Are wiring regulations different for rented properties?

[NewOrder]

My sister is renting a flat and has lived there for a week. It has had a few problems but the landlords have sorted the issues out. When I first visited the premises I noticed an old 4 way Wylex standard unit with a maximum capacity of 60A through the switch. I thought it was dodgy because it has a circuit braker and three fuses. The circuit braker is 40amp, another fuse is 30amps and the two light circuits are 5 amps. So the fuses can handle more current than the main switch on the unit can - surely that is not legal? I suspect age of the fittings it is a late 13th edition install, I would say circa 1978-1983 and the other fittings in the flat (such as kitchen and door handles) date to the same era.

Anyway on day two my sister noticed a light switch was getting hot, this is something I could fix in seconds at home, I suspected it was just a loose wire causing it to arch and the sparky came round today and confirmed there was a loose wire behind the switch.

However he was deeply concerned that the flat still had a fuse box and it had no RCD etc. He went off on one saying it was not to regulations and it needs changing instantly.

Now our house has a similar Wylex unit, but 6 way, again no RCD protection. In a private home it is perfectly legal and deemed safe, so why was the spark so quick to condemn this poor old Wylex unit?

Do traditional Wylex style fuse boxes now mean an automatic electrical safety inspection fail?

He has also demanded that the bathroom light fitting is replaced, because it is just standard lamp holder with no water proof protection, again if this was legal in 13th edition wires does it automatically fail an inspection?

So my question is, if you're renting out a property do the electrics have to meet newer standards than in a private property?

 

[JohnD]

no.

 

[westie101]

So my question is, if you're renting out a property do the electrics have to meet newer standards than in a private property?

Basically no but I think the requirement to have the wiring inspected is higher.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Houses of multiple occupancy have specific regulations but an 'ordinary' rented flat is no different than any other dwelling.

 

[NewOrder]

There is ten flats in the building, all with their own consumer unit and meter if that helps?

But other than my question, the fuse box we have at home is the same, only 6 way, would that also fail an inspection? It is from 1980.

 

[EFLImpudence]

There is ten flats in the building, all with their own consumer unit and meter if that helps?

Houses of multiple occupancy are houses with several 'separate' people sharing facilities, e.g. lots of students in one house.

But other than my question, the fuse box we have at home is the same, only 6 way, would that also fail an inspection? It is from 1980.

Not in itself if everything is in order. Landlords have a duty to ensure safety in the electrical installation and with other things provided but noone will be round to check.
If you want peace of mind you could commission a Periodic Inspection Report.

 

[EFLImpudence]

For information now my pc seems to be better -

I thought it was dodgy because it has a circuit braker and three fuses. The circuit braker is 40amp, another fuse is 30amps and the two light circuits are 5 amps. So the fuses can handle more current than the main switch on the unit can - surely that is not legal?

Some of these fuse boxes should not have circuits above 30A. Yours may be alright.
Also, I presume the 30A is for the sockets which will rarely be anywhere near that level and the 40A is for a shower which will only be on occasionally.

However he was deeply concerned that the flat still had a fuse box and it had no RCD etc.

He will be deeply concerned about the majority of houses in the country, then.

He went off on one saying it was not to regulations and it needs changing instantly.

It is not to latest requirements but the regulations are not retrospective.

Now our house has a similar Wylex unit, but 6 way, again no RCD protection. In a private home it is perfectly legal and deemed safe, so why was the spark so quick to condemn this poor old Wylex unit?

Ignorant or touting/conning for work.

Do traditional Wylex style fuse boxes now mean an automatic electrical safety inspection fail?

No.

He has also demanded that the bathroom light fitting is replaced, because it is just standard lamp holder with no water proof protection, again if this was legal in 13th edition wires does it automatically fail an inspection?

If the bulb is more than 2.25metres from the floor or 0.6m from the bath vertically and unlikely to be splashed then it is alright.

So my question is, if you're renting out a property do the electrics have to meet newer standards than in a private property?

No.

 

[NewOrder]

Thanks for your replies just confirm what I had already thought. My sister isn't paying for any of this, and she will get a brand new consumer unit out of it so no harm done really, was just fo my own interest more than anything.

The fuses them selves didn't have the plastic cover over them because the MCB sticks out too much, I guess that may have been what caught his eye.

PS the guy seems to be the landlords official spark (he has several properties) so I can't see he would make work up, I suspect he is just being very strict, and it may even be company (landlords) policy to change old units (maybe they have been burnt in the past).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

PS the guy seems to be the landlords official spark (he has several properties) so I can't see he would make work up

Oh I can.

What I can't see is how he gets away with it, landlords not being naturally inclined to splash out on their properties.

 

[Paul_C]

The circuit braker is 40amp, another fuse is 30amps and the two light circuits are 5 amps. So the fuses can handle more current than the main switch on the unit can - surely that is not legal?

It's permitted due to the expected diversity of load on the circuits. At one time a very common arrangement for a small house was a 4-way board as you describe, fitted with a 30A fuse for the cooker, a 30A for the ring final supplying sockets, a 15A for an immersion heater, and a 5A for all the lights. But the main switch was still rated at 60A.

As noted already, the main thing I would be looking at is whether the board was suitable for the 40A MCB which has been added later. The older Wylex boards were rated for fuses (or circuit breakers) no higher than 30A in any position, but many later ones provided for the position next to the main switch to carry a fuse/MCB up to 45A.

I suspect age of the fittings it is a late 13th edition install, I would say circa 1978-1983 and the other fittings in the flat (such as kitchen and door handles) date to the same era.

The 13th edition was replaced by the 14th in 1966, which was in turn replaced by the 15th edition in 1981.

However he was deeply concerned that the flat still had a fuse box

There seems to have developed an automatic response by some to seeing old fuse boards and condemning them out of hand as needing replacement. While in some cases the many, and often poor, additions and changes which have been made since the original installation might well warrant action, it doesn't automatically make the installation unsatisfactory by itself.

and it had no RCD etc. He went off on one saying it was not to regulations and it needs changing instantly.

And that's another one which seems to have developed in recent years, as if the absence of an RCD means that the place is on the verge of burning down or that people inside are in mortal danger from just plugging in an appliance.

So.....

Do traditional Wylex style fuse boxes now mean an automatic electrical safety inspection fail?

Absolutely not.

So my question is, if you're renting out a property do the electrics have to meet newer standards than in a private property?

As stated already, no.

 

[NewOrder]

I got my editions wrong then, its either going to be a late 14th or an early 15th then. The entire flat smacks of being 1980ish.

Certainly a lot of the fittings are identical to the ones we have, including the Bakelite lamp holders which have a habit of breaking.

This is an early 4 way unit, it is made of plastic but I would doubt it could support a 40amp MCB if this was just a later addition. Either way the MCB is located the furthest away from the switch.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If your sister's landlord is happy to do a CU replacement etc because his electrician condemns rewireable fuseboxes and goes off on one when there's no RCD then let him - I really can't see why you seem so concerned about it.