Holiday Lets PAT Testing

Self catering holiday properties are now covered by the Fire Safety Order.

As a landlord of such properties, e.g. a holiday cottage, you are required to ensure your property meets fire safety legal requirements.

Fire safety law is in place to help to keep people safe, reduce the likelihood of fire and make sure people can escape safely in the event of a fire. As the owner of the property, taking necessary precautions to safeguard your guests should be a no brainer.

All businesses with premises (whatever the size) are required by law to have a written fire risk assessment and a record of the fire safety arrangements in place – check out the latest guidance for how this affects you.

If you rent out houses, cottages, chalets, flats, caravans, camping and glamping pods, bothies, lodges, shepherds huts, tents, tree houses, yurts or any other short term let property, then fire safety law applies to you.

So you must carry out a fire risk assessment and act on the results.

In the case of electrical equipment you now must ensure equipment is regularly serviced and periodic testing or inspections take place. You should always have done this, but now it is mandatory.

This isn’t just for the electrical appliances, but also includes the mains wiring, emergency lighting system, fire alarms etc.

You also need to keep a record of these inspections and maintenance; although keeping records is a recommendation rather than requirement, best practice would suggest you do this, and a test company should provide this as standard.

For more information see this handy guide on Fire Safety for small paying guest accommodation from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue.

Electrical equipment and wiring are common causes of fire. Therefore, you should take suitable measures to reduce the risk.

You must make sure that your electrical wiring has been checked by a qualified contractor. You must also look out for any signs of damage to cables, cracked or loose sockets. The electrical installation in your premises should be subject to inspection and test at least every five years. Any work on the electrical installation should be carried out only by a competent electrical contractor.

The fuse board and circuit breakers should be in good condition and correctly labelled. Through our partner company we can arrange an electrical inspection for you; this is commonly called an EICR, or Electrical Inspection Certificate Report.

In addition to the wiring, electrical appliances should be checked regularly to ensure that they remain in safe working condition in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions. Plugs should be checked to make sure they are not damaged, not overloaded and have the correct fuse. Washing machines, tumble dryers and other white goods should be kept clean and in good working order. Any lint filters should be cleaned regularly.

Appliances should be registered with the manufacturer and checked against current recall lists.

You should carry out a visual check that all appliances appear to be in good condition between lets. In bed and breakfast and similar accommodation, electrical appliances should be inspected regularly to prevent defaults occurring.

The use of extension cables, trailing leads and adaptors should be avoided wherever practicable. Guidance on electrical safety, including FAQs on maintaining electrical appliances, is available at www.hse.gov.uk/electricity.

This guide to making your property safe from fire is a very handy reference to help you ensure your property and guests are best protected.