Electric Shocks from Unsafe Domestic Wiring (Landlord Liability)

An electric shock at home can be a real shock to the system, especially when it comes from something as routine as plugging in an appliance or switching on a light. In rented properties, landlords are responsible for making sure the wiring is safe and up to standard. When that doesn’t happen, and someone is injured as a result, it’s a breach of duty.

 

At John O’Leary Solicitors LLP, we’ve been supporting individuals and families across Tallaght and Dublin for over 20 years. We know how often these issues are ignored or dismissed until something goes wrong. Our team takes a clear, thorough approach, helping you understand what’s gone wrong, what your rights are, and what can be done about it.

 

If you’ve been injured because of unsafe electric wiring in your rented home, contact John O’Leary Solicitors LLP today to find out where you stand.

How Electrical Shocks Happen in Rented Properties

Electric shocks in domestic settings usually come down to one of two things: poor wiring or improper maintenance. In a rental context, the risks are often hidden—buried behind walls, left unresolved after a quick fix, or ignored by a landlord who doesn’t want the expense of a proper inspection. The result is a hazard that may go unnoticed until someone is injured.

What Causes Shocks Inside Rented Homes

Exposed or deteriorated wiring is a leading cause. When insulation breaks down or cables are stretched too tightly behind sockets or switches, live wires can become accessible through normal use—especially in properties where wiring hasn’t been upgraded in decades.

Improper repairs are also common. In many rental properties, especially those not inspected regularly, landlords may try to patch electrical issues with short-term fixes. This could include loose backboxes, poorly replaced sockets, or overloaded extensions being used in place of permanent wiring.

Moisture intrusion is another key factor. Water near electrics—whether from a leaking roof, rising damp, or an upstairs neighbour’s overflow—can cause current to arc across fittings or make metal surfaces conductive. In properties with single-glazed windows or flat roofs, damp walls and ceilings often hide corroded fittings.

Aging distribution boards (also called fuse boards or consumer units) may trip repeatedly, buzz, or fail entirely. In many older rentals, fuse boards are left unchanged for years, even as appliances and demand increase. Without residual current devices (RCDs), the system may allow shocks to occur without cutting the power.

Where These Hazards Typically Arise

  • Converted or subdivided houses: Bedsits or flats where multiple tenants share power points often see improper rewiring, exposed junction boxes, or DIY alterations to accommodate more plugs.
  • Student housing and short-term lets: These are often handed over without full electrical testing. Tenants may not be told how recently the wiring was inspected—or if it was ever certified.
  • Council-sourced HAP and RAS tenancies: Landlords receiving state support for rent are subject to inspection, but not all meet the standards. A passing inspection does not always mean a system is safe for long-term use.
  • Older apartment buildings: Properties with original wiring may still rely on aged, brittle cabling or obsolete fuse types. These systems may appear functional until something fails under load or damp.

How Shocks Usually Occur

Most shocks happen during routine activity, such as:

  • Plugging in or unplugging an appliance
  • Switching on a light
  • Touching a metal tap or radiator after using a faulty switch
  • Standing barefoot on a damp floor while using a nearby socket
  • Using a washing machine or fridge located near a suspect connection
  • Attempting to reset a fuse board after a trip

In many cases, the tenant doesn’t realise the risk until it’s too late. A mild shock may occur more than once before the system fully fails or the tenant is seriously injured. This is especially true when there’s no RCD protection to shut off power during a fault.

Landlord Duties for Electrical Safety in Irish Rentals

Irish landlords are legally obliged to ensure that electrical systems in rented homes are safe, functional, and maintained throughout the tenancy. This obligation stems from national housing standards and applies regardless of property size, rent level, or tenancy duration. The law doesn’t wait for something to go wrong—it requires landlords to act preventively.

Statutory Requirements Under Irish Law

The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 place specific duties on landlords relating to electrical safety. These include:

  • Ensuring the safe installation of all wiring, sockets, switches, and consumer units
  • Keeping fixed electrical installations in good working order
  • Ensuring all equipment provided with the tenancy (e.g. cookers, fridges) is safe to use
  • Using a registered electrical contractorfor all inspection, installation, and repair work

This applies to:

  • Single-unit rentals (houses, flats, apartments)
  • Subdivided properties or house shares
  • Temporary or periodic tenancies
  • Units supported through the HAP or RAS schemes

Even in cases where the landlord lives on-site, or the arrangement is informal, these standards still apply if rent is being paid.

Inspection and Certification Expectations

There is no legal requirement for landlords to provide tenants with an electrical installation condition report (EICR), but:

  • The wiring and fittings must meet current safety standards (e.g. ETCI rules)
  • Landlords must be in a position to prove compliance if questioned by housing authorities
  • Where grant funding, rent allowance, or council approval is involved, inspections are more likely

If a property is over 25 years old, it is generally expected that the installation will have been reviewed or upgraded in recent years. Outdated fuse boards, wiring insulation, or sockets without proper earthing may fall below acceptable standards.

Maintenance and Response Requirements

The obligation to maintain electrical safety is ongoing. It is not enough to hand over a functioning system at the start of a lease and ignore it thereafter.

Landlords are expected to:

  • Investigate complaints about buzzing, sparking, or tripped fuses
  • Address reports of shocks, overheating, or flickering
  • Repair or replace unsafe fittings using qualified electricians
  • Respond in a timely, documented manner—not just when pressured by inspections

There is no allowance for delay based on cost, access, or scheduling if a potentially unsafe electrical condition is reported. A temporary workaround—such as taping over a socket or suggesting the tenant “stop using it”—does not discharge the duty.

Appliance Safety (Where Supplied)

While tenants are often responsible for their own white goods or lamps, any electrical appliance provided with the property must also meet safety standards. This includes:

  • Cookers and hobs
  • Extractor fans
  • Immersion switches and timers
  • Integrated lighting or heaters
  • Appliances built into kitchen units

If these items are hardwired or pose an electrical hazard, the landlord remains responsible for their safe condition.

Who Must Perform the Work

All electrical work must be carried out by a contractor registered with Safe Electric (RECI). This applies to:

  • Repairs after tenant complaints
  • Rewiring during upgrade works
  • Changes to sockets, lighting points, or fuse boards

Landlords who send unregistered workers or attempt DIY solutions risk both safety breaches and legal exposure. There is no legal or insurance protection for unregulated repairs to fixed wiring.

This duty is not conditional on tenant status, age of the property, or financial hardship. The law expects landlords to actively maintain safe electrical conditions as part of providing habitable accommodation.

Legal Criteria That Determine Whether a Claim Can Proceed

To succeed in a claim for injuries caused by an electric shock in a rented property, the tenant must meet several core legal tests. These tests assess whether the landlord can be held liable for the injury, based on what they knew, what they did (or didn’t do), and how the tenant used the premises at the time of the incident.

Foreseeability and Prior Knowledge

A key part of any landlord liability claim is whether the hazard was foreseeable. This doesn’t require the landlord to have predicted the exact injury—only that they should reasonably have known that the electrics posed a safety risk.

Common indicators that make a hazard foreseeable include:

  • Previous complaints by the tenant about electrical issues
  • Obvious signs of damage such as scorch marks, buzzing, or repeated tripping
  • Old or non-compliant fittings in high-risk areas (e.g. near sinks, in damp rooms)
  • Past inspections noting electrical concerns that were never addressed
  • Complaints from previous tenants recorded by agents or property managers

If a landlord had actual notice (e.g. an email from the tenant) or constructive notice (e.g. signs that any competent landlord would have seen), they are expected to take action. Failing to do so may be considered negligence.

Causation and Medical Confirmation

The law requires a direct link between the electrical fault and the injury sustained. This involves showing that the tenant:

  • Came into contact with a live electrical point or exposed surface
  • Suffered a shock as a result of using the premises normally
  • Sustained an injury that can be medically verified

Typical forms of evidence include:

  • A&E or GP records confirming an electrical injury (e.g. burns, cardiac irregularities, muscle damage)
  • Photographs of the defect (e.g. exposed wiring, melted plastic, faulty appliances)
  • Proof of matching the injury to the contact point (e.g. socket in bedroom, light fitting in bathroom)
  • Any documentation showing a timeline of symptoms after the incident (e.g. fainting, tremors, numbness)

Without a clear causal chain between the defect and the injury, the claim may fail even if the electrics were unsafe in general.

Reasonable Use of the Property by the Tenant

Liability also depends on how the tenant was using the premises at the time. For a claim to proceed, the tenant must have been engaged in a normal and lawful use of the property. For example:

  • Plugging in a kettle or phone charger
  • Switching on a light
  • Resetting a fuse board after a trip
  • Touching a socket or switch with dry hands in an ordinary domestic setting

Claims may be undermined where the tenant was:

  • Tampering with internal wiring
  • Attempting repairs or modifications without permission
  • Using extension leads unsafely (e.g. overloading or daisy chaining)
  • Operating equipment in clear defiance of warnings (e.g. after a visible spark)

That said, most tenants are not trained to identify hidden defects. Reasonable use is judged on what an ordinary person would do in the same situation—not with the benefit of hindsight.

Contributory Conduct and Shared Fault

Even when the landlord is found liable, compensation may be reduced if the tenant’s actions contributed to the outcome. This is known as contributory negligence.

Examples include:

  • Failing to report repeated shocks from the same socket
  • Continuing to use an appliance after noticing sparks, buzzing, or burning smells
  • Ignoring advice to avoid a particular fitting (though this must be documented)
  • Attempting makeshift fixes, such as taping over a socket or twisting exposed wires

Where contributory negligence applies, the tenant may still receive compensation—but the amount is reduced by a percentage, often between 20% and 50%, depending on the facts.

The strength of a claim relies on being able to show that the landlord had a duty, failed to act, and that the tenant was injured while using the property in a reasonable way.

Steps to Take After an Electric Shock in a Rental Property

If you’ve suffered an electric shock in a rented home, what you do next can determine whether your claim is viable. Evidence can disappear quickly—especially once the landlord is alerted—so it’s essential to act fast and with precision.

1. Seek Immediate Medical Attention

Go to your GP, an out-of-hours clinic, or the emergency department, regardless of how mild the shock seemed.

Ask for:

  • A written diagnosis confirming electric shock
  • Discharge summaries if you attended hospital
  • Copies of ECG, burn assessments, or follow-up referrals
  • Any short-term treatment prescriptions or physical therapy recommendations

Medical confirmation is a legal anchor for the claim. Without it, it’s difficult to prove that a real injury occurred.

2. Document the Electrical Hazard Before It’s Altered

If it’s safe to do so, take clear photos of:

  • The defective socket, switch, or electrical fitting
  • Any exposed wires, burn marks, melting, or blackened surfaces
  • Water damage near electrical points
  • Your injury, if visible (e.g. burns, redness, swelling)
  • The wider room layout, to prove location and normal use

Use timestamps and include identifiable background details (a fixed appliance, a window, a wall feature) that help confirm the setting. If you’re unable to take photos yourself, ask someone to do so immediately—ideally before the landlord has a chance to make repairs.

3. Notify the Landlord in Writing

Contact the landlord or letting agent as soon as possible by email, text, or recorded post. Include:

  • A description of what happened and where
  • A brief outline of your injury and the medical attention you received
  • Photographs of the socket or hazard
  • A request for urgent professional inspection by a registered electrician

Avoid vague verbal reports. A written complaint creates a paper trail that proves the landlord was made aware of the issue.

4. Report to Authorities If There’s No Response

If the landlord ignores your written complaint, escalate the matter by:

  • Reporting to your local authority’s housing standards section (especially for HAP/RAS or multiple occupancy rentals)
  • Filing a formal complaint with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)
  • Retaining any correspondence from the council, inspections officers, or RTB case handlers

This protects your record of reporting and triggers regulatory oversight that may support your claim.

5. Track the Impact of the Injury

Keep a written log of how the shock has affected you:

  • Days off work (attach employer letter or sick cert)
  • Prescription costs or GP fees
  • Reduced use of parts of the home (e.g. avoiding a room with faulty sockets)
  • Replacement of any damaged equipment
  • Symptoms like sleep disruption, muscle tightness, or discomfort using sockets again

These details support a claim for financial loss and show the ongoing effect of the incident, beyond the moment of contact.

Time Limits That Apply to Landlord Electrical Injury Claims

In Ireland, the time limit for bringing a personal injury claim is two years from the date of the incident. That means if you’ve been injured by an electric shock in a rented property, the clock starts ticking on the day it happened—not when it was reported or repaired. This two-year window is a strict legal cut-off. If the claim hasn’t been lodged with the Injuries Resolution Board before it expires, it may be barred entirely, regardless of how strong the case might otherwise be.

There are exceptions, but they’re narrow. For children, the clock doesn’t start until their 18th birthday. In cases involving adults who lack mental capacity, the time limit is paused until capacity is regained. However, these exceptions don’t apply to most tenants, and relying on them without legal advice is risky.

Even when time technically remains, delay can seriously undermine your claim. Once the landlord is alerted, they may immediately arrange repairs. That means the faulty socket, damaged fuse board, or water-damaged wall that caused the shock might be replaced, repainted, or rewired before an inspection can take place. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to gather the photos, medical records, or witness statements needed to show what actually happened.

Tenants who act promptly are far more likely to preserve strong evidence and secure a fair outcome. If you’ve experienced an electric shock in a rented property and think unsafe wiring was involved, don’t wait to find out where you stand. Speak to a solicitor while the facts are still fresh.

Contact a Solicitor Experienced in Landlord Electrical Negligence Claims

If you’ve suffered an electric shock in a rented property due to unsafe wiring or neglected repairs, John O’Leary Solicitors LLP can help. With over 20 years of experience supporting tenants across Dublin, we offer clear, practical advice. Contact us today to take the next step while the evidence is still recoverable.