Landlords and Letting Agents are being advised to look at the electrical products in their properties after a number of fires have been attributed to white goods. Only last week, Dorset fire and rescue were called to a serious house fire caused by the tumble dryer.
Appliances to look out for are fridge freezers, cookers, tumble dryers and washing machines (existing or recently new)
The warning comes after a continuing spate of safety alerts and product recalls. However, despite this, a large number are not registered with the manufacturer when bought by the landlords (or their agent, if they are buying on their behalf), so cannot be contacted.
The fact is that electricity is a major cause of fires in UK homes, and that includes rental properties. In one recent insurance claim, a landlord suffered over £100,000 worth of damage to his property and loss of rent following a fire from a faulty fridge freezer.
One manufacturer, Beko, has been repeatedly at the centre of stories about domestic fires caused by their appliances, with fire brigade claims that they have caused at least 20 blazes at homes since 2010.
You can find out further information by going to the following sites;
Electrical Safety Council (ESC): www.esc.org.uk/recall. You will need to enter a model number, brand name or description of a particular item. If the product has been recalled, the website will advise on your next steps.
Recall UK is the primary product recall site that lists all UK product recalls, for all product types, announced in the last few weeks: www.recalluk.com/default.aspx
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