You may be able to claim compensation
If faulty or dangerous electrics have not been properly fixed, you may be able to claim repairs and compensation from your council or housing association.
Faulty electrics compensation claims for council and housing association tenants
If you rent from a council or housing association and you are living with faulty wiring, a broken fuse board or sockets, or exposed cables that have not been properly fixed, you may be able to make a faulty electrics compensation claim for repairs and compensation. Here is how to tell what's dangerous right now, what's your landlord's job and what's yours, what a proper electrical safety check involves, and what evidence helps.
Faulty electrics at a glance
Electrics are your landlord's job
Council and housing association landlords must keep the electrical installation in your home in repair and working order: the wiring, consumer unit, sockets and fixed lighting.
Some faults are urgent
Sparks, scorch marks, a burning smell or a tripping circuit that won't reset can be dangerous. Treat these as an emergency, not a routine repair.
Say who is vulnerable
Children, older people and anyone with a health condition or mobility issue are more at risk if electrics fail or catch fire. Tell your landlord in writing.
Warning signs of faulty electrics
Electrical faults don't always look dramatic. These are the signs worth acting on.
Sockets or switches
Hot to the touch, discoloured or scorched faceplates, crackling noises, or a burning smell near a socket.
The fuse board / consumer unit
A circuit breaker (RCD or MCB) that trips repeatedly and won't stay reset, or a burning smell from the cupboard it's in.
Lights and fittings
Flickering lights, bulbs that blow very often, or a buzzing sound from a light fitting or switch.
Wiring and cables
Exposed or frayed wiring, cables that feel warm, or cables run across the floor or under carpets because there aren't enough sockets.
Shocks and tingles
Any tingling sensation from a switch, socket or appliance, even a mild one. Treat this as a warning, not a one-off.
Smell and sound
A burning or "hot plastic" smell, buzzing, crackling, or popping sounds from anywhere in the electrical system.
Is it dangerous right now?
A few signs mean you should treat a fault as an emergency, not a routine repair request.
See sparks, smoke, scorch marks, or smell burning?
Switch off at the consumer unit if you can safely reach it, don't touch the fault or any affected appliance, and call your landlord's emergency repairs line straight away. If you see flames or smoke, get everyone out and call 999.
Treat as an emergency
Sparks, visible flames, smoke, a strong burning smell, a scorched socket or switch, or an electric shock from anything in the home.
Report urgently, but not a 999 emergency
A circuit that keeps tripping, a socket that's warm to the touch, flickering lights across the home, or exposed wiring you can see but isn't sparking.
Routine repair
A single socket that doesn't work, a light fitting that needs a new bulb, or cosmetic damage to a faceplate with no exposed wiring.
Who's responsible: landlord or tenant?
The fixed electrical installation is your landlord's responsibility. Your own plug-in appliances are yours.
| What | What it covers | Who's responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed wiring | Cables built into the walls, floors and ceilings, from the meter to every socket and light fitting | Your landlord |
| Consumer unit / fuse board | The box that distributes power and trips circuit breakers to protect you | Your landlord |
| Sockets and switches | The faceplates and connections fixed to the wall | Your landlord |
| Fixed lighting | Ceiling roses, fitted light fittings and the wiring to them | Your landlord |
| Communal electrics | Shared hallway, stairwell or landing lighting and power in flats | Your landlord, or its managing agent |
| Your own appliances and leads | Items you own: your kettle, television, phone charger, extension leads you've bought | You, as the owner |
| Light bulbs | Replacing a blown bulb in most cases | Usually you, unless it's a fixture only your landlord can safely access |
Types of electrical faults in social housing
What fails, and how urgent it is, varies with the age and condition of the installation.
Consumer unit and fuse board faults
An ageing or damaged consumer unit, missing RCD protection, or circuits that trip and won't reset. Often only found when something else goes wrong.
Exposed or damaged wiring
Cables showing through damaged plaster, chewed by pests, or left exposed after other repair work. More common in older social housing stock.
Faulty or scorched sockets and switches
Loose connections, cracked faceplates, or scorch marks that show a socket has overheated.
Lighting faults
Flickering lights, failed ceiling roses, or fittings that buzz or overheat.
No RCD protection
Older installations may lack residual current devices, which cut power quickly if there's a fault. This is a recognised safety gap, not just an inconvenience.
Communal area electrics
Shared lighting, door entry systems or power in blocks of flats, usually the landlord's or managing agent's responsibility.
Outdated consumer units
Old fuse boxes with rewireable fuses rather than modern circuit breakers can be slower to cut power in a fault.
Damage from damp or leaks
Water getting into sockets, light fittings or the consumer unit from an unrelated leak or damp problem. Report both issues.
Living with faulty electrics?
Find out in minutes if you could claim compensation for faulty or dangerous electrics. It costs you nothing to check.
We are a claims management company, not a law firm. You don't have to use us: you can complain to your landlord, then the relevant ombudsman*.
*England: Housing Ombudsman. Wales: Public Services Ombudsman
The electrical safety check (EICR)
A proper safety check, with the faults it finds actually fixed, is central to a safe home and to a claim.
The Electrical Installation Condition Report
Landlords must have the electrical installation in social housing inspected and tested, and give you the results. This is often called an EICR.
How often
A full inspection and test is generally required at least every 5 years, or sooner if the previous report said so or a new tenancy starts.
Remedial work
Where the report flags a problem, your landlord must get the remedial work done within the timescale the report sets, and give you written confirmation it's been done.
What you can safely check, and what to leave to an electrician
A few things are safe to do yourself. Anything involving wiring, the consumer unit or sockets is not.
You can
Switch off at the consumer unit
If you can safely reach it and a fault is active, isolating the circuit can prevent further damage or risk.
Photograph the fault
A scorch mark, exposed wire or tripped switch, with a date, helps your landlord and your evidence.
Report it straight away
Use the emergency repairs line for anything urgent, and follow up in writing with a photo if you can.
Keep unaffected rooms in use safely
If the fault is isolated to one circuit, other parts of the home may still be safe to use as normal. If in doubt, ask.
Keep a note of every report
The date, who you spoke to, what was said and any reference number.
Do not
Don't open the consumer unit or touch wiring
Leave the inside of the fuse board, fixed wiring and anything behind a faceplate to a qualified, registered electrician.
Don't use an unqualified tradesperson
Electrical work in your home should be done by someone registered with a recognised competent person scheme.
Don't ignore a tripping circuit
A circuit that trips repeatedly is telling you something is wrong. Report it rather than just resetting it each time.
Don't keep using a scorched socket or switch
Stop using it and unplug anything connected to it until it's checked.
Don't pay for electrical work without telling your landlord
If you must in a genuine emergency, tell them straight away and keep the invoice.
The impact of faulty electrics
Faulty electrics are not just an inconvenience. They affect safety, money and day-to-day life.
Fire risk
Faulty electrics are a leading cause of accidental house fires. A fault that isn't fixed properly can get worse, not better.
Shock risk
Even a mild tingle from a switch or socket is a sign something is wrong, and repeated exposure is dangerous.
Disruption
Losing power to part or all of your home affects cooking, heating, charging essential equipment and simply living normally.
Extra costs
Replacing damaged appliances, buying extension leads as a stopgap, or an electrician's call-out if you've had to arrange one yourself.
Stress and anxiety
Living with a safety risk you can't fix yourself, especially with children in the home, takes a toll.
Knock-on damage
A scorched socket or overheating cable can damage the wall around it, plug sockets, or anything plugged in at the time.
What your landlord must do
These duties apply to your tenancy automatically, and your landlord can't contract out of them.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
Section 11 requires your landlord to keep the installations for the supply of electricity in repair and proper working order, including wiring, the consumer unit and fixed sockets.
Read the guideElectrical Safety Standards
Regulations require landlords to have the electrical installation inspected and tested at least every 5 years, by a qualified person, and to act on anything it flags.
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Your home must be fit to live in. A home with a serious electrical hazard may not be.
Read the guideAwaab's Law (England)
Electrical safety is due to be brought into Awaab's Law's strict time limits from Phase 2, alongside excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions, and hygiene.
Read the guideWhat a proper fix looks like
- Uses a qualified, registered electrician
- Fixes the underlying fault, not just the symptom
- Gives you written confirmation the work is complete
- Updates the electrical safety record for your home
Faulty electrics in a council house or housing association home: claiming compensation
Council and housing association landlords owe the same core repair duties. The complaints route differs slightly depending on who your landlord is.
Faulty electrics in a council house: claiming from your council
If you rent from your council, or from an organisation it has set up to manage its homes, that landlord owes the repair duties above. Follow its complaints process first, then take it to the relevant ombudsman*. Communal electrics in blocks usually remain your landlord's responsibility, even if a managing agent or contractor runs the system.
Faulty electrics in a housing association home: claiming from your housing association
Housing association tenants have the same core repair rights, whether the landlord is a large national association or a small local one. Complain to your housing association first, then take it to the relevant ombudsman*.
Not sure who your landlord is? We can help check.
*England: Housing Ombudsman. Wales: Public Services Ombudsman
Evidence you need for a faulty electrics claim
- Photos of the fault: scorch marks, exposed wiring, cracked faceplates, a tripped switch
- A fault diary: each date the problem occurred, what happened and what you did
- Every report: emails, portal messages, call dates and reference numbers
- Electrician or engineer visit notes, job tickets and any missed appointments, theirs and yours
- A copy of the latest EICR and any record of remedial work
- Receipts for any extra costs: damaged appliances, extension leads, an electrician you had to call yourself
- Photos or video of a tripping circuit or flickering lights, where you can safely capture them
- GP letters and details of anyone vulnerable in the household, if health has been affected
A fault diary, set out simply
| Date | What happened | Reported and reply |
|---|---|---|
| [date] | Socket sparked | Called [time], ref [number] |
| [date] | Circuit tripping | Emailed; told electrician due [date] |
| [date] | Electrician visited | Fault found, part ordered |
An example layout. Keep it up to date every time something happens.
Faulty electrics compensation: what could a claim include?
There are no fixed amounts. They depend on the factors below, and there are no guarantees.
Repairs, made safe
The fault properly fixed by a qualified electrician, and the electrical safety record updated.
Faulty electrics compensation
For the disruption, inconvenience and any worry caused by living with a dangerous or unresolved fault.
Extra costs
Provable extra costs, such as a damaged appliance or an electrician you had to call yourself.
Health impact
Any effect on your health, including the stress of living with a safety risk.
How much compensation could I receive?
There is no set figure. What a claim could be worth depends on the facts. These are the things that usually matter:
- How long the fault went on for
- How dangerous the fault was, and whether it was ever treated as an emergency
- Whether it affected the whole home or one circuit
- Who lives there: children, older people, health conditions
- How your landlord responded, including any temporary fix
- Your evidence, and any extra costs
Your solicitor can explain what your circumstances may support once your case has been assessed.
How to make a faulty electrics compensation claim
- 1
Make it safe, then report it
Isolate the circuit if you safely can, and use the emergency repairs line for anything dangerous. Follow up in writing with photos.
- 2
Keep a fault diary
Note each date the problem occurred, what happened, and every call, visit and reply.
- 3
Make a formal complaint
If it is not fixed in a reasonable time, use your landlord's complaints process.
- 4
Go to the relevant ombudsman*
It is free. If your landlord has not resolved the complaint, you can take it further.
- 5
Find out whether you could make a claim
You are not required to use us, but a free check takes a few minutes.
*England: Housing Ombudsman. Wales: Public Services Ombudsman
Living with faulty electrics?
Find out in minutes if you could claim compensation for faulty or dangerous electrics. It costs you nothing to check.
We are a claims management company, not a law firm. You don't have to use us: you can complain to your landlord, then the relevant ombudsman*.
*England: Housing Ombudsman. Wales: Public Services Ombudsman
Who can make a claim?
You may be able to claim if:
- You rent your home from a council or housing association
- You've reported the problem and they've had a fair chance to fix it
- It has affected your health, safety or quality of life
- The problems are ongoing, or repairs came too late
You may not be able to claim if:
- You own your home, even part of it (such as shared ownership)
- You rent from a private landlord as your repair rights may be different
- You haven't reported the problem to your landlord yet
- You have moved out of the affected property
Not sure who your landlord is? We can help check.
How it works
Tell us what's wrong
Answer a few quick questions about your home and what you've already reported.
What evidence helps your claimWe review your details
We review what you tell us to see if a solicitor may be able to help.
A solicitor takes over
If it looks suitable, we refer you to a specialist solicitor, who explains what happens next.
If your case is referred to a solicitor, we receive a referral fee from them. This is not charged to you.
Faulty electrics: common questions
Related
Other types of disrepair
Damp and mouldLeaking roofHeating and hot waterLeaks and water damageFaulty electricsStructural problemsPests and infestationsBroken windows, doors or locks
Guides
Electrical safety: your rightsAwaab's Law (England)Housing disrepair in WalesLandlord responsibilitiesWhat evidence do you need?Step-by-step claims checklist
About this guide
Last reviewed: 15 October 2026
Sources: UK Parliament written statement on Awaab's Law, 13 July 2026Housing Health and Safety Rating System operating guidanceHousing Ombudsman guidance
This is general information, not legal advice.
Ready to check if you could claim?
It takes a few minutes and costs nothing to find out.
Remember
You don't have to use a claims management company. There is no guarantee that using a claims management company will make your claim quicker or get you a better outcome. You can complain to your landlord, then the relevant ombudsman*, for free.
*England: Housing Ombudsman. Wales: Public Services Ombudsman