Electrical faults 'putting private tenants at risk'

Electrical Safety First and Shelter are calling on the Government to change the law after a joint report revealed dangerous wiring is putting the lives of private renters at risk.

The report, Home Improvement: Tackling Poor Electrical Safety in the Private Rented Sector, reveals homes in the private rented sector are worse than in any other.

In Reading, more than a quarter of households are private renters.

The report says current regulations are not fit for purpose because there is no legal requirement for landlords to ensure the electrics are safe before renting out a property or to check the wiring and any electrical appliances they have provided on a regular basis.

Every year 70 people die from electrical accidents and 350,000 people are seriously injured.

Electrical Safety First and Shelters report concludes the easiest and most efficient way to protect tenants is to introduce mandatory five-yearly checks, by a competent person, of the electrical wiring and appliances.

Phil Buckle, director general of Electrical Safety First, said: This change in law would be very easy to implement as the primary legislation already exists and our research shows that the majority of MPs would support a change in law.

Electrical inspections by a competent person can cost as little as 100, which is less than 2 a month or 6p a day over a five year period.

Another concern is the significant imbalance of power in the private rented sector. Nearly 6,000 people in the South East were evicted or served notice in the last year because they complained about a problem in their home and nearly one in 10 have not challenged their landlord because they fear this could happen to them.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: As our shortage of affordable properties pushes home-ownership further out of reach, more of us are facing the prospect of settling down and bringing up a family in a rented home.

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Electrical faults 'putting private tenants at risk'