What Electrical Certificates Do You Need to Sell a House?

There is no requirement to provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report to sell a house, but without the certificate for notifiable electrical work you may find it difficult to sell. Missing paperwork for a recent consumer unit upgrade or a new circuit can make a sale harder. This guide is for England and Wales, as Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, and it explains which documents matter, how to replace lost certificates, and how to handle uncertified work so your sale can move forward.

What the law requires when you sell

When you sell a property in England and Wales, you do not need to provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) in order to sell a property. Your solicitor will tell you what questions the buyer's side asks about electrical work, so answer them accurately.

If work has been done, the buyer and their solicitor will expect to see the correct paperwork. Electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations, which exists to keep people safe from fire and electric shocks. Work that falls under these rules is called notifiable work, and it must be certified to prove it meets the national safety standard.

If you had notifiable work done and cannot produce the certificates, it raises a red flag for the buyer. Without this certification, you may find it difficult to sell the property. The buyer may worry the work was not checked.

Which certificates buyers and solicitors ask for

There are two different types of paperwork that solicitors look for when a house changes hands. The first is the electrical certificate supplied by the electrician who actually did the job, which confirms the wiring was tested and is safe to use. The second is the Building Regulations compliance certificate, which proves the local authority was officially told about the work.

For small jobs, the electrician only needs to issue a Minor Electrical Installation Work Certificate. For larger jobs, they will issue an Electrical Installation Certificate. If the job is classed as notifiable, you must also have the Building Regulations compliance certificate alongside it.

This table shows the three main documents you might be asked for, what they show, and who provides them.

A council may call its own record a completion certificate, which is covered below.

Certificates for notifiable work

Not all electrical work needs to be reported to building control. Simple tasks like replacing a broken socket, swapping a light fitting, or moving a switch do not usually require notification. The electrician will simply test their work and give you a Minor Works certificate to show it is safe.

However, the rules are much stricter for major changes that carry a higher risk if they are done badly. According to the Planning Portal, the following electrical jobs are notifiable under the Building Regulations:

• Installing a new consumer unit or fuse box.
• Installing a complete new circuit.

When a registered electrician does notifiable work, they can self-certify it through their government-authorised competent person scheme. They will give you the electrical installation certificate, and you should also receive the Building Regulations compliance certificate. You should keep both of these safe for when the property is sold.

Do you need an electrical installation condition report to sell?

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a detailed inspection of the existing wiring, rather than a certificate for new work. An electrician will test the consumer unit, check the earthing and bonding, and inspect a sample of your sockets and lights. They will then issue a report that highlights any dangers or areas that fall short of current safety standards.

You are not legally forced to commission one of these reports before putting your house on the market. However, having a recent electrical safety report to show the buyer will give them peace of mind that the property they are buying is electrically safe. A recent report gives the buyer something concrete to look at.

Electrical Safety First recommends having a periodic inspection at least every 10 years for an owner-occupied home. If you have lived in the property for longer than a decade and have never had the electrics tested, paying for an inspection before you sell is a sensible step. It also means you find out about any problems, such as a possible cost to rewire a house, before a buyer does.

What to do if you cannot find a certificate

It is very common for homeowners to misplace their electrical paperwork, especially if the work was done several years ago. If your solicitor asks for a certificate you cannot find, your first step is to contact the business that did the work and ask for a copy. A registered electrician should be able to tell you whether they still hold a record of the certificate.

If the electrician is no longer trading or you cannot remember who did the work, replacing the Building Regulations compliance certificate takes a different route. When an electrician notifies a job through a competent person scheme, the details are logged on a central database. Duplicate copies of Building Regulations certificates of compliance can be purchased through that central database.

Once you have this copy, you can hand it to your solicitor. If the work does not appear there, it may have been notified directly to the council or not notified at all.

Getting a copy from the installer or the council

If an electrician is registered with a scheme but refuses to provide the documents you have paid for, you should contact their certification body directly to complain. The certification body is the right place to take the problem. If the work was handled directly by local authority building control rather than a scheme, you will need to ask the council for a copy of the completion certificate.

Councils hold records for the work they have certified, but the process and the charges vary depending on where you live. For example, one council (Barnsley) charges £12.50 for a copy of a lost completion certificate if it holds one on file. It notes that estate agents and solicitors may request it when you sell or re-mortgage, as it confirms no building regulations work remains outstanding.

Charges differ between councils. Another council (Buckinghamshire) charges a non-refundable £40 for a property history search covering the last 15 years, and this fee applies even if nothing is found. It only sends documents to the property owner or their solicitor.

This table shows examples of what different councils might charge to locate or replace your missing paperwork.

These are examples from two councils, so check what your own local authority charges.

If the work was never certified

Sometimes a homeowner discovers that the person who installed their consumer unit or new circuit was not registered and never told building control. If an unregistered person carries out notifiable work, the responsibility for notifying the work falls on the consumer. This puts you in a difficult position when selling, as you cannot legally produce a certificate for work that was hidden from the authorities.

In this situation, you can apply to your local council for a regularisation certificate. Ask the council how it handles work that was done without a certificate. As shown in the table above, one council offers to inspect with a view to eventually issuing a completion certificate, which costs £75.

If the work turns out to be unsafe, putting it right could mean extra cost, such as the cost to replace a consumer unit. Your solicitor can advise whether anything else, such as an indemnity insurance policy, is appropriate for your sale.

Should you get a report before you list?

Deciding whether to pay for a full electrical inspection before putting your house on the market depends on the age and condition of your home. If your property is relatively new, or was fully rewired in the last ten years and you have the original certificates, an additional report may be unnecessary.

If you live in an older property with an outdated fuse board, getting an inspection report can prevent delays later in the process. A buyer may have questions about older electrics, and a recent report can give you something factual to show them.

Always ask your solicitor for advice on what a particular buyer requires, as some buyers are more cautious than others. This site lists local electricians to help you find one, but we do not employ or vet them. If you do hire someone to inspect the property, make sure they are registered with a competent person scheme and have experience in testing and inspection.

Buying a house and what to ask the seller

If you are on the other side of the transaction and are looking to buy a property, you should not assume the electrics are safe just because the house looks tidy. Lots of house buyers believe electrical checks are included in the standard home survey report, but this is not the case. Do not assume the survey has checked the wiring.

You should always ask the seller whether the electrics have been fully checked in the past ten years. If they have, ask to see the Electrical Installation Condition Report and check that it says the installation is satisfactory. If they have recently had a new consumer unit fitted, ask your solicitor to ensure the Building Regulations compliance certificate is included in the paperwork.

If the seller cannot provide any recent certificates, you should arrange your own inspection with a registered electrician before you exchange contracts. It is better to spend a small amount on a test now than to discover you need a full rewire the week after you move in. If the report uncovers dangerous faults, you can use it to negotiate the purchase price to cover the cost of the repairs.

Common questions

Can a house sale fall through over electrical certificates?

A missing certificate may make a sale harder, and what a particular buyer requires is a question for your solicitor. A fresh electrical inspection or a replacement certificate may help to settle the question.

How long does an electrical certificate last?

An Electrical Installation Certificate for new work is a permanent record of the day the job was finished, so it does not officially expire. However, the condition of the wiring can change over time. Electrical Safety First recommends periodic inspection at least every 10 years for an owner-occupied home.

Who pays for an electrical report when buying a house?

There is no strict rule on who pays, so agree it between the parties and ask your solicitor. A seller can arrange an inspection before listing, and a buyer can arrange one with a registered electrician if there is no recent report.

Does indemnity insurance cover electrical safety?

An indemnity insurance policy is an insurance product rather than a safety check, so it does not show that the electrics are safe to use. Ask your solicitor whether one is suitable and what it covers.

What to do next

If you are preparing to sell your house and need to sort out your electrical paperwork, follow these practical steps to get organized. Gathering your documents early will save you time and stress when the solicitor starts asking questions.

• Check your files for any Electrical Installation Certificates or Minor Works certificates you were given when work was done.
• Look for the Building Regulations compliance certificates that match any major work, such as a new consumer unit.
• Contact the original electrician if you need a copy of a test certificate they issued.
• Search the official notification database if you need a duplicate compliance certificate for notifiable work.
• Ask your local council about a regularisation certificate if you discover a previous tradesperson never reported their work.
• Speak to your solicitor if you are missing paperwork, so they can advise you on offering an indemnity policy or arranging a new inspection.

If you decide that getting a fresh inspection report is the best way to reassure buyers and speed up your sale, you will need a registered professional to do the testing. You can use our directory to find an electrician near you who has the right qualifications to inspect your home and issue the correct paperwork. Always ask them to confirm what is included in their quoted price, and check that they will provide a full written report as soon as the testing is finished.