Student Lets in London: An Electrical Safety Checklist for Landlords

Student lets are some of the hardest working homes in London. Five or six people cooking, studying, charging laptops and running heaters at the same time put a heavy load on the electrics, and the house changes hands every year. This checklist covers what landlords and agents can do through the year to keep a student house safe and avoid problems at changeover.

Before the new tenants arrive

• Check the EICR date. If it runs out during the tenancy, book the new one now rather than mid-term.
• Test every smoke and heat alarm and replace any past their expiry date.
• Check that each bedroom has enough sockets, so tenants are not tempted to daisy chain extension leads.
• Make sure the consumer unit is labelled and easy to reach in case something trips at night.
• PAT test any appliances you supply, such as kettles, microwaves and fridges.

Our landlord electrical checklist for a new tenancy and our guide to PAT testing in London cover these in more detail.

During term

• Ask tenants to report tripping, burning smells or damaged sockets straight away, and fix them quickly.
• Discourage portable heaters on extension leads in bedrooms. If rooms are cold, the heating is the real problem.
• If the house is a licensed HMO, keep up the required tests for fire alarms and emergency lighting.

Our guides to HMO licence electrical requirements and emergency lighting testing explain the rules for larger shared houses.

At changeover

The summer gap between tenancies is the best time for an EICR, a board upgrade or extra sockets, because the house is empty. Book early, as many landlords want the same few weeks.

What we often find in student houses

• Extension leads plugged into extension leads behind desks.
• Damaged sockets and switches from heavy daily use.
• Kitchens with several appliances on one socket circuit.
• Smoke alarms with the batteries removed.

Book a check

Energy North Ltd covers North, East and West London with City & Guilds certified electricians, and can usually attend within 48 hours. EICRs start from £100. See our EICR service.