bathroom lightswitch cord dangles in the sink

[lurkerspeaks]

I live in rented accommodation at the moment as I had to move for work.

The bathroom lightswitch broke and has been replaced. I've just got home to find that the electrician who did it has left the pull cord so long that it is actually dangling in the sink.

The switch itself is feet higher (victorian house) on the ceiling but having a fabric cord connected to the lightswitch in the sink doesn't seem v. safe to me... does anyone know what the regulations are for this?

(To avoid drip feeding this is the same electrician who installed a new double dimmer switch in another part of the house two weeks ago and wired it up the 'wrong' way so the near switch operates the distant set of lights and v.v. I've not been happy with his work either for me or on behalf of my landlord as I'm sure the constant repairs we need are due to poor maintenance. I've not renewed my tenancy as I"m so sick of being constantly invaded by tradesmen to fix things. I'm not particularly hard on things - I've barely had to fix anything in my own property despite living there for almost 10 years).

Why don't you just shorten it yourself?

Can you not just take off the end, cut it a bit shorter and put the end back on then?

Just cut it off!!

Have you got a pair of scissors? Shorten it.

Haven't got a clue what the regulations are. If you've not renewed your tenancy, then just tie it up.

It's a 2 minute job and you don't need a specialist to do it. Just cut it shorter yourself.

tie it in a knot.

for gods sakes, just tie a few knots in it...

So cut it dear Liza dear Liza ......

I will do but if it contravenes building regulations I will inform the letting agency of their contractors (once again) shoddy workmanship.

I'm compiling a dossier for the landlord as quite frankly I think they are letting him down massively. He had to evict the last tenants for non payment of rent yet the letting agency have pissed me off so much (I'm a great tenant) that I'm moving out. In addition, the multiple bodge repairs will be costing him massively more than one decent repair.

As I'm also a landlord I see the things more from that point of view and I would be really cross if the letting agency I use were doing the same to my property/ tenants. I'd also be gutted if I lost good quality tenants who take care of the property and pay market rent, on time, due to the letting agencies incompetence.

...and if you think the guy's not qualified, and you're about the be blown up, report the the council.

Why can't I type the word 'to' today? Weird.

to

to

I want to know what the building regulations say. Not what to do with the cord that is too long!

Seriously, would none of you be bothered that a supposed professional electrician (who I assume got paid++) had left a job like this in a dangerous state?

Building regulations?

You are being ridiculously OTT. It's just a light chord that needs cutting. It was probably left like that so you or the landlord can choose how long you want it.

When I had my first property refurbished the light chord was left really long. It meant I could choose my own fancy holder thing to tue on the end and choose where I wanted it.

If one of my tennants complaind about this I would laugh in their faces.

It isnt in a dangerous state. It is not going to conduct electricity, and it is left like that for you to shorten. Stop being so silly and trying to see problems where there are none. You sound like a nightmare tenant to me.

Sorry. I didn't realise the point of employing a tradesman to do maintenance was to leave the tenants with things to do. The landlord lives overseas and won't be cutting the light cord anytime soon.

It isn't this per se that is the problem it is the endless series of crap repair jobs that have been done while we live here.

Building regulations and electricians have nothing to do with the length of the cord. Just cut the damn thing. It's not rocket science, it's not bad workmanship, it's not breaking any rules and it's not dangerous

As word of warning, if you are going to get building regulations involved over the cord that the electrician used, be prepared to be laughed at, a lot.

I can also tell you that in IEE regulations the length of the shower/light cord means fuck all unless it's too short for use or the entire thing isn't wired in properly.

You are making a mountain out of a molehill OP.

I don't regard that as dangerous. The cord doesn't carry any power after all and capillary action isn't anywhere near strong enough to suck the water up several feet of string. All that will happen is that the end will get a bit wet.

At worst it's slap-dash.

I don't know if there are any regulations, but since the point of pull light switches is so you can't be electrocuted if they are soaking wet it won't be dangerous and seems unlikely it will be out of compliance.

Very annoying having a cheapskate landlord and/or a useless agency. We rented a flat once where the landlord came round to inspect some work the agency had overseen (retiling shower) and apologised with a bottle of wine because he thought the work was substandard. It got redone properly. Agency continued to be useless though so we moved on.

The electrician will have left you to cut it to your desired length, and perhaps fit your own finial.

The only tool you will need is a pair of scissors.

"I don't dount you've had other problems but complaining about this is OTT and makes it look like you are just trying to find fault."

^^ This.

Finial? Is that what those things are called?

OP, you realise that the worst that can happen from this is that the end of the chord gets a bot wet right?