Electrical Wiring Compensation Claims
Sockets that spark, a fuse box that trips every other day, a faint burning smell you can't place. Faulty electrics start fires and injure people. If you've reported them and your landlord hasn't acted, we'll claim compensation and force the repairs through.
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When do electrical faults become a legal claim?
Electrical disrepair covers any fault in the fixed installations that makes them unsafe: ageing or damaged wiring, sockets and switches that spark, scorch or give shocks, fuse boards that constantly trip, and light fittings that don't work safely. Unlike a dripping tap, these faults can injure you or set your home alight.
Landlords sometimes treat electrical complaints as low priority because the lights still come on. The law disagrees. If you've reported a fault and it hasn't been properly investigated and fixed, you're likely to have a claim.
Evidence that strengthens your claim
No photos? Nothing in writing? We can still help. But anything you can dig out now makes your claim stronger:
- Photos and videos of the problem, however rough
- Anything you've sent your landlord: emails, letters, texts
- GP or hospital records, if your health suffered
- Receipts or photos of ruined belongings
Your landlord's legal responsibility
Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord must keep the installations for the supply of electricity in repair and proper working order. Private landlords in England must also have the electrics inspected at least every five years and give you a copy of the report, the EICR, with any dangerous findings put right within 28 days.
A home with unsafe electrics is unlikely to meet the standard set by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and under the Defective Premises Act 1972 your landlord is liable if a known defect injures you. Reported electrical faults should be treated with urgency, not filed away.
What a successful claim gets you
Compensation
A payment for what you've had to live with, usually worked out as a percentage of your rent, plus money back for ruined belongings: clothes, furniture, carpets and more.
The repairs, completed
A binding commitment that forces your landlord to fix the problem properly. No more promises, no more missed appointments.
Electrical Wiring Compensation Claims: FAQs
How often should the electrics in my rented home be checked?
For private tenancies in England, a qualified electrician must inspect and test the fixed installations at least every five years and produce an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). You're entitled to a copy before you move in, or within 28 days of the inspection.
My EICR says "unsatisfactory". What does that mean?
It means the inspection found dangerous or potentially dangerous defects. Your landlord is legally required to complete the remedial work within 28 days of the report, or sooner if the report says so. Sitting on an unsatisfactory EICR is a serious breach, and strong evidence for a claim.
I got a small shock from a light switch. Is that serious?
Yes. Any shock, however small, is a sign of a potentially dangerous fault: faulty wiring, a failed earth, or worse. Report it to your landlord immediately as an emergency, and keep a record of when and how you reported it.
My fuse box keeps tripping. Is that disrepair?
It can be. One trip might be a faulty appliance, but a fuse board that trips constantly points to an overloaded circuit or a wiring fault: a potential fire risk your landlord must investigate and fix, not something to reset and ignore.
Can I get my own electrician in and take the cost off my rent?
We'd strongly advise against it. Withholding rent puts your tenancy at risk, and the legal procedure for deduct-and-repair is easy to get wrong. A formal disrepair claim is safer: it forces the repairs and secures compensation, usually a percentage of your rent for the affected period. Our free calculator shows what that could be worth.
See how much you could claim
Answer a few quick questions about your rent, the problems and how long you've lived with them, and you'll get an instant estimate. Confidential, no obligation, no pressure.