Electrical Installation Certificate, Minor Works or EICR: Which One Do You Need?

An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) confirms that new electrical work, such as a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement or a full rewire, was designed, installed and tested to BS 7671. It is one of four documents people loosely call an "electrical certificate". The other three are the Minor Works Certificate (for small additions), the EICR (a condition report on an existing installation) and the Building Regulations compliance certificate (proof that notifiable work meets Part P). Which one you need depends on the job, and on who is asking.

The four documents side by side

Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC). Issued for new installation work: a new circuit, a new consumer unit, an extension's wiring or a rewire. It records the design, the construction and the inspection and test results, and it is signed off by the people responsible for each. The IET's notes on the form say it is also used when a consumer unit is replaced.

Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (Minor Works). Used for small additions and alterations that do not include a new circuit. Adding a socket to an existing ring, moving a light switch or replacing a damaged accessory with a different type are typical Minor Works jobs. It records the work and the test results for the circuit that was altered, and the IET's notes say it cannot be used for a consumer unit replacement.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). An inspection and test of an existing installation, recording its condition with C1, C2, C3 and FI codes. Electrical Safety First's guidance is explicit that it is a report, not a certificate: it describes what is there, it does not certify any work. Our guide to what an EICR is goes through it in full.

Building Regulations compliance certificate. Not a BS 7671 form at all, but a certificate that notifiable work complies with the Building Regulations in England. When a registered electrician self-certifies notifiable work, the installer or their scheme must give the occupier a copy within 30 days of completion and notify building control. If the work went through building control instead, the building control body issues a completion certificate (or a final certificate from a private approved inspector).

The first three are the IET's model forms. The fourth comes from the Building Regulations system.

EIC vs EICR: the key difference

An EIC looks forward: it certifies that new work is safe to put into service. An EICR looks at what already exists: it reports on the condition of an installation that has been in use. You get an EIC when work is done; you commission an EICR when you want to know the state of the wiring.

That is why an EIC for a new consumer unit does not replace an EICR for the whole house. The EIC covers the board and whatever was tested as part of that job; the rest of the installation still has its own condition.

Which certificate for which job?

• New consumer unit: EIC, plus a Building Regulations compliance certificate, because replacing a consumer unit is notifiable.

• Full or partial rewire: EIC and a Building Regulations compliance certificate; see our rewiring page for what a rewire involves.

• New circuit (for example an EV charger, cooker or garden supply): EIC and a Building Regulations compliance certificate.

• Extra socket on an existing circuit, outside a bathroom: Minor Works certificate. Not notifiable.

• Any addition or alteration in a bathroom zone: notifiable, so a Building Regulations compliance certificate as well as the BS 7671 form.

• Replacing a like-for-like socket, switch or light fitting: not notifiable. Approved Document P still expects non-notifiable work to be inspected, tested and certificated to BS 7671, so a Minor Works certificate is the usual record.

• Checking the condition of the whole installation: EICR, which we carry out through our EICR reporting service.

Which one is actually being asked for?

A landlord or letting agent wants an EICR. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require an inspection at least every 5 years, and government guidance says the report is usually an EICR. If remedial work follows, the landlord also needs written confirmation of it for the tenant and the council, usually backed by an EIC or Minor Works certificate.

A buyer's solicitor normally wants proof that any notifiable work done by the seller complied with Building Regulations. That means the Building Regulations compliance certificate (and ideally the EIC) for work such as a new consumer unit, a rewire or a new kitchen circuit. Electrical Safety First also recommends buyers get an EICR on a home before or soon after moving in.

An insurer most often wants to know the condition of the installation, which is an EICR. Some policies for commercial premises set their own inspection intervals, so check the wording; our answer to does home insurance cover electrical wiring explains when a claim for wiring damage is paid.

A business needs to show it maintains its installation under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which again means a current EICR; our guide to how long an EICR takes covers what that involves on site.

Electrical certificate questions, answered

I never got a certificate for work done. What now?

Ask the electrician first; BS 7671 forms should be given to the person who ordered the work. For notifiable work, the Building Regulations compliance certificate goes to the occupier through the installer's scheme, which can often supply a copy. If the work was never certified, contact your local authority building control about your options, and in the meantime an EICR will at least tell you whether the work is safe.

Is there a certificate called an "electrical safety certificate"?

Not officially. People use the phrase for whichever document they need, but for landlords, sellers and most insurers it means an EICR.

Does a Minor Works certificate need to go to building control?

Only if the work was notifiable, such as a change in a bathroom zone. Most Minor Works jobs are not notifiable and the certificate simply stays with you as a record.

How long is an EIC valid?

An EIC does not expire, because it records work at the time it was done. It usually states a recommended date for the first periodic inspection, which is when an EICR takes over.

Getting the right paperwork

SM Electrical is registered with a Competent Person Scheme, so we can self-certify notifiable work under Part P and issue the right BS 7671 form for every job, from a single socket to a rewire. If you need an EICR, or an inspection of work someone else did without paperwork, tell us about the job through our contact page.