Responding to the Private Tenancies Bill (Northern Ireland) Lesley Rudd, Chief Executive of Electrical Safety First commented: “This new Bill will finally afford tenants in Northern Ireland the same protection from electrical dangers already afforded to those in England and Scotland. The private rental market is now the second largest housing sector in NI and it is right that tenants are adequately protected from dangerous electrics.
The Bill, at present, does not specify the frequency of the proposed electrical safety checks and we would urge the Assembly to ensure these are introduced on a five yearly basis. At present electricity is the primary cause of fires in Northern Ireland’s homes and it is right that more is done to tackle this.”