...can any one shed any light on this please " i am about to lease a building and my insurance company wanted to know if the premises has had an electical test apparently this is completed every 5 years "

Morning, From what you say I believe the insurance company is looking for documented proof that the hard electrical wiring of the building has been tested and certified by a competent person/company in the last five years and meets BS7671; 2008 (17th edition IEE Wiring Regulations). Commercial being 5 year, Industrial being 3 years maximum periods between testing. Control of electricity regs HSR 25 reg 29 & 30 refer to proving you have taken adequate steps to ensure electrical safety, regular testing being part of your defence. My info is dated June 2009 so others may be more up to date than me. I can send you the info sheet if you pm me and you know you can download HSR 25 from the HSE website. Hope this helps Take Care

Thank you very much motorhead, Fletcher and Bob for the information... i have the gas and asbetos cert will get on with the electricity now i know what they require.

Any advance on an EPC Certificate also

Chris I think DP was saying he also recommended asking for an EPC certificate and wondering if anyone else had any further suggestions, not asking what an EPC certificate was.... (assuming of course that was what YOU meant by your URL)

Thundercliffe26308, What your insurance company are asking for is a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) on the fixed electrical installation. This is an inspection & basic test only on the accessible parts of the fixed wiring, if you were closer, and selling was not banned on the forum, I'd offer my services! I do however know of a reputable contractor near you who could undertake this, he is an IET (IEE) member and an NICEIC Approved Contractor. He specialises in inspection & testing work, thus there would be no benefit in him failing parts of the installation to "drum up work" as he would not undertake any remedial works. The 3 yrs industrial, 5 yrs commercial are the "guidelines" they are not statutory, however, a PIR is also recommended on change of occupancy. This info is in BS7671 & Guidance Note 3 published by the IET, there is much more info on PIR's in Guidance Note 3 (GN3) as this is the guidance aimed at PIR's and other inspection & testing of electrical installations, and, is utilised as much of the course material for the C&G course in inspection & testing of electrical installations. Your insurer however as it is their risk can require whatever they like! The previous PIR should give a recommended time to next inspection. I did one recently and did not follow the guidance as I know the install, the history and the future of the building beyond the next recommended period of inspection. Any modifications to the install immediately make the last PIR null & void anyway! These are required to be covered by an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MWC) to ensure on going compliance. Did you know that relocating or adding for example a socket, light or light switch required certifications? Undertaking a PIR is no something many electricians or electrical contractors can do well, as buildings have a long life span, and there is no statutory requirement under EAWR to update the install, and in fact the HSE have written a note in the introduction to BS7671:2008 basically saying that it is not necessary to update installs to meet this and just because they don't meet this standard but met a previous one does not mean they are now unsafe. There has been a glut of intensive training recently and many people who have undergone this don't have the breath and depth of knowledge and experience necessary to fully understand previous editions of the regulations as the courses are designed and centre around the current regs. So this is something to look out for. HTH Paul