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Question Title: Electrical Safety
| Question: 117 |
| Do we need to have fixed electrical wiring in our property checked ?
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| Answer: |
| The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 require that electrical equipment that is supplied in the course of business is supplied in a safe condition. The Regulations act as secondary legislation under the Consumer Protection Act 1972, section 11 of which excludes 'things comprised in land by virtue of being attached to it'. This would imply that fixed installations and wiring in houses would not come under these regulations. The DTI have provided guidance on the regulations which interprets 'electrical equipment' as meaning electrical apparatus. The division between fixed installations and electrical apparatus is not always clear. Whilst it is obvious that a central heating system would constitute a fixed installation, an electrical oven that is wired directly into the socket is not so cut and dry and it may be advisable to ensure that electrical cookers are checked for safety. A letting agent, arguably, has a duty of care to ensure that the installation wiring is safe for the tenant to use and certainly must not ignore indications that there are problems with any wiring. Where there is any doubt as to whether or not an appliance or apparatus comes under the Regulations, the agent should assume that it does. Trading Standards officers point out that regular examination and testing of electrical apparatus, whilst not a mandatory requirement, is recommended and provides a safeguard for both the landlord (or agent) and tenant.
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References:
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Pages:
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Hyperlinks:
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Letting Update Journal |
Jan 2004 page 26 |
letting-update-journal.html
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Letting Handbook |
Chapter 8 |
letting-handbook-and-factsheets.html
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Letting Factsheet No 4 |
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factsheet-4
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Letting Factsheet No 37 |
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factsheet-37
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For more information, discuss on the Forum
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