Electrical Certificates ? What Is Their Importance?

Posted by Trade Facilities Services on June 15th, 2017

Making sure a home or building is properly maintained involves more than keeping up with cleanliness and cosmetics. The systems that go along with a property must also be adequately maintained to ensure smooth and safe operation. One of the systems property owners need to be especially concerned about is the electrical installation. Since the wiring and components that drive a home or building’s electricity cannot be readily seen, it is incumbent upon property owners to obtain routine electrical certificates. These documents may be required by law, requested by estate agents before they will help lease or sell a property or by insurance companies.

While electrical certificates are important for meeting regulations, their real purpose goes well beyond simply meeting a requirement. To understand why that is, it is helpful to explore what occurs before an electrical certificate is issued. This document is provided by a licensed electrician following a routine electrical installation inspection. During this inspection, an electrician will do such things as:

•    Check all electrical circuits and equipment to make certain potentially dangerous overloading isn’t occurring;
•    Look for any potential fire or shock risks associated with the current electrical installation;
•    Seek out any electrical work that may be defective or faulty;
•    Look for any lack of earthing or bonding that could pose a hazard;
•    Test wiring and other fixed electrical components to ensure safety.
If problems are detected during the inspection process, the electrician will make recommendations for remedying them. Once the inspection is completed, an electrical installation condition report will be issued to the property owner.

Obtaining this document is important not only for complying with regulations or meeting the standards prescribed by insurance companies, but also because:

•    Routine inspections can safeguard people – Electrical installations are not intended to last forever. As time passes, components will degrade. If and when they do, faulty wiring and other components can pose serious hazards for people who live within a home or frequent a commercial property. Identifying problems before a shock or fire occurs, is simply import for ensuring safety.

•    Routine inspections can safeguard property – Faulty electrical installations are the root causes of many fires that damage property, sometimes beyond repair. Routine inspections can enable property owners to identify potential trouble spots so that they may take action before a fire occurs.

•    Routine inspections can lower liability – Electrical installation condition reports serve as proof that property owners have done their part to maintain this critical system properly. Should a problem arise, such as a fire or shock, these reports may serve to help limit liability.

Routine electrical installation inspections are important for more than meeting a regulatory requirement. Making sure an electrical system is inspected and safe can protect people and property both while potentially limiting liability should the unthinkable happen.   

About the Author

I am James Livingstone the owner of Trade Facilities Services, we provide electrical certificates and electrical testing in London, Essex and Kent at reasonable and fair prices. The company is fully insured and all electricians are qualified and are members of either NAPIT or the NICEIC. We believe in publishing the correct information for our consumers to ensure they get value for money.