has my landlord got dodgy electrical wires in our home

[becky4]

hiya all im gunna waffle on for abit then ask you what you all think....

okay so we have a new microwave and washing machine (couple of months old) both get plugged in in the kitchen in the only plug socket in there, sometimes there fine but most of the time when they are on they trip all the plug sockets out and then we can used them for about a week or so then it's okay.

today when my partner got home from work the whole house had tripped including the lights the only thing left on in the house when i went out today was the fridge freezer?

we have had our landlord come out and have a look he changed the plug socket front on the one in the kitchen (i noticed the earth wire inside the socket had no rubber cover on it is this normal? for a plug socket he said it was)

i feel like theres not much we can do as we can't prove anythinks happening cuz every time he comes round it works fine is there anythink i can do to prove or check the sockets are dodgy?

thanks guys.

 

[jeremy]

Try plugging in only one appliance at a time to see if it's related to that. I'd try the washing machine first. At least the protective devices are operating. Annoying but safe(ish)

 

[sparky3366]

Yep i agree i think i will get that plug thing and test any way and tell the landlord if he dont get the electrics looked at he isnt getting his rent this month. thanks

I would be very careful about witholding rent, repairs and rent are 2 seperate issues...

 

[derek preece]

Lifted from landlordzone.co.uk



Apart from the Landlord's Common Law duty of care, the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 (and several other statutory regulations see below) requires that the electrical equipment is safe at the start of every tenancy and maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy.
Electrical hazards are also covered by the Housing Health and safety Rating System under the Housing Act 2004.
In the case of commercial property and houses in multiple occupation there is a statutory duty under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 for the responsible person (the property manager) to carry out annual Fire Safety Risk Assessments, which include electrical safety risks.
If you let property you must ensure that the electrical system and all appliances supplied are safe - failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the The Consumer Protection Act 1987 is a criminal offence and may result in:

• A fine of £5,000 per item not complying
• Six month's imprisonment
• Possible manslaughter charges in the even of deaths
• The Tenant may also sue you for civil damages
• Your property insurance may be invalidated

These regulations are enforced by the Health & Safety Executive.


There is some more info on Guidance for landlords : Electrical Safety Council


It might help you if you can quote the respective laws to your landlord to remind them of their responsibilities

 

[bugsy]

I think ( you what thought thought ) he has to issue a certificate for each new tennancy

 

[millwall ken]

sorry i dont know anythink about electrics what does this mean?

Becky, this means consult an Electrician. Why don't you post on this thread where you live? because the chances are one of us will live/work within spitting distance of you. Thereby you can be reassured that you will get someone decent - and if they are not, then you are at liberty to inform the rest of us!
You've got nothing to loose have you? Any spark will offer you a free quote. Worth a try don't you think?

 

[grantr37]

a faulty freezer could trip the whole lot out, how old is the freezer, sounds like it might be doing it when it clicks on sometimes....

 

[sparky3366]

was the rcd tripping before you got the new appliances?als a pir should be done on every change of occupancy...

 

[becky4]

i have withheld rent from him before due too the fact that we waited 2months for him to fit a new boiler because the old one was broken he soon pulls his finger out of his arse when he knows he wont be getting rent.

yeah i think i will try postin on a board where i live i have used this site for gas before i got some pretty good reviews and your all soo nice and helpful thanks to you all.

 

[bugsy]

Becky do as millwall ken suggests post your approx location and someone will come and sort your landlord ( and the fault ) out though not necasserily in that order

 

[becky4]

a faulty freezer could trip the whole lot out, how old is the freezer, sounds like it might be doing it when it clicks on sometimes....

fridge freezers only 6months old we bought all new stuff when we moved in 6months ago.

 

[becky4]

was the rcd tripping before you got the new appliances?als a pir should be done on every change of occupancy...

It was yeah but not as much as it is now i thought maybe because it's an 800w micro maybe the circit can't handle it specially if it crap wirering

 

[becky4]

Becky do as millwall ken suggests post your approx location and someone will come and sort your landlord ( and the fault ) out though not necasserily in that order

haha thanks yep im just looking now thank

 

[sparky3366]

If there was no sleeving on the cpc in the socket, you can probably assume that there will be other suuff as well with the potential to cause problems. You shouldve had an inspection when you moved in 6 months ago...law of the land.

Edited...sorry should be common law not law of the land...oops

 

[Marvo]

Try plugging in only one appliance at a time to see if it's related to that. I'd try the washing machine first. At least the protective devices are operating. Annoying but safe(ish)

I agree, if it's an RCD (circuit breaker with a small test button on it) that's tripping then it's a very good chance the it's one of your appliances that's causing it. You can try figure out which appliance by deduction, make a note of what's plugged in each time it trips and rule them out one by one if you can.

A couple of things you need to know, firstly even if an appliance is switched off at the socket or the switch on the appliance, it can still cause tripping of an RCD. You must fully unplug an appliance to know it isn't the one causing the trouble.

Secondly an RCD is looking at the total earth leakage from all the appliances plugged in. It could be that two or three appliances with a smallish fault might add up to a big enough fault to cause tripping when they're all plugged in. This can make it a difficult fault to track down without the proper test equipment.

Good luck. If all else fails you'll have to get an electrician in who's handy with an insulation tester.

 

[jeremy]

An RCD will only trip due to a fault (earth) not overcurrent. Please get it checked by someone reputable. With our test equipment it's usually quite easy to test wiring to see if it's safe