As a landlord, you have many responsibilities to ensure you provide a safe and comfortable living environment for your tenants. Electrical safety is a significant component of that responsibility, as tenants expect you to make sure the everyday wiring and appliances they use are properly maintained. It is also in the best interest of landlords to stay on top of electrical safety. Not only do electrical house fires cause many injuries and deaths each year, but they also cause significant and expensive property damage.
To protect your tenants and your investment, it’s always best to have a professional perform any electrical work. DIY work is common among small-scale landlords to save as much money as possible. While this is fine for jobs like painting or replacing fixtures like doors and faucets, anything that involves electricity has the potential to cause a lot more damage than a scratched wall or leaky joint. Since electrical appliances can deliver shocks or start fires when malfunctioning, it’s wise to allow a licensed electrician to perform the work.
Having a licensed, professional electrician complete all your electrical projects saves you from being legally liable should a disaster occur. If you were to attempt repairs on your own, any injury or damage incurred from faulty work would fall on you. You would be legally required to pay hospital bills should someone get hurt, and insurance would be less likely to cover broken appliances or replace fire-damaged areas of your home. Though it’s less expensive to do the repairs on your own, paying an electrician is an investment to ensure you have legally done your duty. It is important to protect both residents and property and avoid huge bills down the line.
To further minimize your liability, have your unit’s electrical system and all electrical appliances inspected regularly. Experts recommend doing so every three to five years. It’s a good idea to have the wiring inspected in between tenants as well – so that you can identify any damage and make repairs before the new occupants move in.
There are a few critical criteria to consider when looking for a trustworthy electrician to care for your unit’s electrical needs. First and foremost, they must be fully licensed and insured. This puts the responsibility for damage or injury during the repairs; if they were uninsured, you would be held liable for an injured technician since they were on your property when they got hurt. Full-service electricians are particularly useful for landlords since you can have one person or company familiar with your unit and can help with all aspects of your electrical system. Electricians with extended hours are essential for landlords who do not live close to their rental units, as they can quickly be on call for tenants to contact at night even if they cannot reach you.
Finally, it would be best if you familiarized yourself with our state laws that apply to the responsibilities and obligations of landlords. There are specific laws in place to make sure that you as a landlord are providing safe and habitable conditions for all of your tenants. Know the regulations so that you can best uphold them in your rental units.
Promise Electric is a professional electrical services company in Sarasota, Florida. Our team of master electricians proudly serve both residential and commercial accounts.
