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Five-yearly electrical safety checks should be mandatory for NI social landlords, says report
Social landlords in Northern Ireland should be required to carry out electrical safety checks on their homes every five years by law, a charity has said.
Electrical Safety First warned that the situation regarding electrical safety in the region’s social housing is currently “ambiguous”, with no specific legal requirements in place.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, which owns around 85,000 of Northern Ireland’s 121,000 social homes, has a policy of carrying out electrical safety checks at five-yearly intervals or between tenancies.
But a new report by Electrical Safety First said the region’s 23 housing associations are “less focused on electrical safety” and there is “less attention provided in rural areas”.
Electricity is the cause of nearly 60% of domestic fires in Northern Ireland, according to the charity.
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The report also warned that private tenants across the Irish Sea have less protection from electrical risks than in other parts of the UK.
The private rented sector in England and Scotland is subject to mandatory five-yearly electrical safety checks, and Wales is expected to introduce similar rules soon.
There is no such requirement in Northern Ireland, although the Department for Communities has promised to introduce wider legislation to improve the safety, security and quality of private rented homes.
Addressing electrical hazards in Northern Ireland’s housing stock could save the public purse nearly £9m a year by reducing the number of fires, the report claimed.
“Electrical fires in people’s homes can not only cause hundreds of thousands of pounds of property damage, the human cost can be incalculable,” said Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First.
“The average cost of an electrical safety inspection is between £150 and £200. Over a five-year period, this equates to as little as £30 a year.
“We believe it’s a small price to pay to protect people and properties.”
Janet Hunter, director of Northern Ireland charity Housing Rights, said: “Housing Rights has worked alongside Electrical Safety First for some time in calling for improvements to the housing conditions of people in Northern Ireland.
“The risk from electrical fires, for those who are vulnerable due to age and health and those who are living in unsafe accommodation, is inevitably increased.”
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