Washing machine wired into wall, no isolation switch

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wonder if anyone can help, rented house and the washing machine packed in on Sunday, our landlord got a new one delivered today and while they were installing we realised that the machine is wired into the wall but there appears to be no isolator switch for it( we had to switch it off at mains), is this legal? The landlord may not be aware as he bought from the house from new from the developers

There should be an isolating switch for it somewhere between the cable outlet and the mains. new builds usually put them above worktop but can be below, behind machine (bad idea) in cupboard nearby. not always obvious.

we've looked everywhere, we've identified all the switches we can find(hob, cooker, boiler, cooker hood, extractor fan etc). There doesn't seem to be a switch anywhere that matches.

If you are in the UK, then the way our normal power circuits are wired means that each outlet must be protected with a fuse. This can be done by using a UK plug, which has a fuse and can be pulled out to isolate the appliance, or it can be done with an FCU, which has a fuse in it that can be removed to cut power, and frequently also includes a switch and a flex outlet.

It would be wrong, and very strange, for a competent UK electrician to wire a flex outlet plate with no FCU. There is a way it can be done using a dedicated radial circuit fused at 16A as might be done in some other countries, but it is more work and more costly.

The manufacturer's installation instructions for the appliance would also have said that it must be protected by a DP switch and fuse.

There are a few barmy people who consider switches to be unsightly and like to hide them inside cabinets where they will never be found.

If the flex outlet is accessible, it can easily be changed by an electrician for a switched socket. Or if for some reason you have an aversion to plugs, a switched FCU with flex outlet.

Otherwise a switched FCU must be fitted in the supply to the outlet, which may be more work.

All of my isolation switches are in a cupboard and labelled. Few people have banks of them above the Work tops these days. As for a missing one - ask the landlord?

Have you tried switching off the switches you have found and seeing if one of them is for another appliance and the washing machine? We found two things operated by the same switch in our house.