Electrical safety issues: how to read your inspection report
Understand the findings, safety issues and scope of your electrical inspection, and know what to ask before taking the next step.
Updated on · Metropolitan France
Understanding a safety issue before asking for a quote
Your report contains codes and observations. Start with the findings and their locations. Which equipment or area is affected? The same wording can call for different remedial work in different homes.
The electrical inspection assesses safety risks. It is required, in particular, when selling or letting a home whose electrical installation is over fifteen years old. The report does not certify that the installation meets the standards for a new one.
Read what the inspection could and could not cover
As well as noting the issues found, look for anything the assessor could not check and why. If equipment was inaccessible, the fact that it could not be tested tells you nothing about whether it is safe.
Make two lists: findings you do not understand and items that could not be checked. Ask your assessor to show you where each one is. This will be more useful than asking generally how serious the report is.
Ask an electrician to assess the remedial work
The assessment includes protective devices, earthing and the risks posed by certain equipment or conductors. Missing protection and damaged equipment call for different remedies.
Give the full report to a qualified electrician so they can assess which work is needed and what to prioritise. Ask for a quote that specifies the issues covered. Leave the consumer unit and wiring untouched.
Keep a record of any work carried out
Keep the inspection report, invoices and any paperwork you receive after the work. A repair invoice does not automatically replace the report required for your sale or letting.
The official sources,
explained.
Service Public — What the inspection coversRead the official guidance (opens in a new tab)
What this coversWhat the electrical inspection covers, its limitations and how long the report is valid.
What this coversThe inspection reports you must give to your tenant.
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