Is Electrical Testing a Legal Requirement for Landlords in the UK

Renting out the property might seem like easy money for the landlord, but there's a basic expectation that certain things be done properly when they do this. Keeping a house or flat livable is one such responsibility. What this means can vary depending on a number of factors, but one common thing is to ensure that the electricity works properly. If you've ever wondered, "", DoNotPay will show you the basics of tenant law to ensure things are on the up and up when you pay your rent.

What Are Electrical Testing Safety Regulation Laws?

Electricity is serious business, so it's of the utmost importance that the power infrastructure in your building is cared for properly. As you might imagine, and preventative care are done in the buildings they own to avoid a disaster. Briefly, standards that landlords must follow when renting a flat or house include:

Ensuring that all wiring is done to code, per what's written in the 18th edition of Wiring Regulations published in British Standard 7671.
Performing (or having performed on their behalf) wiring and electrical checks by a licensed professional no less than every five years.
Provide notice of testing at least 28 days ahead of the testing date to the tenant, as well as a copy of the report following the inspection.
Provide similar documentation outlining any repair work that needs to be done, as well as copies of documents showing that the work has been completed.

Are These Regulations Universal?

These provisions apply to all buildings rented in the UK, provided they are rented to an individual or singular family as that renter's primary domicile in which they pay rent. A few Schedule 1 exceptions apply to these regulations and have their own associated standards, including:

Social housing
Lodges
Tenants on a lease of seven or more years
Hostels and refuges
Student halls at schools
Hospitals and hospices (plus other healthcare-related institutions)
Care homes

If you, as the renter, find anything in your home to be in violation of these regulations, or if a landlord is failing to perform normal maintenance and checks to ensure electricity is not a danger to you, you can report them.

What Are My Rights as a Tenant?

As a tenant, you have the right to live in a safe and habitable space. In the letter of the law, it must be "fit for human habitation," a designation which means a few things. Some basic examples would be

Weather-tight housing that provides sufficient insulation against heat and cold.
Spaces free of pests.
Working water and electricity.
A clean and safe building that was well-maintained prior to moving in.
No contamination from hazardous or dangerous materials, including moulds and mildews, chemical spills, radiation, toxic substances like lead and etc.
Spaces to bathe and prepare food.

As always, be aware that certain things may be an exception. For instance, anything beyond the landlord's control like the weather (i.e. an "act of God"), damage to furniture or objects left behind by a previous tenant or damage you caused yourself beyond normal wear and tear is not the landlord's problem.

How to Make a Complaint Against a Landlord

If you've found a problem in your rental unit, whether related to electrical testing or not, you can make a complaint. In the best-case scenario, this means you'll get the problem fixed quickly. In the worst, though, you'll be ignored and have to jump through a ton of hoops to finally get something done about it. If this doesn't sound that appealing, having DoNotPay do the hard part for you is always an option.

If you'd like to take things on yourself, though, here's what you can do:

Hand a formal complaint in writing to your landlord. If you're lucky, they'll fix the issue right away.
If your complaint is not attended to, escalate your complaint to a designated person. This could be an MP, a local councillor, a tenant panel or another group with authority in your area. This puts pressure on your landlord to get the work done.
If things still haven't been resolved, contact the local authority again with evidence that your complaint has been ignored. This starts the process of having your landlord punished for their inaction.
In a worst-case scenario, you may need to escalate all the way to court. If your landlord is unlawfully refusing to fix what's wrong, you can file a suit against them.

What if the Landlord Ignores Your Testing Request?

As soon as you can, once you have discovered a problem with your rental, gather evidence of the problem. In the same way that you keep a record of your correspondence with your landlord, you should also keep track of proof of the issue. Some suggestions of "evidence" to gather include

Letters	If you write your landlord, keep copies and get tracking for the post. You should keep an ongoing record of every written correspondence from your landlord or yourself.
Photographs	Take photographs of any damages or repairs that need to be dealt with by your landlord. This will allow you to keep a running record of how the damages increase because of their resistance to repairing it.
Receipts	If you have a short circuit and end up fixing it yourself because the landlord doesn't take care of it, keep receipts. This will show proof that you have tried to work with them on it and may help if you need to be reimbursed for it.
Tenancy Agreement	Your tenancy agreement will show what you are responsible for and which ones your landlord is supposed to handle, which includes electrical testing.

Ensure Your Landlord Is Adhering to Electrical Testing Requirements With DoNotPay

If you've hit a roadblock in resolving your issues with your landlord, you can enlist DoNotPay to help you sort things out. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps to get us started:

Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.
Select which issue applies to you.
Answer a simple set of questions so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.
Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.

And that's it! You should hear back from your landlord directly once your demands are sent.

DoNotPay Will Help With Many Rental Issues

If you have more on your plate than just electrical testing, we can still give you a hand. DoNotPay can help you resolve issues of all kinds, like:

While you're here, and we can help you deal with any that affect you.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

After you've dealt with any potential electrical testing legal requirements at your flat, you can check out the other services offered by DoNotPay. Some of our other services include:

No matter what you might be doing, DoNotPay makes it easier. Join us today to resolve disputes with your landlord and protect your rights!