Renting a home in London should not mean worrying about whether the wiring behind the walls is safe. Yet thousands of tenants across the capital live in properties with outdated electrics, missing safety devices, and landlords who either do not know their legal obligations or choose to ignore them.
The good news is that the law is firmly on your side. Since 2020, private tenants in England have had clear, enforceable electrical safety protections — and landlords who fail to comply face serious penalties.
This guide explains exactly what your landlord must provide, what you should check when you move in, the warning signs of dangerous electrics, and what to do if your landlord refuses to act.
The law: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 changed the game for tenants. Before these regulations, there was no specific legal requirement for landlords to have their electrical installations inspected on a set schedule. Now there is.
The regulations apply to all private rented sector tenancies in England, including assured shorthold tenancies and licences to occupy. They cover the fixed electrical installation — the wiring, sockets, switches, consumer unit (fuse board), and any fixed electrical equipment supplied by the landlord.
Social housing was brought into scope from April 2021, so these protections now cover the vast majority of tenants in England.
What your landlord must legally provide
Under the 2020 regulations, your landlord has three core obligations:
1. An EICR every five years
Your landlord must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified and competent electrician at least every five years. The result is an Electrical Installation Condition Report, commonly known as an EICR.
The EICR grades any defects found using a coding system. The two that matter most are:
- C1 (Danger present) — an immediate risk to anyone using the installation
- C2 (Potentially dangerous) — a defect that could become dangerous
If a C1 or C2 is recorded, the report is graded as Unsatisfactory and remedial work is required.
Your landlord must provide you with a copy of the EICR within 28 days of the inspection, or before you move in if a new report has been carried out. If you have never received one, you have every right to ask.
2. Remedial work within 28 days
If the EICR identifies any C1 or C2 defects, the landlord must complete the necessary remedial work within 28 days — or sooner if the electrician specifies a shorter period. After the work is done, the landlord must obtain written confirmation from a qualified electrician that the issues have been resolved and provide that confirmation to the tenant.
This is not optional and there is no grace period for landlords who drag their feet.
3. National standards compliance
The electrical installation must meet the standards that applied at the time it was installed. The current benchmark is BS 7671, commonly known as the IET Wiring Regulations (18th Edition). Older installations do not need to be ripped out and rewired to the latest edition, but they must be safe and free from defects that pose a danger.
What to check when you move in
You do not need to be an electrician to spot the basics. When you move into a new rental property, take fifteen minutes to check the following:
The consumer unit (fuse board)
Open the consumer unit cupboard (usually near the front door or under the stairs) and look at what is inside. A modern consumer unit will be a grey or white plastic enclosure with individual circuit breakers (MCBs) and one or more RCDs.
If you see an old-style fuse box with rewirable fuses — the ones with a piece of fuse wire stretched across a ceramic holder — that is a strong sign the electrics have not been updated in decades. Read more about signs your fuse board needs replacing.
RCD protection
An RCD (Residual Current Device) is the single most important safety device in your home. It detects earth faults and disconnects the power in milliseconds, preventing electric shocks and reducing fire risk. Modern consumer units should have RCD protection covering all circuits.
You can test it yourself: press the small test button on the RCD. It should trip immediately, cutting power to the circuits it protects. If it does not trip, report it to your landlord straight away.
Socket and switch condition
Walk through every room and look at the sockets and light switches. They should be firmly fixed to the wall with no cracks, scorch marks, or exposed wiring. Loose faceplates, cracked plastic, and yellowed or discoloured sockets are all red flags.
The EICR itself
Ask your landlord or letting agent for a copy of the current EICR before or during move-in. Check the date — it should be less than five years old. Check the overall result — it should say Satisfactory. If it says Unsatisfactory, ask what remedial work has been completed and request written confirmation from the electrician.
Red flags that indicate dangerous wiring
Some issues are subtle and only an electrician would catch them. Others are obvious enough that anyone can spot them:
- Burning smell from sockets or switches — this suggests overheating, often caused by loose connections or overloaded circuits
- Frequent tripping of circuit breakers — occasional trips are normal, but regular tripping on the same circuit points to an underlying fault
- Sparking when you plug something in — a small spark can be normal, but large or repeated sparking is not
- Buzzing or humming from the consumer unit — could indicate a loose connection or failing component
- Discoloured or warm socket faceplates — heat damage around a socket is a serious warning sign
- Lights flickering throughout the property — not just a single bulb but multiple lights on different circuits
- Electric shocks from appliances or taps — even mild tingles indicate a fault with the earthing
- Two-pin sockets or round-pin sockets — these indicate pre-1960s wiring that is long overdue for replacement
- Black rubber or lead-sheathed cabling — visible in lofts, cupboards, or behind removed faceplates, this type of cable has not been installed since the 1960s and the insulation degrades over time
If you notice any of these, report them to your landlord in writing immediately. Do not wait.
What to do if your landlord refuses to fix electrical issues
This is where many tenants feel stuck. You have reported a problem, your landlord has ignored you, and you are not sure what to do next. Here is the process:
1. Put it in writing
Always report electrical concerns to your landlord or letting agent in writing — email is ideal because it creates a dated record. Describe the problem clearly and reference the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020.
2. Request the EICR
If you have never received a copy of the current EICR, request one in writing. Your landlord is legally required to provide it. If they cannot produce one, that itself is a breach of the regulations.
3. Contact your local authority
If your landlord does not act within a reasonable time, contact the environmental health or private rented sector team at your local council. In London, every borough has a team that deals with housing standards complaints. They have the power to:
- Serve a remedial notice requiring the landlord to carry out specific work
- Arrange for the work to be done themselves and recover the cost from the landlord
- Issue financial penalties of up to £30,000 per breach
- Prosecute persistent offenders
Local authorities can also take urgent action where there is an imminent risk of serious harm.
4. Consider the Housing Ombudsman or tribunal
For ongoing disputes, the Housing Ombudsman (for social housing) or the First-tier Tribunal (for private tenancies) can hear complaints. In extreme cases, tenants may be entitled to a rent repayment order if the landlord has committed certain housing offences.
5. Do not attempt DIY electrical work
No matter how frustrated you are, never attempt to fix electrical problems yourself. Electrical work in a property you do not own creates liability issues, and unqualified work is genuinely dangerous. A qualified electrician should carry out any investigation or repair.
Common electrical issues in London rental properties
London has some of the oldest housing stock in England, and rental properties reflect that. The issues we see most frequently include:
- Outdated consumer units without RCD protection — extremely common in Victorian and Edwardian conversions. A consumer unit upgrade is often the single most impactful safety improvement a landlord can make.
- Overloaded ring circuits — particularly in flats where a single ring final circuit serves the entire property and extension leads are used everywhere
- Missing earthing and bonding — older properties may have no main earth connection to the gas and water pipes, which is a C1 (danger present) defect
- DIY wiring from previous owners — junction boxes in lofts, spur connections done without proper isolation, cables run through walls with no protection
- Bathroom installations not to standard — electric showers wired on undersized cable, no supplementary bonding, pull-cord switches replaced with standard light switches in zones where they are not permitted
- Deteriorated wiring insulation — rubber-insulated cables from the 1950s and 1960s become brittle and crack, exposing live conductors inside walls
An EICR will identify all of these issues and classify them by severity. Find out more about what an EICR costs in London and what the process involves.
How F&A Electrical helps landlords stay compliant
We work with landlords and letting agents across London to keep rental properties electrically safe and fully compliant with the 2020 regulations. Here is what we offer:
- EICRs for rental properties — thorough inspections carried out by qualified 18th Edition electricians, with reports issued the same day in most cases
- Remedial work within the 28-day deadline — if your EICR comes back Unsatisfactory, we prioritise remedial work for landlords to ensure you stay within the legal timeframe
- Consumer unit upgrades — replacing old fuse boards with modern, RCD-protected consumer units that bring the installation up to current safety standards
- Full and partial rewires — for properties where the existing wiring is beyond economic repair
- Landlord certificates and documentation — everything you need to demonstrate compliance, properly formatted and ready to provide to tenants or letting agents
F&A Electrical is NICEIC accredited, Part P registered, and carries £5 million public liability insurance. We have over 237 reviews on Checkatrade with a 9.7/10 rating. We are based in South Tottenham, N15, and cover all London boroughs.
Take action — whether you are a tenant or a landlord
If you are a tenant: you have clear legal rights. Ask for your EICR, check the basics when you move in, and report concerns in writing. If your landlord will not act, your local council has real enforcement powers.
If you are a landlord: compliance is not just about avoiding fines — it is about keeping your tenants safe and protecting your investment. An up-to-date EICR, a modern consumer unit, and prompt remedial work keep you on the right side of the law and give your tenants confidence in the property.
Need an EICR or electrical safety work for a rental property? Get in touch with F&A Electrical or call us on 07407 627542. We will give you a straight answer on what is needed, a fair price, and get it done properly.