According to Electrical Safety First, a charity based in the United Kingdom, electricity is the cause of more than 20,000 fires a year, almost half of all accidental home fires in the United Kingdom. With this in mind, it is vital that homeowners across the country take their electrical safety responsibilities very seriously.
Today's home is more than likely to have more than three times as many appliances as homes in the 1990s. Having at least two televisions, multiple kitchen appliances, game consoles and computers is the norm in virtually every home. While technology has facilitated many of our lives, the overwhelming number of gadgets and gadgets we have has the risk of electrical accidents in the home higher than ever.The main points of landlord electrical certificate are given below
The legal requirements of the Landlord electrical safety
Keeping tenants safe on their property is a legal requirement. Verifying your cables will provide you with evidence that your electrical system is safe, complying with the requirements of your insurance and giving you peace of mind. For a residential property, the maximum period between the test and the inspection is 1 to 5 years or in case of change of occupation.
Who should perform electrical work on your property?
It is important that any electrical installation work is only carried out by a competent person. This means engineers trained in electricity who have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to avoid the dangers to them and others that electricity can create. It is easy to make an electrical circuit work; It is much harder to make the circuit work safely.
Hire a competent engineer to inspect your electrical systems and make a full report of the state of the electrical installation (EICR) through our owner services page.
Know your electric
Although it is best to hire a professional for any electrical installation work, this does not mean that you should completely forget your electricity. Getting familiar with the basics of the owner's electrical safety and knowing how your home is connected will always be useful.
Main switch and fuses
The main switch on the consumer unit (fuse box) allows you to turn off the supply of your electrical installation. Some electrical installations have more than one main switch. For example, if your home is heated with electric storage heaters, you may have a separate consumption unit for them. The consumption unit should be easy to find, so find out where the main switch is to turn off the electricity in case of an emergency.
Older houses often have re-wired fuses that automatically disconnect the circuit to avoid hazards. When a fault or overload current flows through the fuse wire, it will heat and melt when the current exceeds a safe level. The blown fuse breaks the faulty circuit and protects it against overloads.
Circuit Breakers and RCD
Newer homes are likely to have circuit breakers in the consumer unit that turn off a circuit if there is a fault. Circuit breakers are similar in size to fuse holders, but provide more precise protection than fuses. When they "fire", you can simply reset the switch. However, you first need to find and correct the fault.
An RCD is a life-saving device and is designed to prevent you from suffering a fatal electric shock if you touch something alive, such as a bare wire. It provides a level of protection that normal fuses or circuit breakers cannot.
How old is your wiring?
Defective and old wiring is one of the main causes of electrical fires in the home. You can avoid them if you periodically check the condition of your cables, switches, plugs and other accessories. There are clear signs that can help you determine the age of electrical installations in your home. These are:
Black rubber coated cables (removed in the 1960s)
Lead or cloth coated cables (before the 1960s)
A fuse box with a wooden back, cast iron switches or a random mix of fuse boxes (before the 1960s)
Round pin plugs and older round light switches, braided flex hanging from ceiling roses, brown and black sockets and sockets mounted on sockets (before the 1960s)
Wall light switches in bathrooms (before the 1960s)
Involve tenants with electrical safety.
While it is the owner's responsibility to keep the electrical systems in good condition and organize inspections, tenants also have some participation. Kindly ask your tenants to be aware of the overload of the plugs and to report any electrical problems they encounter. Encourage them to distrust warning signs, such as burn odors, arc sounds (buzzing or crackling), fuses on, or circuit breakers.
Electrical accidents are more likely to occur when the equipment is damaged or misused. Not correcting the problem could have devastating effects. This may sound common sense, but you would be surprised to know how many of us do not follow the basic safety guidelines.
Also ask your tenants to never drill or fix nails on the walls without knowing what is behind them. The walls and partitions hide electrical cables and gas and water pipes that will cost a lot to repair if they are damaged.
Owner's electrical safety: plugs, plugs and cables
Damaged plugs, plugs and flexible cables can cause electric shock, burns and fire. For the protection of your property, you and your tenants should check the plugs and plugs for signs of burns, sounds of "arcs" (buzzing or cracking), blown fuses, circuit breakers and high temperatures.
The plugs must be carefully removed from the plugs. Removing a plug from the cable puts pressure on it and could damage the contact between the plug and the plug. This could cause the plug to overheat, loose its wires or an electric shock (if the ground wire is disconnected).
Any plug-in device that you provide or that your tenant brings with them must have a British standard safety mark. They have live and neutral pins with insulating sleeves that allow you to place and remove them from the sockets safely.
Most lamps, televisions, computers and other household items will use 700W or less. Larger appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and toasters, irons and heaters will use more than 700W. For your convenience, these are just the standard fuse ratings of two plugs: 3A and 13A. Appliances up to 700W require a 3A fuse and those with more than 700W need a 13A.
Checking a plug
All modern appliances in the UK use the well-known 13-amp plug with a square plug. These plugs are used for handheld devices such as hair dryers and vacuum cleaners, and appliances such as microwave ovens. The plug and cable may be damaged, especially if they are connected to portable devices. Checking a plug and its cable does not need much detailed electrical knowledge. All you need to do is:
Remove the plug from the socket and verify that the plug is not damaged.
Look for signs of overheating, such as a faded casing or cable.
Check that the plug is marked with the British standard BS 1363
Verify that the cable cover is firmly attached to the plug and that no colored wires are visible.
Checking a cable
Preferably there should be no joints in your electrical cable, and certainly no repairs with electrical tape. If for any reason, you need to verify that a cable is properly wired and fused, you must remove the plug from the outlet, remove the cover and verify that:
The brown wire is going to live (L)
The blue wire goes to neutral (N)
The green and yellow wire goes to ground (E)
The cable clamp maintains the health of the cables securely and both screws are tight.
The screws that hold the three wires are tight.
The fuse is the correct size and complies with British standard BS 1362; Consult the manufacturer's instructions if you are not sure which fuse to use
The fuse is securely held in its holder. It should not be loose and there should be no signs of overheating.
The cover is replaced securely
The owner's electrical safety can be dangerous
If not handled correctly, electricity can be extremely dangerous and present serious risks. To minimize any threat,The end cables must be hidden and you should always replace damaged cables immediately. Touching exposed power wires may cause an electric shock or may even die.
Similarly, even if it seems obvious, be sure to unplug any appliance before performing any maintenance. Another serious problem is using an electric heater to dry clothes. Water dripping on the live parts of the heater can cause a fire or an electrocution. In addition to this, blocking the ventilation of the heater with your clothes will cause it to overheat and catch fire. If you ran out of underwear to work tomorrow and want to quickly dry clean pants in your heater: don't do it.
Electrical safety of the owner: : adapters and extension cables
You can expect to find about four plugs in an average room in a house. Although this is sufficient for most purposes, an increase in the use of computers, game consoles and other devices has led to an increase in the number of plugs needed. Extension cords and adapters often provide a quick and easy solution, but should be used with care. If used improperly or overloads, extension cords and adapters may overheat and cause a fire.
Electricity and water
From the point of view of electrical safety, the bathroom is possibly the most dangerous room in the house. The consequences of an electric shock are much more serious in the bathroom or shower, since moist skin reduces the resistance of the body. There are special requirements for electrical installations in bathrooms.
Although electricity makes gardening much easier, wet conditions and contact with the ground can present serious hazards. The risk of injury or death from electric shock abroad is much greater than the risk of using electrical equipment indoors.
Professional help at hand
London Property Inspection works with an accredited provider that can handle your wiring and testing. We have a network of electrical engineers throughout the country that can guarantee that your property is properly tested and safe for your tenants. No matter where you are in the United Kingdom, we can help you.
Visit our services page here.
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