Electrical industry slates Boris badge over safety standards

The electrical industry has slammed Boris Johnson’s London Rental Standard – the so-called Boris Badge – for its failure to improve electrical safety in private rented properties.

The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) welcomed the introduction of the London Rental Standard as a positive development but said it does not go far enough.
 
The LRS aims to raise standards in the city’s booming private rented sector with an accreditation scheme, but when it comes to electricity, it simply states that landlords must comply with current legal requirements.
 
Phil Buckle, director general of the ESC, said: “The development of the London Rental Standard and its aim to create a single accreditation badge for the capital is a step forward but it doesn’t go far enough to improve electrical safety.

“High safety standards should be a vital prerequisite for any landlord seeking accreditation. Given that research indicates private tenants are more likely to be at risk of electric shock than owner occupiers, or those in social housing, and that over half of accidental domestic fires in Britain are caused by electricity, the lack of specificity in relation to electrical safety is regrettable.”

The ESC has called for the LRS to include a mandatory minimum standard which includes electrical safety, to ensure that properties are in a reasonable state of repair. It is also calling for a requirement for fitting residual current devices to be a pre-condition of accreditation.