QUESTIONS
How to check if a copy of a NICEIC domestic certificate is correct
Updated 07/26
By: Imogen Beech
Reviewed: Content Team
Buying a house and only have a photocopy of the electrical certificate, not the original? You're right to be cautious. A copy doesn't guarantee the work was done, done properly, or that the paperwork matches what actually happened. Here's what you can genuinely verify, what you can't, and what to do if the certificate doesn't stack up.
What a genuine, complete certificate should include
What NICEIC can and can't confirm for you
How to track down the original if it's missing
What to do if you can't verify it at all
How this affects buying or selling a house
When to get a fresh EICR instead
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What should a genuine certificate actually contain?
Before you go chasing NICEIC or the electrician, check what's actually in your hand. A complete, valid Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) should include:
The property address and a description of the installation or work covered
The electrician or company's name and registration number
A certificate reference number
A signature from the person responsible for the work
A Schedule of Inspections and Schedule of Test Results attached
That last point matters more than people realise: an EIC is only valid if it's accompanied by its schedules. A certificate with just a signed front page and no attached test results is incomplete, whether or not it's genuine, and shouldn't be relied on as proof the work is safe.
If what you've been handed is a single page with no circuit details or test results attached, treat it as incomplete before you even think about verifying it. Ask whoever gave it to you for the full document first.
What can NICEIC actually confirm?
This is where a lot of guidance (including, in the past, our own) overstates things. NICEIC has confirmed that it can't verify whether a certificate is valid in the sense of checking the work itself, since that would mean physically re-inspecting the property. What NICEIC (and the other scheme providers, NAPIT and ELECSA) can generally help with is:
Confirming whether a business was registered with them, and for what period
Checking their own records for a notification matching your address and approximate dates, if the work was formally notified
Reissuing a copy of a certificate they hold on file, if one exists
If you have the details, contact NICEIC directly with the property address, roughly when the work took place, and the certificate reference number if you have it. Bear in mind there's no single central database covering every scheme, so if the electrician was registered with NAPIT or ELECSA instead, you'll need to contact that scheme rather than NICEIC.
How to track down the original
If you don't have a complete certificate, or you're not confident the copy is accurate, there are a few routes to try in parallel:
Contact the electrician directly
If you know who carried out the work, ask them for the original or a certified copy. If it turns out they never issued one, they may be willing to certify the work retrospectively. An EIC should technically be issued within 30 days of the work being completed, but in practice electricians will often still do this well after the fact.
Bear in mind it's illegal for an electrician to certify someone else's work, so this route only works if you can trace the person who actually did the job.
Contact your local authority
Your local authority's building control team should hold a record of notifiable work carried out on the property, and may be able to provide a copy of the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate even if the electrician's own paperwork has gone missing. Response times and helpfulness vary considerably between councils.
This certificate is only one part of the picture. See our full guide to getting a copy of your electrical safety certificate (BS7671) if you're missing the paperwork entirely, or check what's the difference between ELECSA and NICEIC if you're not sure which scheme applies.
What if you can't verify it at all?
If the certificate can't be traced or confirmed through any of the above, you've still got workable options.
Redo the work
If the electrical work involved was minor, it may be simplest to have a registered local electrician redo it and issue a fresh, verifiable EIC in their own name.
Get an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
An EICR is a condition survey of the existing electrics, similar to an MOT for a car. It's not a substitute for the original EIC, since it assesses current condition rather than certifying that specific past work was done to standard, but many local authorities and solicitors will accept it as reassurance that the property's electrics are currently safe.
Take out indemnity insurance
A building regulations indemnity insurance policy won't confirm the work is safe, but it protects you (and future owners) against the cost of enforcement action if the missing certificate later becomes a problem. This is often the fastest option if you're mid-conveyancing and time is tight.
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Get the help of a professional
If you can't verify the certificate and can't trace the original electrician, a trusted, registered electrician can still help. They can't certify someone else's work, but they can redo it or carry out an EICR, and advise you on the best way forward for your specific situation.
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Before you rely on a certificate
Frequently asked questions
NICEIC can check its own records for a matching registration or notification, but it can't confirm the underlying work is safe or compliant, since that would require re-inspecting the property. Treat it as a records check, not a safety verification.
An EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate) confirms specific new or altered work was installed and tested to BS 7671 at the time. An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a periodic health check of the existing electrics, regardless of when they were installed. One doesn't replace the other.
No. A genuine EIC is only valid when its Schedule of Inspections and Schedule of Test Results are attached. A signed front page alone isn't sufficient proof the work was tested.
You can still contact their former scheme provider (NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA) to check for a filed record, but if the business is gone and no record exists, an EICR is usually the most practical way forward.
Not necessarily, but it means there's no paperwork trail confirming it was tested and signed off, which is exactly the risk an EICR or indemnity policy is designed to cover.
An EIC doesn't expire in the way an EICR does, but it only covers the specific work described on it at the time. The certificate itself will state a recommended date for the next inspection.
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