If your sockets are sparking or the fuse box keeps tripping and your council or housing association still hasn’t fixed it, you shouldn’t have to live with that risk. Housing Disrepair Solicitors brings electrical hazard claims for London tenants, pushing landlords to make the wiring safe and claiming compensation for the time you were left exposed to it. There’s nothing to pay upfront on eligible claims, which may be handled on a no win, no fee basis, subject to the terms of the agreement.
Burning smell, sparks or an electric shock? If it’s safe, switch off the power at the fuse box and report it to your landlord as an emergency. If there’s fire or smoke, get out and call 999.
Most electrical hazard claims rest on the same three points, so it’s worth checking each one against your situation.
Faults that leave you with no electricity for long periods, or that put your household at risk of a shock or fire, tend to make the strongest claims.
Check If You Can ClaimSome electrical faults are dangerous enough to need fixing the same day, while others are urgent but don’t put you at immediate risk.
If you notice a burning smell or scorch marks around a socket or switch, see sparks, get a shock from a fitting, find water near wiring or light fittings, or lose all power, treat it as an emergency. Switch off at the fuse box if it’s safe to do so, and report it to your landlord straight away.
Sockets that have stopped working, lights that flicker, a fuse box that keeps tripping and no electricity in part of your home all need prompt repair, even when they aren’t dangerous straight away. Faults that keep coming back can point to a deeper problem with the wiring.
A claim aims to make the whole installation safe, rather than swapping one socket while the rest of the wiring stays faulty, and to compensate you for the time your home wasn’t safe.
A claim can push for a qualified electrician to inspect and test the wiring, and for every fault they find to be put right, rather than one part being replaced at a time.
You may be able to claim for the disruption and worry of living with dangerous electrics, rooms without working lights or sockets, or repeated losses of power.
Food spoiled when the fridge or freezer lost power, appliances damaged by an electrical fault and reasonable extra costs can be included where you can show them. A shock, burn or fire injury can form part of the claim as well.
How much a claim is worth depends mainly on how long the fault was left unrepaired and how much danger or disruption it caused your household.
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. That covers the wiring, sockets, switches, light fittings and fuse box, but not appliances you’ve bought yourself.
Under sections 9A–9C, added by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, your home must also be fit to live in, and electrical hazards are one of the risks taken into account.
If you’re a secure council tenant, the Right to Repair scheme sets these deadlines for qualifying repairs costing up to £250:
Housing associations set their own day-to-day repair timescales in their repairs policies.
Since 1 May 2026, electrical safety regulations have applied to all council and housing association tenancies in England. Your landlord must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years and give you a copy of the report.
Any repairs the report identifies must be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. For tenancies that began before 1 December 2025, the first inspection must be done before 1 November 2026.
From 30 November 2026, Awaab’s Law will also require social landlords in England to investigate and make safe significant electrical hazards within fixed deadlines.
In Wales: the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 sets separate repair, fitness and electrical safety duties, and Awaab’s Law does not apply.
Tell us what’s been happening, when it started and what your landlord has said or done about it. We’ll check whether you have a claim, explain the next steps in plain terms and put any costs in writing before anything goes ahead.
Housing Disrepair Solicitors is a trading name of SLS Solicitors Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 813100).
