Landlords failing to respond to electrical problems on time

The latest statistics from the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) reveal some worrying facts that landlords are not responding timely to reports of serious property issues such as water leaks, electrical failure and boiler breakdowns. The statistics further reveal that tenants are having to continually pursue their landlords about sorting out problems such as no hot water, broken taps and tripping lights.

Landlords who continuously ignore their tenants or who become complacent about carrying out repairs on their properties risk court appearances, fines and the risk that the tenants could suffer an injury or worse due to neglect by the landlord.

Time scale expectations

The AIIC has produced some guidelines indicating the reasonable time-scales of responding to important notifications from the tenant about problems in the property. A recent report published by the AIIC revealed that tenants were living in homes for months without access to proper running water, hot water or ceilings in danger of caving in. One tenant reported being too nervous about bringing the problem up again with the landlord after reportedly sitting on a cold house with no hot water for months on end. This is totally unacceptable and I'm pleased to report that most landlords in the Nottingham, Derby and Mansfield areas are not like this! However there is always a minority of landlords that take chances on tenant safety.

Landlords are expected to respond to problems of a serious nature such as total electrical failure, suspected gas leak or burst pipe within 24 hours. Furthermore, the tenants must be properly instructed on how to make the property safe by turning off the boiler, electrical supply or stopcock by either the landlord or letting agent.

Landlords are also expected to replace cookers that no longer work within 48 hours and other electrical appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and fridges within 72 hours.

Comply or risk a fine....or worse

The crackdown on landlords who do not comply with compulsory requirements on rental properties is having an effect. In only the last few weeks a pair of landlords were fined after having no gas safety checks carried out on their property in the five years they had let it to a tenant. Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive it also came to light that 2 gas fires were also in use by the tenants that had previously been condemned by the National Grid.

The landlords admitted they had not had any gas safety checks carried out on the property and subsequently were ordered to appear before the court and were fined. It was fortunate that the tenant in the property at the time was not injured or worse still killed as the outcome could’ve been a far more serious matter.

Know your duties as a landlord

By having an annual gas safety check and an EICR carried out in accordance to the recommendations of every 5 years or change of occupancy whichever is the sooner the risk of serious damage to the property is minimal. Tenants can request a copy of the latest gas certificate or EICR at any time and it can land you in very deep water as a landlord if you do not have these documents.