What is an Electrical Safety Certificate, & Do You Need One to Sell Your House?

An electrical safety certificate is a vital asset that helps show a property is electrically safe. Valid for five years, these certificates not only help your home become more marketable but also act as an endorsement that the electrical setup within the home is safe and compliant with relevant legislation.

Often referred to as an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report), it could be a good idea to ensure yours is valid – especially if you are considering a sale or letting your home out.

In this blog, we answer all the common questions about electrical safety certificates so you know how to get one, how much it costs and what you should do if you can’t find one.

Why do I need an electrical safety certificate?

We all know that electricity can pose great risks. From shocks to fires, it causes widespread damage, injury and even death. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the electricity supply in the home works safely and poses minimal risk to those living there.

Having an electrical safety certificate in place means that the household electricity supply has been checked and certified as safe. If any issues are found, the EICR will indicate what they are and have them fixed.

In addition, whilst not a legal requirement for when you sell your house, an electrical safety certificate will give potential buyers added peace of mind that the property is safe and conforms to regulations.

What will the check for the electrical safety certificate include?

When you book an electrician to assess your home and grant the electrical safety certificate, they will check all fixed electrical installations in the property. This means your portable devices, such as a laptops, TVs, games consoles, air fryers etc. are not checked. These are instead tested under the PAT test.

The focus is purely on the items that are fixed permanently. This means that the inspection will include checks on:

• Plug sockets
• The fuse box
• Internal and external wiring
• Light fittings
• Permanently connected equipment such as storage heaters

In some cases, wiring may be quite old, so the electrician will take into account the age and condition of the electrical installation before passing it as safe (or failing it as non-compliant).

What do the results of an electrical safety check mean?

There are three types of results that an electrician can apply to each part of the electricity supply they test. This means that some parts could pass and be deemed safe, whilst others may fail and require immediate work.

Graded from C1 to C3, with C1 being the most hazardous, the electrician must record their findings in the report. Should repairs be required to bring everything up to scratch, the electrician will provide you with a rough outline of cost. Once the works are complete, a certificate deeming the house as safe can be granted.

For a clearer understanding of the grades, we’ve listed them below:

C1: If a C1 grading has been issued on anything that was tested, it means there is a danger that could cause injury. Any C1 means that the home is instantly marked as unsatisfactory and cannot be deemed electrically safe until the problem is fixed. If a C1 fault is found, the electrician MUST make the hazard safe before they leave the property. This means it will not be usable until it is fixed.

C2: A C2 grade means that there is an issue that might be dangerous. Sometimes, it is marked for further investigation, and if this is the case, landlords must act to rectify the fault within 28 days.

C3: A C3 grade means that an improvement would be worthwhile, but it is not essential. It means that there is a fault, but it’s a fault that doesn’t put anyone at substantial risk.

Who can issue an electrical safety certificate?

An electrical safety certificate can only be issued by a certified and competent electrician. They must have at least two years of experience relating to the EICR tests. You should also check that the electrician holds up-to-date qualifications that cover the latest wiring regulations. Furthermore, checking if they are registered with any official bodies will be worthwhile – that way, you can have further confidence that they are fully qualified and suitably experienced.

How much is an electrical safety certificate?

Prices vary and depend upon how many electrical installations have to be checked. Large homes and old properties tend to cost the most to be inspected – the larger homes, simply due to the increased number of areas to be checked, and older homes, largely due to the older and potentially more complex electrical systems in place.

Expect to pay up to £200 for an electrical safety certificate, but it would be wise to collect a few quotes before booking an electrician so you can first compare prices.

Is the electrical safety certificate for landlords different?

No – it is exactly the same, but you have a legal obligation to obtain a new EICR every five years. Without a valid EICR, you could be fined as much as £30,000. This is significantly different from owner occupiers who have no such obligation to fulfil.

Do I need an electrical safety certificate if I am selling my house?

It would be best. As we mentioned earlier, it is not a legal requirement to have an electrical safety certificate when you sell a house, but it will help.

Your potential buyers will have much more confidence in making an offer and buying the house if they know everything is as safe and compliant as possible.

Should you not have an EICR in place, be prepared for a lower offer. The survey may uncover problems you were trying to hide or were unaware of, and the costs of repairing them could be significant. A buyer will deem it unfair that they should pick up the costs for any negligence on your part.

I’ve lost my electrical safety certificate; how can I find it online?

When your certificate is issued, you’ll receive a copy in the post or via email. Occasionally, though, things get lost, deleted or destroyed, meaning that a replacement is needed. When it comes to selling your house, even though there is no legal requirement to have one, it can be beneficial to have an EICR ready to show. Therefore, you might need to source a replacement online.

You can do this by contacting the electrician who conducted the test. They might be able to send you a copy.

Alternatively, find out which body the electrician is registered with. You could contact them to get a copy of the certificate issued.

There is sometimes a small fee to be paid when you need a replacement certificate, so keep this in mind when trying to find yours.

If you have found it hard to sell your house, perhaps due to the lack of an electrical safety certificate, you can always sell with us. At Sell House Fast, we guarantee the sale of your home; in fact, the presence of a certificate makes no difference at all. We’ll make you an offer regardless, and if you accept it, we can complete the process in just seven days . Why not speak to our team today and learn how we buy any house for cash?