DS Electrical Installations (SW) Ltd · Bath & Mid Somerset

Holiday-Let Electrical Compliance Checklist

A holiday let is a business, so you have a duty of care to your guests; check what your insurer, mortgage lender and booking platform ask for too. Use this checklist to make sure your property is safe, compliant and covered. We can handle the lot in a single visit.

Electrical safety

• EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report), a current, satisfactory report. The 5-yearly legal requirement applies to tenancies where the property is the tenant’s main home, not to holiday lets, but government fire-safety guidance for paying-guest accommodation says the installation should be inspected and tested at least every five years (sooner if your insurer asks).
• Modern consumer unit with RCD/RCBO protection, circuits protected against electric shock; old rewireable fuse boards should be upgraded.
• PAT testing, portable appliance testing of the electrical items you provide (kettles, toasters, hairdryers, lamps, chargers).
• Outdoor, hot-tub & EV electrics, correctly IP-rated and RCD-protected supplies for hot tubs, garden lighting and any EV charger.
• Clear labelling & accessible isolation, a labelled consumer unit guests and cleaners can find and isolate in an emergency.

Fire & life safety

• Fire risk assessment, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to holiday lets. The "responsible person" must have a fire risk assessment; electrical ignition sources form part of it.
• Smoke alarms, interlinked mains-powered alarms with a tamper-proof battery back-up (Grade D1) in hallways, landings, living rooms and bedrooms, plus a heat alarm in every kitchen (government paying-guest fire guidance), tested and working before each booking.
• Carbon monoxide alarms, in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (wood burner, gas boiler or fire).
• Emergency lighting, for larger properties, unfamiliar layouts, or where your fire risk assessment requires it.

Paperwork to keep

• EICR, alarm and PAT certificates, kept in the property file and available to guests, insurers and your local authority on request.

This checklist is a practical guide, not legal advice, requirements vary by property, local licensing and your insurer. We'll confirm exactly what your holiday let needs on a survey.