Risk Warning over Electric Appliances in Rented Property
Landlords and their agents have been warned about the risks of electrical products that are already in their rental houses, and any new ones that are installed, such as ovens, dishwashers, and fridges.
There has been an on-going wave of safety alerts and product recalls in this area. Just last week, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service dealt with a serious house fire caused by a tumble dryer.
Risk Warning over Electric Appliances in Rented Property
Beko, an electrical appliance manufacturer, has continually been called out as being the cause for domestic fires, after their products allegedly started at least 20 fires in homes since 2010.
Regardless of the many alerts and product recalls, it is predicted that about 138,000 Beko products are still in domestic properties.
However, Beko is not the only manufacturer to have published warnings.
Electricity is a major cause of house fires in the UK, including rental properties. In a recent insurance claim, a landlord suffered more than £100,000 worth of damage to his rental property, after a fire started from a faulty fridge-freezer.
Manufacturers often issue product recalls, 266 in the past six years, however, there are problems with tracing the products because they are not registered.
For instance, from one batch of faulty dishwashers made in a seven-year period, only one in four has been traced. The average success rate of recalls is just 10-20%, says the Electrical Safety Council (ESC).1
Specialist insurers LetRisks’ Michael Portman says that landlord should regularly check all installed electrical appliances, for safety, and also for recalls.1
Furthermore, the landlord or agent should register new appliances with the manufacturer. This will make it easier for to be contacted if a product is recalled.
All appliances should be recorded on the inventory, including the make and model number.
The ESC have a webpage where you can find out of your product has been recalled: www.esc.org.uk/recall.