But why? As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to ensure the safety of your tenants. The problem is, that the majority of landlords are in the game to make money and cutting corners becomes part of the business. But this is bad practice and irresponsible.

There are over 4,000 home electrical accidents each year, in the UK alone and more worryingly, 30 of those resulting in fatalities. Many of which could have been prevented, had the electrics been kept within the safety standards.

Worryingly, there is no statutory requirement for your as a landlord, to have safety checks done on the electrical equiptment in your properties, which is largely why some landlords opt not to bother. But as I said previously, it’s your responsibility to ensure the electrical equipment and systems are safe and sound.

BUT and this is a big but, you may still be liable should the worst happen. If only for your own peace of mind, I’d urge you to have periodic inspections done.

Some other things to bear in mind, as a landlord, you must ensure that all electrical systems and supplied appliances are safe. So while it’s not a criminal offense not to get a periodic inspection,  it is a criminal offense not to comply with the Electrical Equiptment Regulations 1994 and the Consumer Protection Act 1987, failure to comply with these can result in:

• A fine of £5,000 per item not complying

• Six month’s imprisonment

• Possible manslaughter charges in the even of deaths

• The Tenant may also sue you for civil damages

• Your property insurance may be invalidated

• These regulations are enforced by the Health & Safety Executive.

Ultimately, it’s up to you. But my advice to you, is to take responsibility and protect yourself, your tenants and give yourself peace of mind.

I get calls daily, mainly from housewives, who’s husbands had attempted to hang a new down light or fit a snazzy new shower. Despite their best intentions, more often than not, something goes wrong and it results in loss of power, burned out wiring, blown equipment and in the worst cases, electric shock.

As an example, let’s look at replacing/fitting a shower. On the surface, it seems such a basic task, to replace one shower with another. Usually when somebody is replacing a shower, they are replacing it with one that’s more powerful. Showers have a power rating, the more powerful the shower, the more power they draw.

If your old shower is 6.5KW for example, then it’s likely the circuit will have 6.5mm cable, meaning that if you then replace the shower with a 9.5KW model, it will result in a burned out circuit, meaning the entire circuit may need to be replaced, which is costly.

Above all else, your families safety is far more important, than trying to save a few quid by “doing it yourself”. Trust me on this, call an electrician and make sure it’s done properly and that your home or business is left safe.

My advice will hopefully help guide you in finding a good electrician, though my advice can also be applied to other trades such as plumbers and builders.

• I believe that personal recommendation is number one. Most of my work comes from personal recommendation, which makes me happy, as it proves my customers are happy with my work. But it’s not always possible to find an electrician who’s come personally recommended. It maybe a good idea to look at their testimonials, not only on their own website but places like Google Business.
• Your family or businesses safety is essential. Choosing a tradesman who’s part of an accredited association such as the NICEIC, CORGI and NAPIT is always a good idea. These organisations regularly inspect tradesman’s work, to ensure it meets the strict guidelines. But not all good electricians are part of an organisation, as they can become expensive and not all tradesman who are part of such organisations are good.
• In my experience, you’re most likely to get the best service from a smaller company or a sole trader, they tend to care more as it’s their business. But once again, this rule isn’t set in stone, there are always exceptions.
• Call around, find an electrician who can confidently answer your questions and who makes you feel at ease. If you get a bad feeling during the call, listen to your instincts.
• Remember cheaper isn’t always better. Rogue electricians tend to undercut qualified electricians, which more often than not, ends up costing you twice as much, as you’ll end up having to call a qualified tradesman to fix the mess. Not a day goes by, when I’m not correcting other electricians work. Or over confident husbands work, but that’s a whole other post!

While there is no 100% guaranteed way to finding a good tradesman, following the above steps, should help you eliminate the chances of employing a rogue trader.

Good luck, Les

I’m extremely busy with work, but I’ll do my best to keep you entertained and perhaps even educate you once in a while.

A big thanks to Paul, my web designer, for setting it all up and making it all look so pretty.

Les