EICRs, fixed-wire testing and PAT, captured on site, certified in minutes.
Run BS 7671 electrical inspections end to end: a guided EICR workflow, offline circuit testing, observation coding and instant branded certificates.
Quick answer
Electrical compliance means keeping fixed wiring, distribution boards, circuits and portable appliances safe, tested and properly recorded. In the UK it is shaped by BS 7671, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and GOV.UK rented-sector guidance. Duty holders arrange competent inspection and testing, act on dangerous observations, keep EICR or PAT evidence, and maintain electrical systems to prevent danger.
The duty normally falls on the employer, landlord or person in control of the premises and electrical installation. They must make sure electrical systems are maintained so far as reasonably practicable to prevent danger, and that inspection, testing and remedial work are carried out by competent people.
There is no single universal EICR interval for every workplace; BS 7671 inspection frequency depends on installation type, use and risk. Many commercial fixed installations are inspected up to every 5 years, while private and social rented sector landlords in England must arrange checks at least every 5 years.
Keep the EICR, schedules of inspections and test results, observation codes, remedial certificates, PAT records where used, and evidence that C1, C2 or other safety-critical defects were acted on. Records should show who inspected, what was tested, what was found and when the next inspection is due.
CertFlow gives electrical contractors a mobile EICR workflow with circuit-by-circuit results, observation coding, photos, signatures and branded PDF output. Each board, circuit and appliance sits in the asset register with history and next due dates, while the compliance register keeps completed certificates and remedials searchable for audits, clients and insurers.
The duty
Electrical compliance in the UK is governed by BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations), the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and, for landlords in the private and social rented sectors in England, the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations. Every fixed installation must be inspected and tested at regular intervals, with results recorded on an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
For inspection firms the hard part is rarely the testing, it is the paperwork. Scheduling EICRs across hundreds of distribution boards, capturing circuit-by-circuit results in the field, coding observations C1 to C3, and producing a defensible certificate the same day.
CertFlow gives engineers a guided EICR workflow on mobile, generates a branded BS 7671 certificate in minutes, and files it automatically in a searchable registry, so you can prove compliance the moment a client, insurer or enforcement officer asks.
Your legal duties
Fixed installations must be inspected and tested at intervals recommended by BS 7671, commonly up to every 5 years for commercial premises and at change of occupancy. Results are recorded on an EICR using observation codes C1, C2, C3 and FI.
Duty holders must maintain electrical systems, so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent danger, and keep records showing that maintenance was carried out by competent persons.
Portable and transportable equipment is inspected and tested under the IET Code of Practice on a risk-based frequency. CertFlow tracks every appliance, its history and its next-due date.
Landlords in the private and social rented sectors must ensure fixed electrical installations are inspected and tested at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person, and provide proof of inspection to tenants and, where required, the local authority.
How CertFlow handles it
Electrical runs on the same platform as every other discipline, so the workflow, the registry and the audit trail are identical, whatever your team inspects.
A built-in BS 7671 report template, plus a drag-and-drop builder and bespoke PDF overlay for any client-specific form.
Put every electrical asset on a recurring examination cycle. CertFlow generates the jobs and warns you before anything falls due.
Readings, photos and signatures are captured in the field on mobile, fully offline, and sync the moment a connection returns.
Every electrical certificate is filed in a searchable, exportable compliance registry with a full timestamped history.
From the field
The defects and gaps that come up again and again on electrical inspections, the ones a good system helps you catch before an auditor does.
Why it matters
Breaching the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 can bring HSE improvement and prohibition notices, prosecution and unlimited fines, as well as invalidated insurance. In the private rented sector in England, local authorities can fine landlords up to £30,000 for failing to hold a valid EICR.
Free download: the Electrical duty-holder guideQuestions
Yes. CertFlow ships with a BS 7671 model EICR template covering installation details, the schedule of inspections, the schedule of test results and observation coding. Engineers complete it on mobile and the system outputs a branded PDF.
Yes. The mobile app works fully offline. Circuit-by-circuit results, Zs/Ze readings, RCD trip times and observations are captured on site and sync automatically when a connection returns.
Each observation is coded C1, C2, C3 or FI and can be turned into a remedial job in one tap, scheduled to an engineer and tracked through to a satisfactory re-test.
Yes. PAT assets live in the same register as fixed installations, each with a risk-based retest interval, full history and a QR label for instant lookup in the field.
BS 7671 inspection frequency depends on the installation type, use and risk. Many commercial installations are inspected up to every 5 years, and landlords in the private and social rented sectors in England must arrange checks at least every 5 years.
Further reading
What the law expects for fixed electrical installations, and where the EICR fits, in plain English.
References
Links to primary UK legislation and official regulator guidance. CertFlow is independent and not affiliated with these bodies.
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See it on your data
We'll set up a live environment with your asset types and branding, then walk you through a BS 7671 job end to end.
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