Eicr

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Just carried out  an inspection ,on a property to let. Average size 3 bedroom terrace house built 1900s. There is only  1 double socket in each room, except kitchen.

Would you comment and if so what ?

 

[Andy™]

not really something you can comment on. nothing in 7671 states number of outlets (except a table in OSG), so nothing to code either

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

C3 Improvement recommended...

Reason as follows:-

Assuming that the people who are going to rent the property have one or more more portable/mobile appliances that they are likely to use in each room then will there be sufficient conveniently accessible socket outlets ??

There is no reg that states QUANTITIES..

But..

There should be....

" Adjacent and conveniently accessible socket outlets.. Taking into account the length of flex normally fitted to appliances."

i.e.

No need for extension leads..

No socket stuck behind furniture where you cant get to it...

IMHO  as a general rule this means one double socket per room is NOT enough!

The actual quantity is debatable..  but ONE is no good if a wardrobe is stuck in front of it!!!!

See reg 553.1.6   page 174.

Guinness

 

[Murdoch]

Not sure how you would code it BUT certainly write it in the comments.

 

[ProDave]

Just offer to supply the landlord with a job lot of PAT tested extension leads.

 

[Steve3948]

No code just comment, the original install may have specified one per room.

In the 70's one per room was normal even in the kitchen.

NHBC specify a minimum I believe.

 

[Murdoch]

No code just comment, the original install may have specified one per room.

In the 70's one per room was normal even in the kitchen.

NHBC specify a minimum I believe.

For new builds and thats a recommendation....

 

[ProDave]

building regs here specify how many sockets per room.

 

[binky]

when my parent bought their brand new house in 1966 they were chuffed to have a single socket in every room.

Defo no code, comment at most, you are there to test if electrics are safe and that's all. My lad just bought a house with a box room with no lights or sockets in it at all. It ain't dangerous!

 

[Sidewinder]

You can't code it, under BS7671, perhaps, but I feel you should comment.

What are the letting regulation requirements, if you can find them, then you could comment on those to add weight to your argument.

It's not safe but, not under BS7671.

Mind be mindful of the comment by Specs above, you could make an argument for this reg perhaps.

A bit more complex than the ordinary.

 

[binky]

what letting regulation requirements??? they haven't even made it compulsory to have an EICR done :facepalm:

 

[Sidewinder]

Does that not depend on who the let is to, for example LA private lets may have requirements, as may university contracted lets, that is what I am on about.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Just carried out  an inspection ,on a property to let. Average size 3 bedroom terrace house built 1900s. There is only  1 double socket in each room, except kitchen.

Would you comment and if so what ?

If this is going to be let out to students, especially female students, I would almost guarantee that a single double socket per room will be overloaded with extension leads and adapter plugs. Hairdryers, Hair straighteners, Curling tongues, Phone charger, Laptop power supply, Ipad charger, Iron, Functional desk lamp, Decorative table lamp or fairy lights around the mirror, etc. At some stage a multiple combination of these will all be powered up together with the inevitable overheating of the pins of the extension lead plugged into the single socket. Isn't there a regulation about teenage girls bedroom power requirements, or is that still waiting for another amendment?  Some sort of comment needed in my opinion.

Doc H.

 

[zimmy]

I quite totally with the Doc.  Lack of socket outlets would imply a safety risk due to extension leads being a hazard (as in tripping over the things) and problems if coiled leads are not un-wound when fully loaded. Cheap and nasty block multi-way adaptors stuffed into outlets.  Cables hidden under carpets being walked over.  I'd say that there was a potential problem here.

Not a C1

Not  a C2

But I'd pop it in  at a C3,  and I would argue that the electrical system should be suitable for its intended use.  As stated above, at one time it may have been adequate for the purpose but now things have moved on.   I would most defiantly put that in writing. 

 

[ProDave]

A twist to this number of sockets thing:

I did a lot of wiring alterations on a conversion. One of the things they did was install an en-suite shower in a bedroom.  The new rules allow us to fit a socket in a "room containing a shower" as long as it's RCD protected and 3 metres from the shower.

That meant I was only able to fit one socket right in the diagonally opposite corner of the room to the the shower, knowing full well that the only way they could make any use of that socket was by way of extension leads.

Sometimes the rules we have to work with force compromises.

 

[binky]

LAs and Universities work to higher standards than the bare minimum legal requirements, so as much as I agree with the common sense comments made, particulary about teenage girls, that doesn't change the fact that you are there to test the electrics fitted, not guess at how it will be used after you leave. Lack of sockets therefore does not merit any code.

Extension leads being a hazard tends to apply to places of work under general H&S guidelines for offices etc. Within the rental sector you can recommend these aren't good practice as they tend to represent a safety hazard and need PAT testing if supplied by the landlord. Not sure if PAT regs applies to tennants bringing their own leads into the property and whether the landlord has a Duty of Care in that respect. Apparantly it does apply to us as tradesmen taking our equipment into someones elses property, so stuff like battery chargers should be tested an inspected regularly.

My angle on this is to point out to landlords that the cheap and nasty mutli gang extensions have a bad habit of catching fire, and therefore represent a real risk to their property and investment ergo adding sockets is in their own interests. But that doesn't change the legal position of testing, that's just my professional opinion.