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Are you fully clued up on electrical safety for your holiday let?
Your guests’ safety should be your main priority when running a holiday let, so it’s important you know your responsibilities when it comes to testing your property’s electrics and portable appliances.
The following information and advice is mainly based on regulations for private landlords, as in my opinion there should be no difference between the safety net you put in place for a private tenant, and for a guest in your holiday let.
On balance, I actually feel there should be more protection for guests, as a tenant can get to know a property, whereas a guest is only there for perhaps a week at a time, and everything is unfamiliar.
1. Ensure your property is Electrically Safe.
New legislation for landlords kicked into place on the 1st December 2015, stating that if you’re letting out properties in Scotland, you’re now required by law to ensure your properties are electrically safe.
According to the Electrical Safety Council, this includes:
Any installations that supply electricity to the property. All electrical fixtures, fittings and lights. All portable appliances that you provide to tenants
But how can you ensure your property is safe for your guests? Keep reading.
2. Conduct a 5-yearly electrical safety inspection.
An electrical safety inspection should be carried out BEFORE you welcome any paying guests through the door, and should be repeated every five years at the very minimum.
An electrical safety inspection comes in two parts, and involves a) an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) – which looks at the safety of electrical installations, fittings and fixtures – and b) a PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) check.
As a holiday let owner, you should also be able to prove that all of the installations, fittings and appliances mentioned above are “in a reasonable state of repair and in good working order”.
3. Carry out annual PAT tests
Although legally, PAT testing should be carried out at a minimum of every five years, it’s best practice to have portable appliances checked every year – and these can often be arranged at the same time as your gas safety checks.
When PAT tests are carried out, a qualified electrician will place clearly labelled stickers on each appliance stating they are safe as well as the date they were last checked – this can provide extra peace of mind for guests.
In fact, many property and holiday letting agents will refuse to take a property on unless these checks are carried out annually, despite the fact they aren’t technically a legal requirement. Some could argue, it’s also worth an extra £50 – £100 per year to have peace of mind that your guests are safe!
TIP: It’s also worth noting that insurers may insist on annual PAT tests in order for your holiday let property to be covered.
4. Carry out visual inspections
It is your responsibility to also carry out visual inspections of all electrical systems and appliances you provide to guests (such as checking iron flexes and cables). I usually recommend doing this on changeover day.
If any systems or appliances are in need of remedial work, you must ensure this is carried out by a qualified electrician at the earliest available opportunity.
5. If in any doubt, contact a SELECT electrician
Remember, this is people’s lives we’re talking about here, so if you’re ever in any doubt about the safety of electrical fittings, fixtures or appliances, always call a SELECT electrician and have them looked at immediately.
It’s worth mentioning here that even with every test under the sun, things can still go wrong, and it’s just not worth stacking the odds against you. So, always be aware of your responsibilities and ensure you do everything within your power to ensure your guests with have a safe, enjoyable holiday.
Conclusion
I hope this blog post has given you some better insight into electrical safety for your holiday let, as well as your very basic responsibilities to ensure guests are kept safe at all times during their stay.
Still feeling unsure? If you’re in need of some specific advice about this issue, or a related issue concerning your holiday let, please feel free to leave a comment below, or get in touch with me directly – I’ll be more than happy to help.