How to check your home electrics are safe checklist

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Checklists

How to check your home electrics are safe checklist

Checklist provided by 

www.napit.org.uk

The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers

Why we work with NAPIT

 

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Make sure you have a ‘Residual Current Device’ (RCD) on your electrical consumer unit and test it every few months by pressing the ‘test’ button. An RCD is a device that is incorporated into many consumer units and is designed to switch off your electrics when an electrical circuit fault develops in your home.

Are you aware of ‘Part P’ of the Building Regulations? For example, even moving a light fitting in a bathroom requires notification to your Local Authority Building Control department, as do any new electrical circuits or consumer units in a property.
NAPIT highly recommend having an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) carried out on your home at least every 10 years to check everything is safe for your family. If you live in a privately rented property, it is a legal requirement in Scotland and England to have an electrical safety check, in the form of an EICR carried out at least every five years by a qualified and competent person.  
 

When moving home or renting a property, always check it has an up to date EICR to see if any work needs carrying out on the electrics. Any observations with a C1, C2  or F1 code need to be rectified or further investigated.
  If any work is required, always make sure you agree what will be carried out and at what price in contract form. To find a local registered electrician click here.
  Make sure any work carried out in your home has the correct electrical safety reports/certificates supplied, whether to ensure your family's safety or if you are planning to rent or sell your home. Visit NAPIT for more information on electrical safety. 
 

Examples of certificates:

  • If a new circuit has been installed, this requires an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)
  • A new circuit which includes any work wired directly through your fuse box/consumer unit requires a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate (also known as a Part P Certificate)
  • A fuse box/consumer unit which has been replaced requires an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) and a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate (also known as a Part P Certificate)
  • An existing circuit which has been added to or altered in a room containing a bath, shower, swimming pool or sauna heater needs an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) (for alterations only) and in many cases requires a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate
  • An existing circuit, other than above, which has been added to or altered requires a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC).
Check how long any guarantees for work last. For example, if your tradesperson is no longer in business, NAPIT provides a warranty to ensure your installation will comply with the appropriate industry standards for six years from the date of completion for electrical work notified to NAPIT as compliant with the Building Regulations.
Remember if you do need your electrics checking, contact an electrician who is a member of a Competent Person Scheme, such as NAPIT.

 


All our information is brought to you by Kate Faulkner OBE, author of Which? Property books and one of the UK's top property experts.
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