Are you aware of the risks of not carrying out annual PAT (portable appliance testing) checks?
As a landlord, it’s of the utmost importance that you know your responsibilities when it comes to keeping your tenants safe, and this includes electrical safety for appliances you provide in the property.
Nevertheless, I often come across clients who don’t know the full extent of their responsibilities, or the risks they could be taking with their tenants’ lives.
Below, I’m going to explain what could go wrong if you don’t follow PAT safety guidelines, and why it’s best to have annual checks (via the Electrical Safety Council).
1. Someone could get hurt
The most important thing to bear in mind here (and this should really be your main concern) is the safety of your tenants, and especially if you’re providing electrical appliances that could become unsafe over time, you should really get them checked every year.
It’s recommended by the Electrical Safety Council that at the very least you make a visual inspection all the electrical appliances you provide to your tenants, but annual PAT testing is more of a best practice than a law.
But remember, for only between £50 – £100, you can be sure no-one is going to get hurt due to faulty electrics in your property – surely that’s worth it for a good night’s sleep? You can even get these done at the same time as your annual gas safety inspection and CP12.
2. You could be breaking the law
As of 1st December 2015, all private landlords in Scotland have a legal responsibility to make sure that their properties are electrically safe.
This includes the following:
- Any installations that supply electricity to the property
- All electrical fixtures, fittings and lights
- All portable appliances providedto tenants
It’s also your responsibility to ensure an electrical safety inspection is carried out by a registered electrician at a MINIMUM of every five years, as well as at the beginning of a tenancy.
This safety inspection includes an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) – covering the safety of electrical installations, fittings and fixtures – as well as a PAT test. Tenants (both new and existing) should also receive a copy of the latest EICR report for their records.
You also have to prove that all of the electrical installations, fittings and appliances in your property are in a “reasonable state of repair and in proper working order”.
TIP: The best way to prove this is via the clearly labelled stickers that are supplied to each appliance upon conducting a PAT test, as well as detailed in your EICR report (in the case of fixtures and fittings).
3. You could go to prison
According to electrical-testing-safety.co.uk, if you let out a property, you must ensure that all the appliances and electrical systems supplied are safe. If you fail to do this, you’re going against the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the The Consumer Protection Act 1987, which is a criminal offence.
This penalties for this can include:
- A £5,000 fine for each item non-compliant with these regulations
- Six months in prison
- Possible manslaughter charges (in the event of a fatality)
- Having to pay the tenant civil damages (if they decide to sue)
- Invalidation of the insurance for your property
All of the regulations above are enforced by the Health & Safety Executive.
4. Letting or estate agents won’t touch your property
Although annual PAT testing is a bit of a legal grey area, a lot of reputable letting agents and estate agents will refuse to take your property on unless you arrange for annual PAT tests to be carried out.
This is to ensure that their backs are covered and that none of their clients can get hurt due to faulty electrics in the many properties they manage – they can’t possibly keep an eye on all of them, so annual PAT safety checks are the best way to ensure they aren’t liable for any damages.
Conclusion
I hope this blog post has given you a better idea of some of the potential dangers of not conducting annual PAT tests, and why it is in your best interests to do so.
If you have any questions about PAT testing, and who can carry it out, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, or leave a comment below – I’m here to help!
