Electrical – Are there requirements for periodic inspection of your consumer unit? (UK)

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The house I am in has the sticker I pasted below on the consumer unit.

It "recommends" an inspection 3 years after the prior one. Is this a requirement? Even if it is not required, is it actually a useful recommendation or is it more of a marketing ploy on the part of the electrician?

In certain cases of old or outdated equipment, perhaps a periodic inspection is wise, but I would be very concerned if an electrician knew of a serious problem which required active monitoring but hasn't made efforts to just correct it. (Perhaps there are cases of homeowners who will only pay for the minimum…)

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Thanks

Best Answer

There is not a requirement in owner-occupied single family dwellings to have periodic electrical inspections. There is in some rented homes or houses of multiple occupation (HMO).

Under BS7671 (the IET) Wiring Regulations the electrician is required to recommend an inspection period. I don't know why yours has put 3 years, for dwellings the interval is usually 5 for rented and 10 for owned.

For rented accommodation, the maximum period recommended between the initial inspection (when the installation was first put into service) and the first periodic inspection and test is five years.

NICEIC recommendation

change of occupancy/10 years

Intersafe electrical test providers

Typical workplaces or environments which require 3 or 1 year Fixed Wire Testing include: Spa hotels and leisure centres – 3 years

Intersafe electrical test providers 2

If you have the previous test certificate or can get a copy from the electrician who issued it, there may be an explanation for why a more frequent inspection has been recommended, eg there may have been previous signs of "green goo" in the installation.

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