Electrical Safety

Electrical safety in your home

Every year an estimated 70 people die and 350,000 are injured in their home, due to accidents caused by faulty electrics and electrical equipment.
More than half of all accidental house fires are caused by electricity. 
As landlord, we are required to ensure your home’s electrical installation and wiring are safe when you move in, and that they are maintained in a safe condition throughout your tenancy. 
 
What do we do?
We test and inspect all the homes we manage including communal areas, at least once every five years. This also applies to properties before re-letting them to new tenants. We also ensure any appliances we supply are safe to use and are CE marked. 
 
Reporting a problem 
You must let us know about any electrical problems as soon as they occur and we will arrange an electrician to come to your home. 
Never attempt to carry out electrical repairs yourself. 
 
Keep you and your home safe 
Make sure you know where your fuse box is, so you can turn the mains switch off in an emergency 
Never overload sockets or plug adaptors into other adaptors 
Maintain any electrical items you bring into your home 
Ensure plugs and sockets are not visibly damaged and replace if necessary 
Check visible leads and cables are in good condition and replace if necessary 
Check light fittings are not visibly damaged and in good condition
Recommended use of an RCD (residual current device) on outdoor electrical equipment (this instantly turns off the power if there is a fault). You can find these in any DIY store. 
Never store combustible materials near the fuse box or the electricity metre 
Never store anything on top of a microwave 
Never run cables under carpets or rugs 

Never take mains-powered electrical items into the bathroom 
Always switch off electrical items when you are not using them. 
 
Visit Electrical Safety First for more help and advice, which includes an online 'socket calculator' to check your sockets are safe and a Visual Checklist to help you ensure your home is electrically safe. 
 

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