Here at Walker Electrical, we are Preston’s leading electrical professionals. From commercial and industrial electricals, all the way through to residential and student accommodation, we have you covered. So how about multiple occupancy housing, as much of student accommodation falls into this bracket? What kind of electrical obligations do these Landlords have, and how can they meet these responsibilities? This is our guide for multiple occupancy landlords and electrical safety.
General Landlord Electrical Obligations
All Landlords are legally required to:
- Make sure that electrical installations throughout the property are safe, secure, and up to British Standards, before allowing any tenants to move in.
- Follow up on the initial inspections of the electrical installation work by regularly checking the making sure they remain secure, safe and well maintained throughout the tenants stay.
- Ensure that each electrical appliance provided in the property is safe and fit for use. This can be as little as ensuring the appliance has the CE mark, that indicated it meets European Laws. However, a full PAT test would be much more appropriate and would also support any potential insurance claims.
HMO obligations
For Landlords that are renting out multiple occupancy flats, such as student accommodation or professional house shares, they need to abide by all of the above obligations. However, they also have an additional responsibility. This is to:
- Make sure that the property is periodically inspected, by a registered and qualified electrician, every 5 years.
To meet these obligations we recommend:
- A registered, qualified, professional electrician should implement a visual inspection of the property every time a tenant moves out of their room in a HMO.
- That suitable RCD protection is in place
- Landlords should only ever use a qualified, professional and registered electrician to implement electrical work, otherwise they could be breaking the law and risking the lives of the tenants
If you are a multiple occupancy Landlord and electrical safety and obligations are on your mind, contact us today. If you need any electrical work or inspections carried out, look no further. Contact us at Walker Electrical today, for a professional electrical service you can trust.