Your questions answered

A periodic inspection is an inspection and associated testing to check whether an electrical installation is in a satisfactory condition for continued service. On completion of the necessary inspection and testing, an Electrical Installation Condition Report will be issued detailing any observed damage, deterioration, defects, dangerous conditions and any non-compliances with the present-day safety standard which might give rise to danger.

It is recommended that periodic inspection and testing is carried out at the following times:

• for tenanted properties, every 5 years or at each change of occupancy, whichever is sooner
• at least every 10 years for an owner-occupied home
• at least every 5 years for a business

The Landlords and Tenant Act 1985 requires landlords of properties with short leases to keep the electrical wiring in repair and in proper working order. We recommend landlords arrange for periodic inspection and testing to be carried out by a registered electrician at the relevant intervals shown above.

Periodic inspection and testing of the electrics should be carried out more frequently on the places and premises listed here:

• 3 years for a caravan
• 1 year for a swimming pool

Periodic inspection and testing should be carried out only by electrically competent persons, such as registered electricians.

The neutral wire is blue.

To find a registered electrician near you, please go to the Find an Electrician section of this website where you will find information specific to your region of the UK.

When an electrical installation is rewired, it is good practice to remove redundant wiring. If this is not possible, any redundant wiring must be permanently disconnected from any electrical supply so that it doesn’t present a risk.

We recommend that you get at least three quotes from different electricians before you go ahead with any major electrical work in your home.  We also advise that you always use a registered electrician as if you’re not happy with their work you can complain to their scheme operator, who will in turn ask them to rectify any mistakes.

There are no set guidelines as to when a property should be rewired. Just because your wiring’s old, it doesn’t mean it’s unsafe.

Many factors can affect the wear and tear of your electrical installation, including the materials used and how your property has been used.

We would advise that a periodic inspection is carried out on owner-occupied properties at least every 10 years and every five years in rented accommodation. The test will certify whether the electrics in a property are safe and tell you if anything needs upgrading.

You should carry out regular checks around the house on the condition of your cables, switches, sockets and other accessories. If you notice anything unusual - for example, burn marks on plugs and sockets, sounds of ‘arcing’ (buzzing or crackling), fuses blowing or circuit-breakers tripping - get a registered electrician to check your electrics as soon as possible.

You should contact either Trading Standards or Citizens Advice to register your concern. 

If you want to forward us supporting documentation and images relating to the product, we can objectively review its safety. Send it to enquiries@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk 

Only use one socket extension lead per socket and never plug an extension lead into another extension lead.

It is bad practice to do this and should never be done as this presents a serious risk that the wall socket could be overloaded. Move the electrical item closer to the wall socket or first extension lead. Use our overload calculator to check if you’re exceed.

There should be a minimum of one smoke alarm per floor with a heat detector in the kitchen. You should fit enough alarms to cover all areas where a fire could start. Make sure they are tested regularly - ideally every week.

Surge protectors (MOVs) in extension leads are generally self-resetting devices.

If the extension lead does not work after a surge event it may be that the protection (fuse) for the MOV has become open circuit.

If the device has a replaceable fuse you can try to change that or change the fuse in the plug. If that does not work we recommend that you replace the extension lead.

It depends on its condition rather than its age, if it has been tested and is in good condition and everything is working effectively there is no requirement to rewire. However, you may wish to consider adding RCDs to enhance the safety of the installation.

A qualified electrician will say if your home needs rewiring and what can be achieved within a specific budget. 

You can find an electrician local to you here.

RCDs can be regularly checked using the test button on the device. If this doesn't work, you should get a registered electrician to investigate. It you may also consider having your installation properly checked. 

Once you've had the electrical installation in your home checked, the electrician will issue an EICR which will:

• Record the results of the inspection and testing to make sure the electrical installation is safe to be used until the next inspection (following any work needed to make it safe).
• Find any damage and wear and tear that might affect safety, and report it.
  
  
• Find any parts of the electrical installation that do not meet the Wiring Regulations, the national standard to which all domestic and industrial wiring must conform.
  
  
• Help find anything in the installation that may cause electric shocks and risk of electrical fire.
  
  
• Provide an important record of the installation at the time of the inspection, and for inspection testing in the future.
  
  You can find an electrician local to you here.

It is likely that you can but this does depend on your electrical installation - a registered electrician will be able to advise you whether it can be done - they will assess the load, circuit type and cable rating. You can find one local to you here.

Private landlords in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are responsible for ensuring that the electrics in communal areas are safe - this can be demonstrated by using a registered electrician to carry out an inspection of the electrics, after which they will issue the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). We recommend that these checks are carried out on a five yearly basis.

You can find a registered electrician local to you here.

If the RCD in your fusebox keeps tripping, there is likely to be a fault that needs investigating - either with a particular appliance or the wiring itself.

You should get a registered electrician to investigate and they will be able to advise you on a solution and carry out any work required. You can find one local to you here.

There is no specific requirement for a distance between electrical outlets and sources of water like kitchen sinks, but we advise that you allow at least 30 cm from water or heat sources, where possible.

We recommend you don't bring home electrical products purchased from outside the UK.

However, an EU conversion plug could make some appliances safe for use in the UK:

• Check if the type of conversion plug is suitable for use with the EU plug.
• Follow manufacturer's instructions when fitting a conversion plug.
• Remember, travel adaptors are not a suitable or safe alternative.
• If the plug is not suitable for conversion, replace the appliance with a UK product.

If your electrical appliance (or its power supply) is “dual voltage rated”, you won't need a voltage converter or transformer.

But, if not, follow this advice: 

• In countries where the voltage is 100-127 volts, a voltage transformer or converter allows your appliance to work safely and properly.
• Both voltage converters and transformers increase the voltage, but some ‘electronic’ appliances (such as game consoles, TV’s, radios, computers) aren’t suitable for use with converters.
• If you are unsure, check with the manufacturer first.

First, you need to find out whether the electrician you used is actually registered. To do this, contact the operator of the scheme they have claimed to be part of, and they will tell you whether this is the case. If they are registered, the scheme operator can guide you through their complaints procedure.

If you find out the electrician misled you and is not registered, you should report this to your local Trading Standards Department as they are breaking the law. We would also recommend that you get an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) carried out on your home; this will assess any work that has been undertaken and will act as sufficient documentation to certify that work. This needs to be carried out by a registered electrician and unfortunately will be an added cost for you.

For privately rented properties, your landlord or letting agent should have given you a copy of an EICR carried out on your rental property, but also kept one for themselves, so you should be able to ask them for a duplicate.

For owner occupied properties, there may be a label in the fuse box / consumer unit that states when the last inspection and test was done.

If there isn't one present we would suggest arranging one with a registered electrician. 

You can find an electrician local to you here.

No, you should ask for a copy of the Electrical Installation Certificate and you should also receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate.

If the person who carried out the installation is registered and still won’t provide one then contact the certification body. If they are not registered then you need to contact building control, as responsibility for notifying the work falls onto the consumer.

To give you the peace of mind that your electrical installation is safe, use a registered electrician to carry out an inspection and test. They will then issue you with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which will either confirm that the installation is safe or highlight any hazards that need to be fixed.

If you live in a privately rented property in England or Scotland, your landlord must have these electrical checks carried out every five years. We recommend that owner-occupiers have them carried out on a ten yearly basis.

Find a registered electrician near you.

When you have the electrical installation in your property tested, the electrician will issue you with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), which will let you know if there are any risks that need to be addressed.

The report has various categories:

Code C1 – Danger present, risk of injury. Immediate remedial action required.

Code C2 – Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required.

Code C3 – Improvement recommended.

Code F1 – Further investigation required

Much like with a car’s MOT, Code C3 is a recommendation only and whilst ideally you should look into following the advice, it is not a requirement.

If, for example, your fusebox does not have RCD protection, it would be recommended that you upgrade your fusebox so that it meets the latest standard, but it is not urgent.

If you want to have the installation in your property checked, we recommend that you use a registered electrician. You can find one in your area here.

You do not need to provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) in order to sell a property, although it will give your buyer peace of mind that the property they are buying is electrically safe.

If you have had any electrical work carried out that is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations (all installation work and anything in a bathroom), then this must either be carried out by a registered electrician, who will issue you with a certificate on completion of the work, or reported to the Local Authority Building Control. Without this certification, you may find it difficult to sell the property.

We recommend that you use a registered electrician for any electrical work in the home. You can find one here.

You have a duty of care to your tenant and must ensure that the installation is safe when they enter the property and is maintained throughout their tenure.

The Landlords and Tenants Act (1985) requires that the electrical installation in a rented property is:

• safe when a tenancy begins and
• maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy.
• We recommend that in order to comply with this Act, you get a registered electrician to carry out an Electrical Condition Report (EICR) on any property you intend to let before getting tenants in. This will certify whether the electrics are safe and tell you if anything needs upgrading.

If you own an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation), you have a legal obligation to have a periodic inspection carried out on your property every five years.

If your property is not an HMO, then you are not legally obliged to get your installation tested on a periodic basis. However, we recommend that you have a full periodic inspection carried out every five years or on change of tenancy – whichever comes first.

Our guidance is based on legal obligations set out in The Landlords and Tenant Act (1985).

As first port of call, contact the Building Control department of your Local Authority; they should be able to advise you of your rights as a tenant.

Citizens Advice may be able to provide you with further help.

There is no legal requirement to replace sockets if they are positioned on skirting boards in an older property but given that the wiring installation is likely to be old, it is advisable to get a registered electrician to carry out an inspection of the electrics. They will issue you with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which will either confirm that the installation is safe or highlight any hazards that need to be addressed.

You can find a registered electrician local to you here.

If you have purchased an electrical product that you believe to be unsafe, you should contact the manufacturer to let them know of your concerns.

If they do not deal with this to your satisfaction, you should report the product to your local Trading Standards Office and they will be able to investigate further.

We recommend that you register all of your electrical appliances so that, in the event of a problem, the manufacturer can contact you to let you know about it. You can find out more here.

We advise against storing a freezer on top of the washing machine.

Aside from the risk of the freezer falling off when the washing machine is on its spin cycle, heat from the washer could also impact on the efficiency and ventilation of the freezer.