Ideal Queen's Speech: Protect tenants and legislate for checks on private rented properties

“My Government will introduce a Bill to protect the estimated 9 million living in private rented sector (PRS) accommodation, by requiring mandatory, five yearly safety checks of the electrical installation of all PRS homes - and any electrical appliances provided with them”.

Why should such a Bill be introduced before the next election? Electrical Safety Firstbelieves the figures speak for themselves.

The private rented sector (PRS) is a major and growing part of England’s housing market, with 3.8 million households – an estimated 9 million people – living in private rented accommodation. Yet statistics from the latest English Housing Survey confirm that the PRS has the lowest proportion of decent homes among any tenure.

Half of all domestic fires in Great Britain – more than 20,000 each year - are caused by electricity and research suggests that private tenants are likely to be at greater risk of fire than residents in other housing sectors . Further research indicates that they also have a higher risk of electric shock than owner-occupiers , with additional analysis indicating that 16% of PRS tenants live in homes containing electrical hazards . Currently, each week in the UK one person dies from an electrical accident and well over a quarter of a million (350,000) are injured every year .

Given the continued expansion of the PRS in the last decade, the current lack of specific requirements around electrical safety in these homes needs to be urgently addressed.

Electrical Safety Firstwants the introduction of mandatory, five-yearly safety checks, by a competent person, of electrical installations in PRS properties – along with any electrical appliance supplied with them. We have also called for Residual Current Devices (RCDs) to be made compulsory in all PRS accommodation. These devices, which almost instantaneously cut off the current if they detect an electrical fault, such as someone touching a live part or wire, can literally be a life-saver.

Private landlords have, for some years, been required to obtain an annual gas certificate when renting out their property. The Bill we suggest would bring electrical safety more in line with gas safety – and provide a fundamental security for a rapidly growing number of people and families. And this would not create an undue burden for landlords, as the average cost for an inspection of the electrical installation and appliances of a rented home would be around £150 – a small price to pay for peace of mind.