When I bought my house we had it inspected before buying to highlight faults, so the inspection and testing done by RICS Chartered Surveyor and the report made. This clearly covered more than the electrics, but it did refer to the electrical installation so included a type of electrical installation condition report but not very deep, it was to be frank useless, they missed things and got things wrong, and it cost a lot to rectify faults, but that is beside the point, I have a certificate which is more to the point.
So for rental properties we now have an electrical MOT, which is no bad thing, however unlike a car MOT I can't find a book or guide to say what is pass and what is fail, and who can do the testing, words like competent, mean nothing, as a RICS Chartered Surveyor the guy should not do an electrical report unless competent to do it, in fact no one should charge for work done for which they are no competent to do, in theory passing my radio amateurs exam shows a level of competency, but this is the point there is no magic point where an apprentice becomes a tradesman, it use to take 7 years, and slowly it has been reduced.
So as a landlord what would stop me walking around with a cheap plug in tester and checking each socket works and has right polarity, pressing the RCD test button, writing down the results, signing it and claiming that is an EICR.
OK may be should not say me, as I do have a C&G 2391 and a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, but my point is even passing a science 'O' level could be claimed as training.
I think most use forms based on the IET forms, but based on, not exact copies, some with more and some with less things to test, so for example, if a lump of plastic is found shoved into a socket outlet not to BS 1363, then should we recommend the socket is changed due to contacts possibly stained by using non BS 1363 items in them? (were sold on pretence of stopping children) which I would see as OTT. Or ignoring lighting pre-1966 with no earth even when owners have had 54 years to upgrade it. I note the electrical safety council say if labels used to warn and of course it dates from before 1966 it is still not a unsatisfactory result, so we would need to have each copy of wiring regulations to see if things were permitted when installed.
Which is daft, so we note all not complying with current BS 7671 and give a professional opinion as to if satisfactory using the electrical safety council guidance notes as a bench mark, but it is our opinion not cut and dried like a car MOT.
So big question who can do a report, and what is pass or fail? OK exposed live parts are fail, but BS 7671 uses the IP rating, so 1 mm wire at one newton pressure can't remember the length must not penetrate housing from the top, I have seen 100's of fuse boxes where the cables go in from the top which would fail, but fact that there is nothing above the fuse box so nothing could fall in, means in real terms no danger.
So it is not always blind following regulations, but also some common sense, but law is not always common sense, the finding of non compliant and listing easy, deciding what the law will allow is some thing else.
So for rental properties we now have an electrical MOT, which is no bad thing, however unlike a car MOT I can't find a book or guide to say what is pass and what is fail, and who can do the testing, words like competent, mean nothing, as a RICS Chartered Surveyor the guy should not do an electrical report unless competent to do it, in fact no one should charge for work done for which they are no competent to do, in theory passing my radio amateurs exam shows a level of competency, but this is the point there is no magic point where an apprentice becomes a tradesman, it use to take 7 years, and slowly it has been reduced.
So as a landlord what would stop me walking around with a cheap plug in tester and checking each socket works and has right polarity, pressing the RCD test button, writing down the results, signing it and claiming that is an EICR.
OK may be should not say me, as I do have a C&G 2391 and a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, but my point is even passing a science 'O' level could be claimed as training.
I think most use forms based on the IET forms, but based on, not exact copies, some with more and some with less things to test, so for example, if a lump of plastic is found shoved into a socket outlet not to BS 1363, then should we recommend the socket is changed due to contacts possibly stained by using non BS 1363 items in them? (were sold on pretence of stopping children) which I would see as OTT. Or ignoring lighting pre-1966 with no earth even when owners have had 54 years to upgrade it. I note the electrical safety council say if labels used to warn and of course it dates from before 1966 it is still not a unsatisfactory result, so we would need to have each copy of wiring regulations to see if things were permitted when installed.
Which is daft, so we note all not complying with current BS 7671 and give a professional opinion as to if satisfactory using the electrical safety council guidance notes as a bench mark, but it is our opinion not cut and dried like a car MOT.
So big question who can do a report, and what is pass or fail? OK exposed live parts are fail, but BS 7671 uses the IP rating, so 1 mm wire at one newton pressure can't remember the length must not penetrate housing from the top, I have seen 100's of fuse boxes where the cables go in from the top which would fail, but fact that there is nothing above the fuse box so nothing could fall in, means in real terms no danger.
So it is not always blind following regulations, but also some common sense, but law is not always common sense, the finding of non compliant and listing easy, deciding what the law will allow is some thing else.
