Fires caused by faulty electrical supplies have reached a 16-year high in England, prompting calls for landlords to have their wiring regularly inspected.
Analysis of Home Office data by Fusion Electrical shows 2,575 fires were attributed to wiring, cabling, plugs and mains installations in the year to March 2026.
The figure is the highest in the published series and represents a 13% increase over the past five years, equivalent to around seven fires every day.
It comes despite the overall number of fires in England falling by 3.1%, while fires caused by a number of other common household risks have also declined.
ELECTRICAL RISKS
Chip pan fires have fallen 36%, from 1,508 to 964, while fires caused by the misuse of equipment and appliances are down 12% and deliberate fires have fallen 13%.
Fires attributed to faulty appliances have also fallen slightly, by 2%.
James Harrison (main picture, inset), Managing Director at Fusion Electrical, says: “Everything the public has been told to worry about down the years, and as a result we’re more conscious of, is around the stuff we can see – chargers, batteries, air fryers.
“Those figures have barely moved, but the rise of fires based on what you can’t see is startling. Fixed wiring is the only major system in the home that most people will never inspect, never test and never really think about until something goes wrong.
“Maintenance is the core problem here, and it is fixable. An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal check that looks at the wiring itself rather than the appliances plugged into it, and it costs a fraction of what people tend to assume.”
OWNER-OCCUPIER GAP
Private landlords in England are required to have electrical installations inspected and tested at least every five years, with electrical safety requirements subsequently extended to the social rented sector.
But Fusion Electrical says there is no equivalent requirement covering England’s 16.2 million owner-occupied homes, representing around 65% of the country’s housing stock.
Harrison adds: “The government’s decision to make EICRs compulsory for private and social landlords is of course a welcome move, but that still doesn’t protect almost two thirds of homes in England.
“We often check homes that haven’t had their wiring checked in decades, and it is a real concern. In fact, the rising number of fires being reported by the Home Office tells us that the concern is real. It’s important that people start taking out EICRs every five years and we’d encourage the government to extend the legalities to all homes across the country.
“You wouldn’t drive your car without an MOT and we’re always conscious to get our boiler serviced, so why are we not considering our wiring, which runs through every room of every house?”
