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Home > My home > Safety in your home > Electrical safety

Electrical safety

Electricity can cause damage to property and severely injure or kill people. However, simple precautions can be taken to protect your home and well-being.

Leaseholders and shared owners are responsible for arranging their own electrical safety checks.

Electrical checks for rented properties

Every 5 years we carry out a free electrical test on all our rented properties to make sure the electrical system including wiring, sockets and switches is safe and working correctly.

Tenants have a legal obligation as part of the tenancy agreement to let us in to carry out this work and we will contact you before your service is due to arrange a convenient time to get access to your home.

If any issues are found, we will arrange for repairs or work to be carried out. For your safety:

Do:

  • Ensure all your electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark.
  • Keep electrics - leads and appliances - away from water.
  • Keep electrical appliances clean and in good working order.
  • Ensure appliances, such as washing machines, tumble dryers, ovens, hair dryers and portable electric heaters are plugged into a single wall socket.
  • Fully unwind cable drum extensions.
  • Keep the roof space clear - no possessions should be kept near any solar power equipment.

Do not:

  • Position electrical appliances or lights near papers, curtains or other fabrics.
  • Use non-branded or imitation electrical chargers as they may be unsafe.
    If your charger gets hot it may be faulty and be a risk.
  • Tamper with light switches or power sockets without our permission.
  • Change LED bulbs in sealed units yourself. If the LED bulb is an integral part of an enclosed light fitting, we are responsible for its replacement.
  • Overload sockets or ‘chain-link’ extension leads - this can cause overheating.

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