It seems we can’t get away from faulty appliances and recalls from manufacturers due to faulty goods being sold to the public. Now landlords are being warned to be careful with appliances in their rental properties after a caution was issued following the recent influx of product safety recalls.

The warning has been issued only a few weeks after the Dorset fire and rescue service were called to home after a serious house fire was caused by a faulty tumble dryer.

Beko are one of the manufacturers among many who have issued product safety recalls and we reported only last week of the faulty Bosch dishwasher recalls. The problem with the situation is not only that the faulty goods were allowed to be sold to the public over, in some cases, a number of years, it is that there are thousands of these appliances still unaccounted for due to the public being unaware of the danger or simply complacent about it.

Landlords are being warned to ensure that none of the appliances in their rental properties are unsafe as electricity is one of the major causes of fire in UK homes and in one recent insurance claim, a landlord had over £100,000 worth of damage to his property, not to mention the loss or rental income, after a faulty fridge freezer caused a fire in the property.

However, with product safety recalls having a success rate of only 10-20%, will we see many more such incidents as this caused by faulty equipment which has either been ignored, or is unknown about.

Landlords are being urged to minimise the risks to themselves and their properties and tenants by checking their electrical appliances against recall lists online and also through ensuring that electrical tests are carried out on these appliances by a competent PAT tester.

They are also being encouraged to register any new appliance purchases with the manufacturer of the product to ensure that if there are any issues, manufacturers can easily contact those people on their register.

Lists of recalled products and information about recent recalls can be found on the Electrical Safety Council website and also Recall UK.

Written by Sara Thomson