As the owner of the property that you are going to rent out, it is important that you are concerned about the electrical safety of your tenants. You have to check that your appliances are properly labeled with plastic labels signs on the right working condition and that there are no chances of a carbon-monoxide leak from anywhere.
- Test with your proven voltmeter the circuit you want to carry the work out on while it’s live
- Isolate the circuit you want to work on and test again with your voltmeter to see that the circuit is now "dead"
- Now isolate the circuit at the MCB in the consumer Unit with the locking off device and padlock over the MCB in order to stop someone from accidentally re-energizing the circuit
- Place your notice placard on the locking off device to show others that there is a reason why and when the MCB has been isolated.
- Test your voltmeter again at a known electricity source to make sure your voltmeter is still functioning correctly.
Safe isolation is the key practice of any electrical work undertaken and anyone not employing this practice is not abiding by electrical safety laws and should be stopped if seen to be working unsafe in any way.
There have been several cases where landlords have been prosecuted for negligent acts of not having their electricals checked and certified thus resulting in endangering their tenants.
These offenses can carry a penalty of as much as 5000 pounds per appliance that is not of good quality. Here are some tips that you have to keep in mind when getting your property inspected.
The landlord’s electrical safety certificate is an important document that you can share with your potential tenants to show them that you have taken every possible step to ensure your property is safe.
The inspection for this certificate is carried out by an electrician who is registered with national authorities dealing with the same. You could also go on the basis of recommendations from other landlords in the vicinity.
When you have an inspection carried out, its best to repeat the process every five years or so. In this inspection, the condition of your electrical wiring will be looked through and in-depth checks will be conducted on the levels of safety of your electrical installation.
Your electrician will provide you with an Electrical Safety Inspection Report once he is done with his job and ensures that everything is safe to handle. This you will get within a day or two of completion.
This should be done on an annual basis. This refers to any electrical appliance that can be unplugged and moved about and be used on the main power supply. It refers to the likes of lamps, TV, microwaves, ovens, notebooks, etc.
This ensures on a regular basis that these products and the outlets they are plugged into are safe to use. There are several qualified electricians that you can hire for the job.
The best would be to go on the basis of recommendations from those who have used their services earlier.
Mark the date of validity on the certificate and ensure that you have it renewed every five years.