alarms:

Since October 2015 changes to the law have required landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor of their property, and test them at the start of every tenancy.

These duties apply to residential premises which means premises all or part of which comprise a dwelling. This includes all lets – family lets as well as a flat over a shop. If the property is a licensed HMO or subject to selective licensing any fire requirements will be addressed through the conditions on the licence. 

Landlords need to demonstrate that alarms are in proper working order on the day a tenancy begins where it is a new tenancy (on or after 1st October 2015). Alarms should be checked periodically to see that they continue working properly. You can place this responsibility on the tenant to do a monthly check, however landlords will then have to make sure that the tenant does actually carry this out. If challenged, a landlord could have to show that a proper system has been put in place to check alarms regularly.

Those who fail to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms would face sanctions and could face up to a £5,000 civil penalty.

Electrical safety:

The UK has a fairly good record of electrical safety but there are still over 30 deaths and nearly 4000 injuries from electrical accidents and the 8000 fires that occur in the home each year. Most accidents in the home involve faults in, or misuse of, domestic appliances, flexes, plugs or connectors.

In rented accommodation it is the Landlord's responsibility to ensure that the electrical installation and appliances provided by the landlord are safe when the tenancy begins and are in proper working order throughout the tenancy. At the start of the tenancy and throughout both must be free of risk of injury to tenants and residents. 

Although an Electrical Periodic Inspection certificate is not a legal requirement it could be difficult for a landlord to prove, without certification, that they have provided a safe installation - even if damage was caused by the tenant interfering with the electrical system. It would also be difficult to prove that they have shown ‘due diligence’ in their defence. 

Landlords should regularly carry out a basic safety check on the condition of appliances, sockets, wiring etc and keep records of their checks.

Have your electrical installation inspected every 5 years. If your property is not an HMO, you are not legally obliged to do this. However, we recommend that a periodic inspection and test is carried out by a registered electrician on your rental properties at least every five years. Make sure that on any change of tenancy an electrical report is carried out.

…and most importantly, ensure that any work is undertaken by a registered electrician for any work on your property.

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