Niceic Domestic Visual Condition Report

 

 

General

The purpose of a visual-only inspection of a dwelling is to determine, so far as is reasonably practicable, whether an electrical installation has suffered any damage or deterioration or has any visually-evident defects which affect, or may affect, safety. The Domestic Visual Condition Report is intended to be used only for the purpose of reporting on the condition of an existing electrical installation. The report should identify, so far as is reasonably practicable, any damage, deterioration or defects which may give rise to danger.

The practice of ‘visual inspection only’ is not non-compliant with the requirements of the national standard for electrical safety, BS 7671: Requirements for Electrical Installations, provided that:

• The visual inspection is carried out in accordance with all the requirements of BS 7671 that are applicable to visual inspection.

• The limitations of ‘visual inspection only’ which are stated in the Notes for Recipients on the reverse of the report form are made clear in writing to the person ordering the work.

• It is not claimed that a ‘visual inspection only’ can or will fully determine whether an installation is safe for continued use.

• An objective report of the findings of the visual inspection is given to the person ordering the work, whether or not specifically requested by that person.

• It is made clear to the person ordering the work that a visual inspection does not include items that can only be checked with test instruments (such as the adequacy of earthing arrangements).

• Any quotation for proposed remedial work is given separately from the visual inspection report.

• A full periodic inspection is recommended to the customer if it is suspected that the installation is in an unsafe condition, or if it is believed that other significant defects cannot be determined, but may be revealed by testing.

The entire electrical installation should be inspected including the loft space(s) and any outside garage, workshop, greenhouse, conservatory etc.

A certain amount of dismantling is normally necessary even though the inspection is ‘visual-only’. For example, after appropriate isolation, the cover of the consumer unit should be removed to permit the checking of electrical equipment such as the condition and suitability of the cables employed. In addition, equipment such as socket-outlets, light switches and luminaries should be inspected for signs of deterioration, damage, overheating etc.

The report must not be used instead of an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Domestic
Electrical Installation Certificate for certifying a new electrical installation, or in place of a full
Periodic Inspection Report for certifying that an electrical installation may continue to be
used in safety.

 

The Domestic Visual Condition Report may be used only where all the following conditions apply:
• The inspection is limited to the installation in a single dwelling (house or individual flat).

• The supply to the installation is single-phase, 50 Hz, and the nominal voltage does not exceed 230V.

• The installation forms part of a TN-S, TN-C-S (PME) or TT system.

• The protective measure against electric shock is provided by Automatic Disconnection of Supply (ADS).

• The installation is supplied from one source only.

The report form marked ‘Original’, including any additional pages, is to be given to the person ordering the inspection. The report form marked ‘Duplicate’ is to be retained by the contractor.

It is the responsibility of the compiler of the report to ensure that the information provided in the report is factual, and that the declaration of the condition of the electrical installation to which the report relates is fair and reasonable in all the circumstances, given the limitations of visual inspection only.

The total number of pages which make up the report must be inserted in the box provided at the foot of each of the pages on the right-hand side.

 

Completing the Domestic visual condition report

 

Page 1

 

The box entitled Details of the client and the installation provides space for the client’s name, address and the type of dwelling being inspected; such as a house, flat or bungalow.
In the box Summary of the condition of the installation the inspector should insert a brief description of the condition of the installation. The summary should adequately describe the overall condition of the installation having considered, for example:

• Whether the earthing and bonding is likely to be adequate

• The condition of the consumer unit and the protective devices

• The type of wiring system and its condition

• The serviceability of equipment including accessories

• The presence of adequate identification and notices including a schedule of circuit details

• The extent of any wear and tear, damage or other deterioration.

Where the visual inspection has identified damage or deterioration to an installation or visually-apparent defects which may significantly affect electrical safety, the condition of that installation must be recorded as unsatisfactory. If the space available on the form for the summary of the inspection is insufficient, additional numbered pages are to be provided as necessary. Additional pages must be referenced specifically to this report.

In the box Particulars of the Approved Contractor, the Inspector should enter the appropriate details.

A Declaration of the overall condition of the installation must be given in this section of the report. The inspector should tick one of the two boxes, namely

E1 Visually not un-satisfactory or El Unsatisfactory, significant damage, deterioration and/or defects being evident.

The declaration must be consistent with the observations and recommendations made. A list of observations and recommendations for urgent remedial work and corrective action(s) necessary to restore the installation to a satisfactory condition should be given. But, given the limitations of a visual inspection, these recommendations may be incomplete and in such a case, a recommendation should be given that a full periodic inspection be performed to determine the full extent of the remedial action required.

Where the second box ‘Unsatisfactory, significant damage, deterioration, defects being evident ‘is ticked a list of corrective action(s) necessary to maintain the installation in a safe working order should be given. For further guidance on the recommendations to be given, see the reverse of page 1 of the Domestic Visual Condition Report.

Space is provided to insert the appropriate time interval before re-inspection of the installation becomes due. lEE Guidance Note 3 gives guidance on the frequency of inspection of electrical installations in various types of premises, but due account must be taken of factors such as the present condition of the installation and its use and operation. For domestic electrical installations, the maximum time interval from initial inspection is normally 10 years or upon change of occupancy. Your recommendation for the interval to the next inspection is to be conditional on all items that have attracted a recommendation Code 1 and Code 2 in the Section Observations and recommendations for actions to be taken being remedied without delay and as soon as practical respectively. Additionally, your recommendation for the interval to the next inspection is also to be conditional on all items which have attracted a recommendation Code 3 being remedied as soon as practicable.

Observations and recommendations for actions to be taken includes two boxes at the top, in one of which the inspector is required to enter a ‘Yes’ or a ‘/‘ to indicate, as appropriate, that ‘There are no visually-evident items affecting electrical safety’ or ‘The following observations and recommendations are made’ In the latter case, the observations and recommendations are to be listed with a Recommendation Code 1,2,3 or 4(see reverse of page 2 of the report forms for further guidance on the recommendations). Only one Recommendation Code is to be given for each recorded observation. At the bottom of the Section, two boxes are provided for recording the items which, in the opinion of the inspector, need urgent remedial action and those items requiring corrective action(s), respectively.

Where an Approved Contractor classifies a recommendation as, ‘Urgent remedial action recommended the client is to be advised immediately, in writing, to satisfy the duties imposed by the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. It should be noted that, where an existing or a potential danger is observed that may put the safety of those using the installation at risk, Recommendation Code 1 (requires urgent attention) must be used.

If the space available on the form for recording observations and recommendations is insufficient, additional numbered pages are to be provided as necessary. Additional pages must be referenced specifically to this report.

 

Page 2

 

schedule for the Domestic visual condition report
All un-shaded boxes should be completed either by insertion of the relevant details or by entering:
A tick ‘/’ meaning a particular inspection has been carried out and the result is, as far as can be ascertained from a visual-only inspection, not unsatisfactory, A ‘X’ meaning a particular inspection has been carried out and the result is unsatisfactory, or ‘N/A’, meaning ‘Not Applicable’, where appropriate. It is unlikely that all items will apply, and the range of applicable inspections will depend on the particular installation covered by the report. If an inspection is not applicable, ‘N/A’ should be recorded in the box.

 

Note

that for every ‘X’ meaning ‘un-satisfactory’, an observation should be made in the Section Observations and recommendations for actions to be taken.

 

 

 

The purpose of a visual-only inspection of a domestic electrical installation is to determine, so far as is reasonably practicable, whether the installation has any visually-evident defects or has suffered any damage or deterioration which may affect safety. This domestic visual condition report provides an assessment of the condition of the electrical installation identified overleaf at the time it was inspected, taking into account the limitations of a visual-only inspection.

Whilst a visual inspection may reveal defects, damage or deterioration which may present electrical safety hazards, such an inspection alone cannot fully determine whether an installation is safe for continued use.

Furthermore, due to the significant limitations, it is not appropriate to report that an installation is in a satisfactory condition on the basis of visual inspection only.

Visual inspections do not include items that can only be checked with test instruments, such as the adequacy of earthing arrangements.

NICEIC* Approved Contractor performing the visual inspection will recommend that a full inspection and testing be performed if it is suspected that the installation is in an unsafe condition.

Also for safety reasons, the electrical installation will need to be re-inspected at appropriate intervals by a competent person. The recommended maximum time interval to the next inspection and the type of inspection is stated overleaf in the section: Next inspection. The recommendation for the interval to the next inspection is conditional on all items which have attracted a Recommendation Code 1 and Code 2 in the section Observations and recommendations for actions to be taken being remedied without delay and as soon as practical respectively. Additionally, the recommendation given for the interval to the next inspection and the type of inspection is also to be conditional on all items which have attracted a Recommendation Code 3 being remedied as soon as practicable. NICEIC recommends that you engage the services of an Approved Contractor for this purpose. There should be a notice at or near the consumer unit indicating the latest date by which a full periodic inspection and test of the installation is due.
Where the installation incorporates a residual current device (RCD), there should be a notice at or near the consumer unit stating that the device should be tested at quarterly intervals. For safety reasons, it is important that you carry out the test regularly.

Note that consumer units fitted with cartridge or rewirable fuse may be suitable for continued use provided the consumer unit is in a satisfactory condition and each fuse is correctly rated.

GUIDANCE FOR RECIPIENTS ON THE RECOMMENDATION CODES
Only one Recommendation Code should have been given for each recorded observation.

Recommendation Code 1
Where an observation has been given a Recommendation Code 1 (requires urgent attention), the safety of those using the installation may be at risk.

The person responsible for the maintenance of the installation is advised to take action without delay to remedy the observed deficiency in the installation, or to take other appropriate action (such as switching off and isolating the affected part(s) of the installation)to remove the potential danger. The NICEIC Approved Contractor issuing this report will be able to provide further advice. NICEIC make available ‘dangerous condition’ notification forms to enable inspectors to record, and then to communicate to the person ordering the report, any dangerous condition discovered.

Recommendation Code 2
Recommendation Code 2 (requires improvement) indicates that, whilst the safety of those using the installation may not be at immediate risk, remedial action should be taken as soon as possible to improve the safety of the installation. The NICEIC Approved Contractor issuing this report will be able to provide further advice.

Items which have been attributed Recommendation Code 2 should be remedied as soon as possible.

Recommendation Code 3
Where an observation has been given a Recommendation Code 3 (requires further investigation), the inspection has revealed an apparent deficiency which could not, due to the extent or limitations of this inspection, be fully identified. Items which have been attributed Recommendation Code 3 should be investigated by a competent person as soon as possible.

The person responsible for the maintenance of the installation is advised to arrange for the NICEIC Approved Contractor issuing this report (or other competent person) to undertake further inspection and/or testing of the installation to determine the nature and extent of the apparent deficiency.

Recommendation Code 4
Recommendation Code 4 [does not comply with BS 7671 (as amended)] will have been given to observed non-compliance(s) with the current safety standard which do not warrant one of the other Recommendation Codes. It is not intended to imply that the electrical installation inspected is unsafe, but careful consideration should be given to the benefits of improving these aspects of the installation. The NICEIC Approved Contractor issuing this report will be able to provide further advice.

It is important to note that the recommendation given at Next Inspection of this report for the maximum interval until the next inspection is conditional upon all items which have been given a Recommendation Code 1 and Code 2 being remedied without delay and as soon as possible respectively.

It would not be reasonable to indicate a ‘visually not unsatisfactory’ assessment if any observation in the report had been given a Code 1 or Code 2 recommendation.

The visual-only inspection report
This report is intended to be issued only for the purpose of reporting on the condition of an existing electrical installation. The report should identify, so far as is reasonably practicable, any damage, deterioration and visually-evident defects which:

• may give rise to danger,

• require improvement, require further investigation or do not comply with the latest edition of the national standard for electrical safety BS 7671: Requirements for Electrical Installations

The report consists of at least two numbered pages. Additional numbered pages may have been provided to permit further relevant information concerning the installation to be reported. The report is invalid if any of the identified pages are missing. The report form has a printed seven- digit serial number, which is traceable to the Approved Contractor to which it was supplied by NICEIC.

The report should not have been issued to certify a new electrical installation. A ‘Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate’ or ‘Electrical Installation Certificate’ (where appropriate) should be issued for the certification of new installation work.

Only an NICEIC Approved Contractor or Conforming Body is authorised to issue this NICEIC Domestic Visual Condition Report. You should have received the report marked ‘Original’ and the Approved Contractor should have retained the report marked ‘Duplicate’.

If you were the person ordering the work, but not the user of the installation, you should pass this report, or a full copy of it including these notes and additional pages (if any), immediately to the user.

The ‘Original’ report form should be retained in a safe place and shown to any person inspecting or undertaking further work on the electrical installation in the future. If you later vacate the property, this report will provide the new user with an assessment of the condition of the electrical installation at the time the inspection was carried out.

Understanding the report
Page 1
In the Summary of the conditions of the installation box, the inspector should have put a brief summary of the overall condition of the installation, taking into account the specific observations made.

In the Declaration box the inspector should have ticked one of the two boxes, namely:

Visually not unsatisfactory, or Unsatisfactory, significant damage, deterioration and/or defects being evident.

The declaration should reflect the observations and recommendations made. A list of observations and recommendations for urgent remedial work and corrective action(s) necessary to restore the installation to a satisfactory condition should be given in the box at the bottom of page 1. But, given the limitations of a visual inspection, these recommendations may be incomplete and a full periodic inspection report may be necessary to determine the full extent of the required remedial action.

For further guidance on the recommendations, please see the reverse of page 1.

In the box entitled Next Inspection the inspector should have made a recommendation as to the time interval to the next inspection and the type of inspection, such as a visual inspection or a full periodic inspection. This recommendation will depend on circumstances such as the age of the installation or if it is subject to more rapid deterioration.

Page 2, Schedules:
All un-shaded boxes should have been completed either by insertion of the relevant details or by entering:
A "tick‘ meaning a particular inspection has been carried out and the result, as far as can be ascertained from a visual-only inspection, is not unsatisfactory

or

A ‘x’ meaning a particular inspection has been carried out and the result is unsatisfactory

or

‘N/A’ meaning ‘ Not Applicable’, where appropriate.

Note that for every ‘)(‘ meaning ‘unsatisfactory’, an observation should have been made in the Section Observations and recommendations for actions to be taken.

Should the person ordering the domestic visual condition inspection (eg the client, as identified on Page 1 of this report), have reason to believe that the report issued by the Approved Contractor does not reasonably reflect the condition of the electrical installation reported on given the limitations of a visual only inspection, the person should in the first instance raise the specific concerns in writing with the Approved Contractor. If the concerns remain unresolved, the client may make a formal complaint to NICEIC, for which purpose a standard complaint form is available on request.

The complaints procedure offered by NICEIC is subject to certain terms and conditions, full details of which are available upon application (or visit www.niceicgroup.com). NICEIC does not investigate complaints relating to the operational performance of electrical installations (such as lighting levels), or to contractual or commercial issues (such as time or cost).