Tenant / electrics question

clairet707

The tenants moved into our property at the beginning of September, my husband has just had a phone call from the female tenant to say that her partner has been drilling a hole into the wall to put up a shelf (without our permission) and has managed to drill through an electric cable and cut the power to the house.

Are we responsible for getting the electrics back on or are they as they caused the incident?

He is bloody lucky he didnt get electrocuted but we're also a bit confused how he has done it as that wall is breeze block and the wire is the other side of the block in the garage - that must be one long drill bit...

G_M

You need to get it fixed (maintain the electrics).

But you then send them the bill.

I would
a) phone to discuss, and tell them you are sending an electrician round on Monday, but that it will be at their cost. Enphasis that they should not attempt to fix it themselves in the meantime

b) write (yup, a letter) confirming that you will be fixing both the electrics, and any damage to the wall (you could offer to put up the shelf properly at same time if you feel inclined to help them out)

c) arrange electrician, and odd-job-man to fix wall/shelf

d) send bills for both contractors to them

clairet707

Thanks G_M,

G_M

Presumably if this was a cable in the wall, it is the lights circuit, either upstairs or downstairs, that has the problem?

So the electrics to the sockets, the cooker, the central heating etc sould still be working.

If the power to the entire house is off, it should be possible, and safe (note - I am not an electrician), to cut off the relevant lighting circuit at the fuse box/consumer unit, and re-set the main fuse so the other electrics work.

If you live nearby, you might want to go round today and do that, pending the sparkie attending early next week.

[Deleted User]

Or they could fix the wall themselves, but this depends on their DIY skills. Its something that's second nature to me but having seen wall filling in several houses by tenants, its definitely not a guarantee that other people can handle this lol.

I have put shelves up in houses, but on the private understanding that I will remove and fill holes/repaint on vacating to return wall to original condition.

Having said all this, my now ex did drill a wall in a hole in a council house I lived in. Somehow he ignored a light switch being directly in line with his hole and went straight through an electric cable (the shelf didn't have to be where he drilled the hole and unfortunately I didn't specify. We were allowed to repair it ourselves and just have it inspected by an electrician before filling the hole. After that my ex didn't use the drill again without me making an x to mark the spot and hovering nervously around him lol. I tended to prefer to do such things myself lol. Carelessness and DIY should not go together lolol.

Pixie5740

I wouldn't let some chump that's just drilled through an electric cable attempt any further DIY.

Get it fixed and send them the bill.

clairet707

When I said are they responsible I didnt mean them actually fixing it themselves - but them paying for it... Sorry wasnt very clear.

Unfortuntely we are about 5 hours away so cant go round to check, my husband is ringing a few electricians now

Thanks all

G_M

clairet707 wrote: »

Unfortuntely we are about 5 hours away so cant go round to check, my husband is ringing a few electricians now

Thanks all

How have you left it with them on the phone?

* are they aware you will be billing?
* do they have power elsewhere in the house?
* do they know how to restore the electrics elsewhere via Consumer Unit?
* do they realise an eletrician on a Sunday will cost them more than an electrician tomorrow?
* do they give the impression they accept the cost, or will argue?

jjlandlord

If they drilled through one cable, then one circuit should no longer work but they should be able to safely turn the electricity back on to all the others.

AdrianC

jjlandlord wrote: »

If they drilled through one cable, then one circuit should no longer work but they should be able to safely turn the electricity back on to all the others.

If it's one leg of a ring, then the circuit would still work, with both ends live...

At least if the cable is surface-mounted in the garage, it's not going to be a big fix.

clairet707

They know they are paying, apparently they have an electrician going round tomorrow...

Not sure what their plan is for tonight (with clocks change its going to be dark by 5). My husband has been speaking to them (he tends to do most of the managing) - sorry for only giving partial information, sometimes getting info out of my husband is like getting blood out of a stone. Will update further as and when I can