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Electrical safety for council homes
All council houses have an electrical supply. We will meet our regulatory and statutory obligations to ensure it is safe.
Council tenants are responsible for all electrical equipment they own. We are responsible for the wiring and communal electrics in the property.
What to do in an electrical emergency
Call 999 if you have been injured by electricity.
An electrical emergency could include:
- damaged switches or sockets
- water leaking through light fittings, switches or sockets
- a burn mark or smell of burning
- a crackling sound from electrical equipment
- circuit breakers tripping out
- a total loss of power
In an electrical emergency, it is important to act fast to make sure nobody gets hurt. You should do all of the following if it is safe to do so:
- If you have total loss of power, check with neighbours first to see if their power is cut. This could mean that the whole area is affected. If not, it may be isolated to your home.
- Switch off and isolate the power to the circuit where the problem is. This is normally at the mains board/consumer unit.
- Check to see if you have credit on your meter (if you have one).
- Make sure that your circuit breakers have not tripped on your mains board/consumer unit.
If those checks are not successful, call the Responsive Repairs Line.
Telephone: 0300 373 0373
24-hour service
Electrical safety checks
We carry out an electrical safety inspection in every council home at least every 5 years.
After the inspection, we will provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
Our approved electrical contractor will contact you in advance to arrange an appointment. The inspection usually takes up to 3 hours.
During the inspection, the engineer will check:
- sockets
- electrical circuits
- lighting
- other electrical installations in your home
They will also ensure that no electrical DIY works have been undertaken.
You must allow access for these inspections. We aim to give you suitable notice, unless there is an emergency and we need urgent access.
When your inspection is due, we or our approved electrical contractor will contact you.
If any work is needed following the inspection, it will usually be completed within 28 days of the EICR inspection, unless it is an emergency.
You can also contact us to request a service.
Telephone: 0300 373 0373
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (except public holidays)
We will create an EICR at the time of the service. You can request a copy of the EICR by contacting the Housing Compliance Team.