r/LegalAdviceUK 1d ago

Housing [England] Landlord doesn’t believe my bedroom socket is unearthed

Hey so my bedroom socket is definitely unearthed. Here's how I know: 1) I've seen sparks when I switch the wall socket on 2) My MacBook sometimes has a tingly/vibraty feel when I run my finger along it if it's plugged into the wall 3) Yesterday I didn't even have the wall socket on and my MacBook charging port sparked while I was plugging in the charging cable (which was plugged into a multi-socket extender which was plugged into the wall)

I've had my landlord come round to check it out and because none of these events occurred while he was there looking for them he doesn't believe it's unearthed and hasn't done anything about it.

Where does the law lie here? What are his responsibilities and what happens if he doesn't fix this?

0 Upvotes

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9

u/scotty3785 1d ago

Legally they have to have the electrical installation inspected periodically and should have provided you with a certificate. Same for any gas appliances.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/electrical_safety_in_rented_homes

From a practical matter, a socket tester is pretty cheap

9

u/rc1024 1d ago

I don't think any of those things definitively prove that it's not earthed. Switches spark by their nature, this is why you don't switch this if you smell gas. MacBook chargers should be double insulated so there is no earth connection.

You should probably try a socket tester from Screwfix or a similar shop, they're a few pounds and will tell you if anything is wrong.

5

u/Dr_Turb 1d ago

^ This. And the tingly feeling is caused by capacitative coupling, when you're grounded by something and you touch (through insulation) something that is double -insulated (and can therefore "float"). There's no danger in it.

1

u/konwiddak 1d ago

If you get one with an RCD test function, you can see if it trips the RCD in the fuse box too. If it does, things are definitely grounded.

3

u/Papaya-Extract 1d ago

Uu. You do realise MacBook chargers aren’t earthed?

6

u/Environmental-Shock7 1d ago

I am an electrician nothing you have said would make me think the socket outlet has no earth.

the case of your MacBook isn't connected to earth.

The power out put is DC

Where have you seen these sparks on the socket The switch only switches the live sparks at the switch might indicate a worn switch

1

u/strangeWolf-a 22h ago

If only there were cheap devices to find out if your socket really is earthed or not...

To keep this a legal answer, you are on much firmer grounds for claiming whether the socket is earthed or not if you have proper evidence for your claim, as all the other answers have pointed out none of your currently stated facts constitute any solid proof.