‘Private landlords are putting lives at risk by ignoring electrical faults’

More than a quarter of London’s private tenants are being put at risk by their landlords who are not carrying out their health and safety obligations, it was claimed today.

A study has found that the capital has the highest percentage of tenants who have reported electrical faults that are either ignored or acted on too late. Experts said that one in four private tenants were waiting for problems to be fixed, while nearly a third have expressed concern about the electrical safety of their rented home.

The Electrical Safety Council, the charity which conducted the study, today warned landlords that they were putting lives in danger and called on them to take action or face fines of up to £20,000. Electrical accidents are the cause of more than 350,000 serious injuries each year and cause more than half of all accidental house fires.

Landlords are required by law to ensure that electrical installations are maintained in a safe condition. But more than half of all landlords and tenants in London admitted they had no idea who was responsible for safety. Phil Buckle, director general of the ESC, said: “We’d like to see tighter guidelines for landlords on electrical safety but with the number of non-professional landlords increasing every day, we also need to address this now.

“We need all landlords to understand that they are not only putting people’s lives at risk, but they could also face serious financial loss through fines.”

Laura Trevelyan, campaigns manager at housing charity Shelter, said: “Shelter believes that the majority of landlords are well intentioned and that many of those who break the law or operate at a low standard do so out of ignorance rather than intent. As the rental sector expands, it’s more important than ever that landlords take their responsibility for electrical safety seriously.”

Newham has become the first UK borough to license all private landlords in a bid to clampdown on poor housing.