T E C HN I CAL
Ask the experts
QU E ST I ON
We continue with our series of answers to some of the more frequently asked questions put to our Technical Helpline Q UE STIO N
Can an Electrical Installation Condition Report be used to ‘certify’ newly installed electrical installation work instead of an Electrical Installation Certificate? A N SW E R
No. An EIC and an EICR are designed for two different sets of circumstances: • An EIC is used to demonstrate that a new installation, or additions or alterations to an existing installation, comply with the requirements of the edition of BS 7671 current at the time that the work took place and so is suitable to put into service (see Section 641). • An EICR is used to demonstrate whether (or not) an existing electrical installation remains in a satisfactory condition for continued use (651.1) and, with one notable exception, should only be used for their intended purpose.
Should the absence of smoke alarms in a domestic premises be recorded as an observation and awarded a classification code on an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for a domestic premises?
Q
No. Although the requirements of BS 7671 are applicable to, for example, the installation of cables supplying control panels or linking detectors, the choice and location of fire detectors is outside the scope of BS 7671. Regulation 110.1.3 lists fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings (in indent (v)) as an example where reference must also be made to another British or Harmonised Standard. Best Practice Guide 4 Electrical installation condition reporting: Classification codes for domestic and similar electrical installations, published by Electrical Safety First, advises that the absence of a fire detection and alarm system (smoke/heat/carbon monoxide detectors etc.) is worthy of note but does not warrant a classification code, and suggests that a comment could be recorded in the observations section of the EICR.
A
Exceptionally, and in England only, Approved Document P (ADP) permits the use of an EICR as one way for a registered third-party certifier* or other suitably competent specialist to declare notifiable work* installed by someone who is not a registered competent person* as complying with the requirements of the edition of BS 7671 current at the time the work took place. A Building Control Body* may also accept an EICR to ‘certify’ notifiable work that was not notified at the time of its original installation, as part of their regularisation process to allow the issue of Building Regulations certification. * All items marked with an asterisk are terms defined in ADP. Do you have a technical query? Call our helpline on 0333 015 6628
I have just replaced a consumer unit and added several new circuits to an installation in a property that is rented out to private tenants. I have carried out the necessary inspection and testing on the new work and the existing installation, and issued an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC). The landlord has asked me if this EIC will be acceptable to demonstrate that the whole electrical installation in the property is satisfactory for the purposes of the recently issued Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020? ANSWE R
No. The EIC you have issued can only be used to demonstrate the suitability of the installation work detailed in the ‘Description and extent of the installation’ section of the certificate. Any such declared installation work, if unmodified, will not then require re-inspection for up to five years, or less if a shorter interval before the next inspection was stated on the EIC (see Regulation 3 paragraphs (1)(b) and (2) of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020). Within part 2 of those regulations (Duties of private landlords): • Regulation 3, paragraph (1) requires a private landlord who grants or intends to grant a specified tenancy to have the electrical installation in the residential premises inspected and tested at regular intervals by a qualified person, to determine whether the relevant electrical safety standards given in BS 7671: 2018 are met during any period when the residential premises are occupied under a specified tenancy. • Regulation 3, paragraph (3) requires that, following inspection and testing of an electrical installation in the premises required by paragraph (1) described above, a private landlord must obtain a report from the person conducting the inspection and testing. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has
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