10 Tips For Maintaining Electrical Safety At Your Rental Homes & further Information for landlords and tenants.

Review your home and rental properties electrical safety practices

The start of the new year is a good time to review home and workplace electrical safety practices. Here are some tips to help protect your employees and residents from an electrical fire:

Check electrical cords to make sure they’re not running across doorways or under carpets. Also, check them for damage before using. Replace damaged cords immediately.
Extension cords are intended for temporary use- have a qualified electrician add more receptacle outlets so you don’t have to use extension cords.
Use light bulbs that match the recommended wattage on the lamp or fixture. There should be a sticker that indicates the maximum wattage light bulb to use.
If outlets or switches feel warm, frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuits, or flickering or dimming lights, call a qualified electrician.
Only plug one heat-producing appliance (such as a coffee maker, toaster, space heater, etc.) into a receptacle outlet at a time. Also, keep electrical appliances away from water sources such as sinks, pools and bathtubs.
Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) are a kind of circuit breaker that shuts off electricity when a dangerous condition occurs. Consider having them installed in your home.
Use ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to reduce the risk of shock. GFCIs shut off an electrical circuit when it becomes a shock hazard. They should be installed inside the home in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, garages and basements. All outdoor receptacles should be GFCI-protected.
Test AFCIs and GFCIs once a month to make sure they’re working properly.
Keep the area around your electric meter and other electrical equipment clear.
Have all electrical work done by a qualified electrician.

Also, periodically inspect inside and outside of the home or office to identify any electrical issues that need to be addressed. Skellec Electrical also recommends hiring a professional tree cutting service to trim branches that might fall on home electric wiring.

Further Information...

Landlords’ responsibilities

Ensure only licensed electrical professionals perform all electrical work
Before re-letting, ensure all appliances are safe and any unsafe appliance is repaired or disposed of
Ensure electrical appliances are cleaned regularly in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions – particular attention should be paid to dust build-up on cooling fan inlets and all parts of heaters
Check electrical appliances for damage to plugs, leads and casings that may expose live parts or cause a fire
Ensure electrical wiring, socket outlets and switches are maintained in a safe condition,
Ensure all ventilation openings are clear and unobstructed
Record all safety checks and details of work carried out on a licensed electrical installation.

Tenants’ responsibilities

Tenants also have responsibilities, including reporting appliance faults to the landlord or the landlord’s agent.

Use appliances appropriately and as intended by the manufacturer
Allow reasonable access for the landlord’s contractor to carry out electricity safety checks
Report any fault or malfunction to the landlord or agent
Immediately stop using any appliance that is clearly faulty
Do not illegally install, remove or tamper with any electrical appliance
Do not use damaged appliances – they can cause fires and serious injury or death
Do not use multiple or cascaded power boards as a substitute for permanently installed socket outlets
Ensure that portable heaters are kept away from combustible materials including paper, bedding and curtains.

When replacing electrical fuses or fuse wire, only use the specified rating – oversized fuses may cause the fixed wiring to fail resulting in electric shock or fire.

Performing electrical work

A registered electrical contractor must be engaged to perform all electrical work on a property. It is illegal and dangerous for unqualified people to perform electricity or gas work.