Review changes since the previous assessment, including extensions, new equipment, altered occupation and different building use. Use that history to identify records and technical checks requiring attention rather than assuming the previous position still applies.
2. Gather the right records
Assemble electrical installation condition reports, documentation for alterations and new work, distribution details and maintenance evidence. Confirm that each record names the correct site and explains which installation or work it covers.
Keep portable-equipment, emergency-lighting and specialist-system documentation separately identifiable. Evidence for one task does not answer every electrical question at a site. Record information gaps and the checks needed to resolve them.
3. Review findings and open actions
Review report conclusions alongside limitations and recommendations. Allocate each repair or further investigation to an owner and connect its instruction to completion evidence. Purchase approval establishes authority to proceed, not proof that the remedial work has happened.
Communicate operating restrictions to affected building users. Require later repair records to reference the original finding, allowing the compliance history to be followed without relying on invoice descriptions to reconstruct events.
4. Check the maintenance arrangements
Confirm how electrical defects and damaged equipment enter the reporting process. Give investigators asset details and prior findings. Base inspection and maintenance scheduling on applicable requirements, use and technical assessment rather than copying one interval across different installations.
The HSE guidance on work-equipment maintenance addresses planning, competence and safe arrangements. Match electrical competence to the particular installation and work being commissioned.
5. Prepare access and shutdowns
Map the equipment, restricted areas and occupied spaces, including the operational effect of supply interruption. Arrange permissions and communication before attendance. Make connected systems and other supplies known to the electrical specialist.
A booking needs an agreed technical scope, accessible records and safe access to the installation. Confirm these requirements as part of preparation rather than treating the calendar appointment as the completed plan.
6. Retain the completion evidence
Check that handover evidence identifies work, results, remaining findings and the condition left. Revise drawings or schedules after installation changes. Record the basis of the next review or inspection and allocate responsibility for arranging it.
Transfer current documents together with outstanding actions when the property or contractor changes. Historic certificates alone do not tell the incoming team which findings remain unresolved.
FAQs
Does this checklist replace an electrical inspection?
No. The checklist supports coordination of evidence and work. A technical inspection or test still needs an appropriate scope and a competent person to perform it.
Is one certificate enough for the whole property?
Only its stated scope can answer that. Separate installations, modifications and specialist systems may have their own documentation and requirements; check coverage rather than counting certificates.
What should we do with an unresolved finding?
Use the technical report to establish the required action and priority, then assign an owner. Retain a direct link between the finding, work instruction and eventual evidence of completion.
Related help
Review EICR coverage and how maintenance frequencies are determined. Relevant routes include Electrical Testing and EICRs, Statutory Maintenance and Compliance Remedial Works.
