In an open letter to Margaret Burgess MSP, Minister for Housing and Welfare, 13 organisations - led by the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) and including Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Association of Landlords, Citizens Advice Scotland, NUS Scotland and Crisis - said that more must be done to address the poor conditions and safety hazards experienced by private renters. You can read the letter below, or download a copy.

Dear Ms Burgess

ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR

How we live is changing. The Private Rented Sector (PRS) in Scotland has more than doubled in size over the last decade, with ever more families and vulnerable people renting privately. As a consequence, the PRS will continue to play an important role in meeting housing need. But all too often, private renters face poor conditions and serious safety hazards.

According to government statistics, over two thirds of all accidental fires in Scottish homes (more than 3,000 annually) are caused by electricity. Independent research also suggests that private tenants are more likely to be at risk of electric shock or fire than owner occupiers.i
Whilst we welcome the Scottish Government’s efforts to improve conditions in the sector and drive up standards, more must be done to reduce risks to private renters by putting precautionary measures in place to ensure their safety.

We the undersigned believe that housing standards in the PRS can be improved without placing a significant additional burden on landlords, and that improving electrical safety for tenants should be a core part of any new requirements.

Given that a new Housing Bill is due to be considered in Holyrood before the end of this year, we urge you to seriously consider any future regulation that would further improve the PRS, including:

Mandatory five-yearly safety checks by a competent person of electrical installations and any electrical appliances supplied with lettings
Mandatory provision of RCD protection in all propertiesii

Improving standards will not only benefit tenants but also help landlords keep their properties safe from the risk of fire. Making private renting a better option is crucial to ensuring everyone has a safe, affordable home to live in so we hope that you will seek to introduce these much-needed changes and will await your response with great interest. Yours sincerely Phil Buckle, Director General, Electrical Safety Council
Graeme Brown, Director, Shelter Scotland
Margaret Lynch, CEO, Citizens Advice Scotland
Alan Ferguson, Director, CIH Scotland
Jon Black, Secretary, Edinburgh Private Tenants Action Group
Norman Kerr, Director, Energy Action Scotland
Robert Thomson, Director, Care and Repair Scotland
John Blackwood, Chief Executive, Scottish Association of Landlords
Sarah Speirs, Director, RICS Scotland
Gordon Maloney, President, NUS Scotland
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive, Crisis
Newell McGuiness, Managing Director, SELECT
Paul Richardson, Chair, Home Safety Scotland

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