5-Year Electrical Test — Know its 4 Vital Benefits

 Is it necessary to conduct an electrical inspection and testing on your property every five years? The answer is yes! A 5-year electrical test checks all your installations against current safety and electrical standards, ensuring that your building is safe for tenancy. 

Benefits of 5-year electrical tests: 

1. Safety

The greatest benefit of electrical inspection and testing is to ensure the safety of your property and your tenants. Although electrical hazards are common, they can still be prevented.  

For example, loose and improper connections, frayed electrical wires, and overheated cords can increase the chances of an electrical accident. Meanwhile, outlets placed too close to the water may result in electrical shock and fires.

An inspection every five years can help you avoid these incidents, preventing injuries, fatalities, and damage to your property. 

2. Efficiency

Your electrical installations and appliances must run at top performance to keep your energy consumption efficient. Any faulty or damaged wiring will only wear down your electronics, leading to more expensive utility bills and costly replacements. 

Regular inspection and testing can keep your entire system efficient, increasing the lifespan of your devices. 

3. Cost-saving

Would you rather pay for an inspection every five years or pay for new electrical installations every time they malfunction? A 5-year electrical test is much more affordable in the long run, saving you from spending money when your appliances cause problems. 

4. Compliance

Electrical compliance is a legal requirement in the UK. Landlords, property owners, and employers must carry out 5-year electrical tests as proof that their property and its electrical installations are safe for use. 

For a more thorough inspection of your property, you need to conduct several tests such as: 

• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

• Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

• Fixed Wire Testing

• Fire Alarm Inspection

• Emergency Light Testing 

To achieve full compliance, you need to find experienced electricians who can give you an accurate report on your installations after testing. Make sure they are fully accredited and registered with the NICEIC or NAPIT for the best service possible. 

The Most Common Reasons to Call Electrical Safety Certificate Services

According to the law, securing electrical safety certificate for landlords through periodic inspections is mandatory if you own an HMO property. You cannot afford to ignore this legal obligation because it can lead to a hefty penalty of up to £30k, on top of legal problems. So if it has been years since the last time you got electrical safety certificate for landlords, then you really need to call qualified electricians immediately.

               

Aside from compliance, there are many other reasons why you should have your property inspected right now. Here are some of them:

 

1. Find out the real condition of your property.

 

Professional inspections are necessary if you want to know the real condition of your rental property. The reports of your electrician will reveal if the electrical installations in your building are still compliant with the national safety standards or not. Each code in the report has a corresponding meaning:

 

F1 - Further investigation required without delay

C1 - Danger present (immediate remedial action required)

C2 - Potentially dangerous (urgent remedial action required)

C3 - Improvement recommended (considered a satisfactory code)

 

2. Prevent electrical issues from getting worse and more expensive to fix.

 

All electrical work and appliances deteriorate over time, whether they are frequently used or not. The challenge here is that it often difficult to determine their conditionas wirings are hidden behind the walls and ceilings of the property. That's why you need to hire a professional to perform the periodic inspection. Now, if after the inspection the electrician finds out that the electrical work in the property isn't safe or has potential issues, they will recommend remedial work. You can also hire the same electrician to fix those issues for you. This way, you can save money.

 

3. Protect your rental business.

 

Don’t wait for a disaster to happen because of faulty electrical wiring. Your tenants can get electrocuted and injured. Your rental property can burn to ground. Even a small incident can hurt your rental business and your reputation as a landlord. Getting electrical safety certificate for landlords and carrying out inspections regularly can help you avoid all these. Keep your source of income secure, and maintain the confidence of your tenants by getting a certificate.

Is it Wise for Landlords to go for the Five-Year Electrical Test?

Do you really need a landlord 5-year electrical test for your property? The short answer is yes. This regulation is not just a recommendation, it is a requirement. The Electrical Safety Standards says that a landlord 5-year electrical test needs to be carried out by a qualified and competent person such as a reliable electrician. Failure to comply with this regulation can lead to prosecution and a sizeable penalty.

 

Aside from legal compliance, there are other reasons why a landlord 5-year electrical test is important for any owner of HMO and private rented properties.

 

Protect tenants from any electrical-related harm

 

Did you know that 53.4% of all of all accidental dwelling fires in the previous year were caused by faulty appliances and leads, faulty fuel supply, and misuse? A whopping 19,300 accidental domestic fires are of electrical origin. You can just imagine the fatalities and injuries that these accidents caused. This is one of the biggest reasons why current legislation requires the landlord 5-year electrical test. In fact, they even recommend performing electrical inspections after every change of occupancy to ensure better safety of tenants.

 

Keep your property and business

 

You will not only potentially lose your property but also your rental business if you ignore periodic inspections. Losing your property and source of income to fire and ruining your reputation as landlord can put you in a very bad financial situation. Don’t let it happen.

 

The goal of electrical inspections is to reveal problematic areas in your electrical installation. That way, you know what your next steps should be. If you find out issues and potential issues early on, you have plenty of time to perform remedial work and fix them so that they adhere to the safety standards.