Table of Contents
When you plan on putting your house on the market, you make sure that it is in perfect condition. This includes all the things that add to the kerb appeal of your property that range from the way it is constructed to how safe the electrical installations are.
When it comes to the safety of the house electrics, it is something that must never be overlooked. Faulty electric installations don’t just pose a serious risk to both life and property, but also add to non-compliance and added costs.
One way to check how safe the house electrics are is to have a certified electrician run periodic electrical inspections to rule out any faults or deterioration.
They don’t just help identify issues that might be of concern, but also recommend remedial work and relevant action to be taken to rectify it.
It is recommended under the wiring regulations BS 7671 that a domestic property must be regularly inspected and tested after an electrical installation every 5 to 10 years or if the property is being sold.
Although homeowners aren’t bound by the law to have the inspection done prior to selling their house, it is recommended to avoid any delays in the conveyancing process.
At the end of the inspection, the owners are given proof of the electrical inspection and a summary of the health condition of the installations in the form of an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC).
The certificate must be kept safe since it demonstrates the work you had done and helps streamline and speed up the process in the future.
What if you don’t have an EIC when selling your home? What would you need to do then?
Read on to find out all about electrical installation certificates, why they are important, and what to do if you don’t have one while selling your home:
An electrical installation certificate is a compliance document that is completed by a certified electrician at the end of an inspection.
An electrical inspection generally takes around 2 to 4 hours to complete, depending on the size of the house and the number of appliances to be tested.
You might have to give the electrician access to your property to assess it carefully before quoting a price and beginning work.
They may ask you a few questions regarding the current installations and previous inspections such as any previous documentation, date of the last inspection, and the number of appliances that have been PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) tested.
Portable appliance testing tests items that are not part of the fixed wiring and do not fall under the electrical testing of the premises. It is recommended that these items are tested between 3 to 12 months depending on the type and use of the appliance.
There are different types of electrical certifications and the type you receive for your home depends on the type and extent of the inspection being carried out.
The inspections may be carried out for new installations – where the installations are new or if the property has undergone a complete rewire, for alterations – where one or more existing circuits have been modified or if equipment such as the consumer unit has been replaced, or for additions – where an existing installation has been modified by adding one or more new circuits.
Depending on the type of inspection, you can receive one of the following certifications/reports:
An EIC is required for all major installations including new consumer units and circuits, and additional sockets, switches, and light fixtures in special areas of the property such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Similar to an EIC, this certificate is used when the installations are minor and in non-special areas of the property such as for light fittings and socket installations.
Previously called a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR), an EICR is a detailed report that identifies any damage, defect, or deterioration that may turn into a potential hazard. It also records several observations in line with the BS 7671:2018 wiring regulations along with providing recommendations for improving the installations.
Once the EICR check is completed, a certificate of the electrical installation is provided, classifying the condition of the installation into three codes – Code C1, C2, and C3, with C1 indicating the highest level of danger with the current installations and C3 indicating the lowest.
As mentioned above, an EIC is not a legal requirement when selling your house, although it can increase the value of the property, speed up the process, and give the buyer peace of mind knowing that the electrics are in a favourable condition.
Regardless, all homeowners must complete their electrical work to a safe standard as a requirement of Part P of the Building Regulations which ensures that all electrical work meets the set standard and gives room for safe maintenance and future alterations.
An EIC is not needed for basic issues like fixing a tripped fuse and is only required by local authorities and buyers if:
30 days after the electrical inspection is completed, an EIC should be filed with the local authority, which means that you can view it online if you don’t have a physical copy of it.
Electrical inspections that do not produce a report or certification are likely to be in breach of local regulations and you may be required to get the work redone.
The absence of an EIC can be of concern for potential buyers because, as the new owner of the property, they would inherit all the issues and obligations related to the electrical installations of the house.
Since not having an EIC also means that there is no guarantee about the house electrics being safe, it can be difficult to sell the property and get many interested buyers.
If you wish to sell your house but do not possess the relevant documentation to prove the good health of your property’s electrical system, don’t worry because there is a solution. Here’s what you can do:
If you had a certified electrician carry out an inspection of your house electrics and are unable to track down the EIC, or you think the electrician never provided you with one, the first thing you should do is contact the electrician.
They might be able to fill out the EIC for the work done or, if that isn’t possible, redo the inspection and give you a new EIC for it.
An EICR is not a substitute for an EIC but if you can’t reach your electrician, or they cannot issue an EIC for some reason, you can get a certified electrician to carry out an EICR instead.
EICRs also provide evidence that the electrical work is compliant with the current regulations and should be enough to reassure potential buyers, their solicitors, and the local authorities.
Redoing an EIC or getting an EICR might be a lengthy process and, if you have already found a buyer and need a quick solution, an indemnity policy is the way to go.
It gives the buyer protection from any costs that may arise due to the absence of an EIC. It will not, however, check or testify for the safety of the electrical installations on the property.
HOW MUCH DOES AN EIC COST?
The cost of acquiring an EIC for your home ranges between £80 to £150 for an average-sized home. It varies depending on the size of the property and complexity of the job with an EIC for a:
The benefits of an electrical installation certificate include:
The biggest benefit of having your house electrics periodically tested is the protection against injuries, accidents, and fires.
If the installations are not at par with safety standards, they can cause loose wires, electric shocks, power surges, overloading, overheating, and short-circuits. An EIC will make sure all the different wiring points are checked for such faults and the necessary remedial action is taken.
It is recommended by the UK wiring regulations BS 7671 that you get your electrical installations tested every couple of years to ensure your house is safe from the risks associated with faulty wiring.
Knowing that your property is low-risk also helps make claims with your insurance provider in the event of a mishap and may result in lower premiums. Some insurance providers specifically ask for your EIC before deciding if you are liable for a claim or not.
A detailed inspection of the electrical system will be able to identify faults, such as overloaded circuits or equipment overheating, that might be costing you huge amounts of money in wasted energy, much more than what you are consuming.
It will also help with two other major faults, power surges and outages, that cause long-term damage to expensive equipment such as computers, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. It can cause them to either malfunction or stop working completely. Periodic inspections help keep such issues in check, resulting in substantial savings.
Regular inspections and maintenance checks also help improve efficiency, and in turn, your energy consumption by regulating and monitoring your usage.
By keeping a close eye on the performance of your electrical installations, you will have the ability to foresee and rectify any problem areas and try to reduce your carbon footprint for the benefit of the community as a whole.
Electrical inspections and certifications are a vital part of any installation and must be carried out by a reliable contractor.
Before you hire someone to conduct an electrical inspection on your property, there are a few things you need to understand and consider:
Regardless of when you wish to sell your house, you must ensure that all your electrical installations are thoroughly tested by a certified electrician and all your relevant documents are ready to provide proof of the inspections.
Here is why you must choose Calder Electrical Services:
Contact us here or call us on 0800 612 3001 to talk to our experts and get an EIC for your home ASAP!
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
When you plan on putting your house on the market, you make sure that it is in perfect condition. This includes all the things that add to the kerb appeal of your property that range from the way it is constructed to how safe the electrical installations are.
When it comes to the safety of the house electrics, it is something that must never be overlooked. Faulty electric installations don’t just pose a serious risk to both life and property, but also add to non-compliance and added costs.
One way to check how safe the house electrics are is to have a certified electrician run periodic electrical inspections to rule out any faults or deterioration.
They don’t just help identify issues that might be of concern, but also recommend remedial work and relevant action to be taken to rectify it.
It is recommended under the wiring regulations BS 7671 that a domestic property must be regularly inspected and tested after an electrical installation every 5 to 10 years or if the property is being sold.
Although homeowners aren’t bound by the law to have the inspection done prior to selling their house, it is recommended to avoid any delays in the conveyancing process.
At the end of the inspection, the owners are given proof of the electrical inspection and a summary of the health condition of the installations in the form of an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC).
The certificate must be kept safe since it demonstrates the work you had done and helps streamline and speed up the process in the future.
What if you don’t have an EIC when selling your home? What would you need to do then?
Read on to find out all about electrical installation certificates, why they are important, and what to do if you don’t have one while selling your home:
An electrical installation certificate is a compliance document that is completed by a certified electrician at the end of an inspection.
An electrical inspection generally takes around 2 to 4 hours to complete, depending on the size of the house and the number of appliances to be tested.
You might have to give the electrician access to your property to assess it carefully before quoting a price and beginning work.
They may ask you a few questions regarding the current installations and previous inspections such as any previous documentation, date of the last inspection, and the number of appliances that have been PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) tested.
Portable appliance testing tests items that are not part of the fixed wiring and do not fall under the electrical testing of the premises. It is recommended that these items are tested between 3 to 12 months depending on the type and use of the appliance.
There are different types of electrical certifications and the type you receive for your home depends on the type and extent of the inspection being carried out.
The inspections may be carried out for new installations – where the installations are new or if the property has undergone a complete rewire, for alterations – where one or more existing circuits have been modified or if equipment such as the consumer unit has been replaced, or for additions – where an existing installation has been modified by adding one or more new circuits.
Depending on the type of inspection, you can receive one of the following certifications/reports:
An EIC is required for all major installations including new consumer units and circuits, and additional sockets, switches, and light fixtures in special areas of the property such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Similar to an EIC, this certificate is used when the installations are minor and in non-special areas of the property such as for light fittings and socket installations.
Previously called a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR), an EICR is a detailed report that identifies any damage, defect, or deterioration that may turn into a potential hazard. It also records several observations in line with the BS 7671:2018 wiring regulations along with providing recommendations for improving the installations.
Once the EICR check is completed, a certificate of the electrical installation is provided, classifying the condition of the installation into three codes – Code C1, C2, and C3, with C1 indicating the highest level of danger with the current installations and C3 indicating the lowest.
As mentioned above, an EIC is not a legal requirement when selling your house, although it can increase the value of the property, speed up the process, and give the buyer peace of mind knowing that the electrics are in a favourable condition.
Regardless, all homeowners must complete their electrical work to a safe standard as a requirement of Part P of the Building Regulations which ensures that all electrical work meets the set standard and gives room for safe maintenance and future alterations.
An EIC is not needed for basic issues like fixing a tripped fuse and is only required by local authorities and buyers if:
30 days after the electrical inspection is completed, an EIC should be filed with the local authority, which means that you can view it online if you don’t have a physical copy of it.
Electrical inspections that do not produce a report or certification are likely to be in breach of local regulations and you may be required to get the work redone.
The absence of an EIC can be of concern for potential buyers because, as the new owner of the property, they would inherit all the issues and obligations related to the electrical installations of the house.
Since not having an EIC also means that there is no guarantee about the house electrics being safe, it can be difficult to sell the property and get many interested buyers.
If you wish to sell your house but do not possess the relevant documentation to prove the good health of your property’s electrical system, don’t worry because there is a solution. Here’s what you can do:
If you had a certified electrician carry out an inspection of your house electrics and are unable to track down the EIC, or you think the electrician never provided you with one, the first thing you should do is contact the electrician.
They might be able to fill out the EIC for the work done or, if that isn’t possible, redo the inspection and give you a new EIC for it.
An EICR is not a substitute for an EIC but if you can’t reach your electrician, or they cannot issue an EIC for some reason, you can get a certified electrician to carry out an EICR instead.
EICRs also provide evidence that the electrical work is compliant with the current regulations and should be enough to reassure potential buyers, their solicitors, and the local authorities.
Redoing an EIC or getting an EICR might be a lengthy process and, if you have already found a buyer and need a quick solution, an indemnity policy is the way to go.
It gives the buyer protection from any costs that may arise due to the absence of an EIC. It will not, however, check or testify for the safety of the electrical installations on the property.
HOW MUCH DOES AN EIC COST?
The cost of acquiring an EIC for your home ranges between £80 to £150 for an average-sized home. It varies depending on the size of the property and complexity of the job with an EIC for a:
The benefits of an electrical installation certificate include:
The biggest benefit of having your house electrics periodically tested is the protection against injuries, accidents, and fires.
If the installations are not at par with safety standards, they can cause loose wires, electric shocks, power surges, overloading, overheating, and short-circuits. An EIC will make sure all the different wiring points are checked for such faults and the necessary remedial action is taken.
It is recommended by the UK wiring regulations BS 7671 that you get your electrical installations tested every couple of years to ensure your house is safe from the risks associated with faulty wiring.
Knowing that your property is low-risk also helps make claims with your insurance provider in the event of a mishap and may result in lower premiums. Some insurance providers specifically ask for your EIC before deciding if you are liable for a claim or not.
A detailed inspection of the electrical system will be able to identify faults, such as overloaded circuits or equipment overheating, that might be costing you huge amounts of money in wasted energy, much more than what you are consuming.
It will also help with two other major faults, power surges and outages, that cause long-term damage to expensive equipment such as computers, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. It can cause them to either malfunction or stop working completely. Periodic inspections help keep such issues in check, resulting in substantial savings.
Regular inspections and maintenance checks also help improve efficiency, and in turn, your energy consumption by regulating and monitoring your usage.
By keeping a close eye on the performance of your electrical installations, you will have the ability to foresee and rectify any problem areas and try to reduce your carbon footprint for the benefit of the community as a whole.
Electrical inspections and certifications are a vital part of any installation and must be carried out by a reliable contractor.
Before you hire someone to conduct an electrical inspection on your property, there are a few things you need to understand and consider:
Regardless of when you wish to sell your house, you must ensure that all your electrical installations are thoroughly tested by a certified electrician and all your relevant documents are ready to provide proof of the inspections.
Here is why you must choose Calder Electrical Services:
Contact us here or call us on 0800 612 3001 to talk to our experts and get an EIC for your home ASAP!
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
