Electrical Safety - Electrical Condition Reports (ECR)

An Electrical Condition Report (ECR) inspects the electrical installations within your property. This includes all the fixed wiring, consumer units, fuse boards and all installed circuits such as internal and external lighting, power circuits, heating circuits, cooker circuit and sockets and switches etc.

The report documents the condition of your electrical installations and shows whether it has any damage, extensive wear and tear and ultimately if it is safe to be in use. It does not cover the testing of portable electrical appliances (PAT testing). 

 

Why do you need an ECR?

An electrical condition report is recommended or needed when buying or selling properties, after any property damage (fires, floods, etc) and also if the property is being rented to tenants. They are recommended to be carried out within the property every 5 years and at least a visual check of electrical installations before every new tenancy agreement.

Landlords have a legal duty to ensure their property is safe for their occupants and tenants. All of the electrical installations, appliances and equipment must be deemed safe and useable at the beginning of any new tenancy agreement.

 The Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate is required for:

- Alteration made to an existing circuit (without the change of the protective device) 
- Addition made to an existing circuit (such as a new socket outlet).

A typical use of this certificate would be when a new lighting point is added to an existing circuit. 

It is a legal requirement to complete a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (commonly known as the Minor Works Certificate) after electrical installation work has been carried out on a modified circuit. 

The original document must be given to the "person ordering the work" and a copy should be kept by the electrician who completed the inspection and testing.

 The Electrical Installation Certificate It is the safety Certificate which confirms that the electrical installation work to which it relates has been designed, constructed and tested in accordance with BS 7671 (IEE Wiring Regulations). It is a legal requirement.

It's required for:

- New installations 
- When a new circuit or circuits are installed to an existing installation 
- The changing of a consumer unit (distribution board)
- When a circuit is altered and the alteration requires changing of the protective device. 

After the initial verification, once the full inspection and testing procedure has been carried out, an Electrical Installation Certificate must be completed. This is legally required.

To be valid the Electrical Installation Certificate must be accompanied by a: 
- the Schedule of Inspections 
- the Schedule of Test Results.

The original document must be given to the "person ordering the work" and a copy should be kept by the electrician who completed the inspection and testing.

ADC Electrical can inspect and certify domestic electrical installations. For a free no obligation quotation call ADC on 07919 542629