Electrical Installation Certificates & Minor Works Certificates
The paperwork that should follow electrical work, what each certificate means, and why it is worth keeping somewhere safe.
Electrical work in the UK is designed, installed and tested to the national wiring standard, BS 7671. When the work is finished, the electrician records the results on a standard form. Which form depends on what was done. Getting the right one matters, because buyers' solicitors, letting agents, insurers and building control may all ask to see it later.
The Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)
An EIC is issued for new installations and for work that adds a new circuit or changes an existing one significantly: a rewire, a new consumer unit, a circuit for an electric shower, cooker or EV charger, or the electrics in an extension. It confirms the work was designed, constructed, inspected and tested, and it is signed for each of those stages.
Alongside the declaration, an EIC carries a schedule of inspections, listing what was checked by eye, and a schedule of test results for every circuit: continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation. It also records the supply characteristics, the earthing arrangement and the main bonding.
The Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate
Smaller jobs that don't add a circuit get a Minor Works certificate. Typical examples are adding a socket to an existing ring, extending a lighting circuit to a new fitting or moving a switch. The form is a single page covering the work done, the circuit it was carried out on and the test results for that circuit.
How an EIC differs from an EICR
People often confuse the two. An EIC looks at new work and certifies it at the moment it was installed. An Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR, looks at an installation that already exists and reports on its condition, using codes to flag anything that is dangerous, potentially dangerous or would benefit from improvement. Landlords need EICRs; new work needs an EIC or Minor Works certificate. Our guide to EICRs explains the condition report in more detail.
When we issue each one
For our own work, the certificate follows the job. A consumer unit upgrade, rewire or new circuit gets an EIC. An extra socket or light on an existing circuit gets a Minor Works certificate. A periodic inspection of an installation gets an EICR. We explain on the quote which document you will receive, and we hand it over once testing is complete, in paper or electronic form.
Part P and Building Regulations
Part P is the section of the Building Regulations for England that covers electrical safety in homes. Certain domestic electrical work is notifiable, meaning building control must be told about it. In general terms that includes adding a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit and some work in special locations such as bathrooms.
Notifiable work can be notified in one of two ways: through building control before the work starts, or by an electrician registered with a government-approved competent person scheme, who notifies on the customer's behalf. Either route should result in a Building Regulations compliance certificate in addition to the electrician's own EIC. Our Building Regulations guide explains this in more detail, and gov.uk has the current official guidance. Ask any electrician you are considering how they will handle notification for your job.
Why certificates matter when selling or letting
When a house is sold, the buyer's solicitor usually asks for electrical certificates for any work done during your ownership, especially a rewire, consumer unit change or extension. Missing paperwork can slow the sale or prompt questions about the work. Landlords need an up-to-date EICR for each rental and may be asked for certificates covering newer work too. Keep every certificate with the property documents, and scan a copy.
Checking a certificate you've been given
A complete certificate names the installer and the address, describes the work, is signed and dated, and includes test results for each circuit involved. If a form is blank in places, or there are no test results at all, ask the installer about it. If you are unsure whether old work was certified, an EICR will tell you the condition of the installation as it stands today.
Talk to us
Adtec Electrical Services Ltd is based at Lyford Business Centre near Wantage and has carried out electrical work since 2014. Call 01235 430442, Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm, or use the form to tell us about the job. See the areas we cover.