Electrical Safety

Landlords in Scotland are required by law to ensure that their properties are electrically safe.[1] This covers:

  • The installations in the property for the supply of electricity
  • Electrical fixtures and fittings, and
  • Any appliances provided by the landlord under the tenancy

Landlords must be able to show that these are in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order. There must be a residual current device that switches off the electricity automatically if there is a fault. Landlords are required to ensure that regular safety inspections are carried out by a competent person and follow the guidance issued by the Scottish Government.

An electrical safety inspection has two parts:

  • An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) on the safety of the electrical installations, fixtures and fittings, and
  • A Portable Appliance Test (PAT) on any portable appliances that the landlord provides.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

The report must be carried out by a registered electrician who will carry out an inspection of:

  • Installations for the supply of electricity,
  • Electrical fittings, including –
    •  The consumer unit (or fusebox)
    •  All switches
    •  Socket outlets
    •  Light fittings, and
    •  Any visible wiring.
  • Fixed electrical equipment, including –
    • Fixed electrical heating equipment e.g.
    • storage or panel heaters,
    • Boilers and other heat producing equipment, and
    • Hard-wired smoke and fire detectors.

Anything that fails to pass the electrical safety inspection must be replaced or repaired immediately. The electrician’s report will highlight problems with the following codes:

  • Anything that is classified under Code C1 (danger present) must be addressed immediately, preferably by the inspecting electrician on discovery of the dangerous condition.
  • Code C2 (potentially dangerous) also highlights problems that need immediate attention.
  • Anything classified as FI (Further investigation required) should be dealt with as soon as possible, as this investigation could reveal a dangerous or potentially dangerous condition.

Any remedial work that is undertaken as a result of the inspection will then be recorded on a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate