Electrical safety when you rent your home
Your landlord must arrange electrical safety checks every 5 years and do repairs to keep your home safe.
Your landlord’s responsibilities
Your landlord must make sure that your home’s electricity supply is safe, adequate, and in proper working order.
If you rent privately, your home must have a residual current device that turns off the electricity if there's a fault.
Your landlord must also make sure any electrical items they provide are safe to use.
Doing electrical safety checks
Your landlord must make sure electrical safety checks are done in your home. Checks should be done by a registered electrician.
Checks must be done every 5 years, or every 3 years if you live in an HMO (house of multiple occupation).
If something does not pass the check, your landlord should get it replaced or repaired immediately.
Giving you an electrical safety report
When an electrical safety check is done, your landlord gets a safety report. This is sometimes called an EICR.
When you move in, they must give you a copy of the existing report.
If safety checks are done while you're living there, your landlord must give you a copy of the report within 28 days.
If your landlord has not done electrical safety checks
Step 1: speak to your landlord informally
Ask them for a copy of the electrical safety report. It should say when checks were last done.
Step 2: if they do not give you the electrical safety report
Ask your landlord to do an electrical safety check in your home. Copy and paste this sample text and personalise it with your details.
Letter template: ask your landlord to do electrical safety checks
Subject: Electrical safety check at <your address>
To <your landlord’s name>
I asked for the electrical safety report for <your address> on <date.
As you did not provide this, I'm concerned that an electrical safety check has not been done.
I have checked my rights on the Shelter Scotland website. An electrical safety check must be done every 5 years. You must also give me a copy of the electrical safety report within 28 days of the checks being done.
<Tell your landlord about issues you've noticed with electrical safety here, such as loose wires or faulty sockets>
Please contact me within 2 working days to confirm when an electrical safety check will be done.
If you do not respond, I will take further action.
Thank you
<your name>
<your phone number>
<date>
You can also send the letter as an email attachment or through the post:
Word template: ask for an electrical safety check (docx, 16 kb)
OpenDocument template: ask for an electrical safety check (odt, 8 kb)
Step 3: if your landlord will not do safety checks or repairs
Follow our guidance on:
If your home is unsafe, contact the council’s environmental health team. Tell them about the electrical hazards in your home and explain that your landlord is refusing to fix them.
If you rent from the council, environmental health will usually only get involved if you've already been through the council's official complaints procedure.
Use our template letter to contact environmental health. Copy and paste the sample text and personalise it with your details.
Include photographs of the hazards and copies of any emails or letters you have sent your landlord.
Letter template: report repair problems to environmental health
Subject: My home is unsafe
To the environmental health team,
My rented home at <your address> has the following repair problems: <the repair problems in your home>.
I reported the repairs to my landlord on <date>. I gave them reasonable time to do the repairs, but they have still not been done.
This is a serious situation because <give details of how it's affecting your or your family's health or safety>.
I have attached evidence of the repair problem, copies of communication with my landlord and <other evidence, for example: a letter from my GP / a dampness survey>.
My landlord is <your landlord’s name and address>.
I'm asking for your assistance to get my landlord to do repairs in my home. Please contact me to discuss any next steps.
Thank you
<your name>
<your phone number>
<date>
You can also send the letter as an email attachment or through the post:
Word template: contact environmental health (docx, 15 kb)
OpenDocument template letter: contact environmental health (odt, 8 kb)
Your responsibilities
Report any problems or repairs to your landlord as soon as possible. Allow access to your home for repairs.
Check for danger signs
These include:
fuses that blow often
cables or wires that are loose, exposed or fraying
a smell of burning when appliances are switched on
plugs or wall sockets that are overheating, scorched or cracked
If you own an electrical appliances that might not be safe, you should get an electrical safety check done. Make sure this is done by an NICEIC registered contractor.
Electrical Safety First has guidance on electrical safety in your home
Last updated: 25 July 2024
Housing laws differ between Scotland and England.
This content applies to Scotland only.