A useful summary on the safety responsibilities of landlords of rented properties warns that electrical safety is not

something that can be ignoired or complacent about.

The guidance provided here reminds rental propertty owners that PAT checks are required on appliances provided by the landlord, but not those belonging to the tenant. In addition, anything that is not permanently connected to the electrical installation should be on a PAT report.

The guide warns that landlords risk putting themselves at serious financial risk if they fail to act on their electrical obligations, in the form of fines and invalidated insurance. In addition, landlords could also face serious trouble if an electrical-based accident occured in one of their rental properties.

According to charity, Electrical Safety First, last year 16% of private rented PRS tenants experienced electrical hazards and this figure increases to 20% for those with children. One person each week in Great Britain is killed in an electrical fire and more than a quarter of a million (350,000) each year are injured as the result of an electric shock, with research suggesting private tenants are more likely to be affected.

These are considerably higher figures than those fatalities and accidents caused by gas and carbon monoxide poisoning, yet landlords have had to provide annual gas safety certificates for some years now and recent legislation has made CO2 alarms obligatory.