A local authority has explained its role in ensuring that a private landlord could arrange for an electrical safety inspection to go ahead at a property.

Ashford council in Kent says its accommodation officer was contacted by a letting agent who had tried on several occasions to arrange an electrical safety inspection. 

Each time the agent had given the tenant substantial notice of the visit but when the engineer arrived at the pre-arranged time, the tenant would have a reason to why the engineer could not enter the property, or no-one was in.

According to the council the agent felt that their last resort was to contact the council itself for assistance. 

“Our accommodation officer advised on the best way to proceed, including making sure that a letter was been sent to the address, as previously all arrangements were made via telephone. We also advised on the content for the letter to avoid the risk of miscommunication” explains the local authority.

The case was resolved quickly, which allowed the inspection to go ahead with no issues regarding access. 

This fulfilled the agent’s legal obligations and maintained the safety of the property.

“Sometime the landlord, or the tenant, feel that approaching the council should be the last option when in fact we are always happy to assist and advise when it is necessary” says the council.

Meanwhile Ashford council has invited nearly 300 private sector landlords who rent out properties in the area to attend a virtual summit on Tuesday June 8.

The council has teamed up with the National Residential Landlords Association to organise the virtual forum to inform landlords about a range of issues that are likely to have far-reaching impacts on landlords and their tenants. 

Those invited to attend include landlords letting out a single property to those who have a portfolio of dozens of properties across the borough.