New build electrics: the handover file is part of the job.
On a new build development, the electrical requirements are only met when every plot has its Electrical Installation Certificate and schedule of test results, and the building control body, the buyer and the managing agent have the records they need. The wiring is the visible part of the package; the handover file is the part that holds up plot completions, so it has to be planned at the start of the job rather than assembled at the end.
What the rules actually ask for on a new dwelling.
Every new home has to meet the Building Regulations, and several parts touch the electrics at once. The installation itself is designed, installed, inspected and tested to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations, and the result is recorded on an Electrical Installation Certificate with its schedules. Approved Document P covers electrical safety in dwellings. On a new house the electrics sit inside the building control application for the whole build, so the building control body is signing off the plot, and it will normally want the certificate for that plot before it does.
Three other parts of the regulations put electrical items on the same checklist:
- Fire detection. Approved Document B, Volume 1 says all dwellings should have a fire detection and alarm system of at least Grade D2 Category LD3 to BS 5839-6, with mains operated alarms and a standby supply. Larger houses step up to a higher grade.
- EV charging. Approved Document S requires charge points for new dwellings with associated parking, and sets the minimum standard: at least 7kW, an untethered universal socket in most cases, a status indicator, a dedicated circuit, BS 7671 and the IET Code of Practice for EV charging equipment.
- Energy. Lighting and controls fall under the energy efficiency requirements, which is why the fittings schedule belongs in the file and not just the invoice.
The handover file, plot by plot.
This is the list we work to, and the list a developer should hold its electrical contractor to. Each item belongs to a plot or to a shared part of the building, never just to "the job".
- An Electrical Installation Certificate per plot, signed for design, construction and inspection, with the schedule of inspections and the schedule of test results behind it. The IET publishes the model certificate forms, so you can see what a complete one looks like.
- The consumer unit chart in each plot, matching the circuits on the certificate.
- Fire alarm records showing the system in each dwelling has been commissioned, with the alarm positions marked on the plot drawing.
- EV charge point records: the make and model, the commissioning record and the user instructions the buyer will need to set the charger up.
- As-built drawings showing final positions, cable routes where they matter for future work, and anything that moved from the design.
- Manufacturer information for anything the occupier operates or maintains: alarms, chargers, ventilation controls, heating controls fed by the electrician.
- Supply and metering details: the supply characteristics and the meter in place for each plot. A plot with no meter is a plot nobody can move into, and metering sits partly with the network operator and energy supplier, so it is the item most likely to slip.
Flats add a second file for the shared parts.
A block of flats is not one installation but dozens, plus everything the residents share. The landlord supply, the risers and distribution, the communal lighting, the emergency lighting and any door entry or car park charging all need their own certificates, and the emergency lighting needs commissioning records to BS 5266-1. Our guide to emergency lighting testing requirements covers the regime the managing agent inherits on day one.
Two pieces of law sit behind this. Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations says the person carrying out the work must give fire safety information to the responsible person no later than completion or occupation, and the responsible person has to confirm it is enough to operate and maintain the building and its fire safety systems. And under regulation 12 of the CDM Regulations 2015, the principal designer prepares a health and safety file containing what anyone will need to work on the building safely later, and the principal contractor feeds information into it. The electrical as-builts are a large part of both.
Build the file as the plots are built.
- Agree the format at the start. Which forms, which drawing references, which plot numbering, and who receives what. Plot 14 on the electrician's sheet should be plot 14 on the sales plan.
- Test and certify each plot when it is finished, not in a batch before handover, so a failed result is fixed while the trades are still there.
- Record changes as they happen. A moved socket or a different charger model is a two-minute note on the day and a site visit three months later.
- Hold back nothing the buyer needs. The buyer's solicitor and the warranty provider will ask for the certificate, and the occupier needs the alarm and charger instructions to use the home.
If the scheme includes a warranty provider such as NHBC, its technical standards also apply to the electrical services, and its inspectors will look at the same plots.
What the price is made of.
We do not publish figures for development work because no two schemes share a specification. The price is built from the number and type of plots, the specification per plot, the shared parts on a block, the charge points and their supplies, the programme and how many visits the phasing needs, the testing and certification of every plot, and the time it takes to produce the handover file. A tidy file is not free, but it is far cheaper than a site manager chasing paperwork after the scaffold is down.
Where we fit.
We carry complete electrical packages for developers across Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire, and further afield when the package justifies it. Our Linmere project in Houghton Regis is a full block-of-flats package from first fix to the handover documentation for the whole block. For charging on residential schemes, see our guide to EV charging for blocks of flats. If you would like us to price a scheme, send the drawings, the plot schedule and the programme.
Sources: BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations; IET model forms for certification and reporting; Approved Document P; Approved Document B; Approved Document S; Building Regulations 2010, regulation 38; CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 12; GOV.UK: Building regulations approval.
Asked about this.
Do new build houses come with an electrical certificate?
They should. Every new dwelling needs an Electrical Installation Certificate for its installation, with the schedule of inspections and schedule of test results behind it. The developer passes it to the buyer, and the building control body will normally want it before it signs the plot off. If a new build has no certificate, ask the developer for it before completion.
Do you need an EICR for a new build?
Not at handover. A new installation is certified with an Electrical Installation Certificate, not an EICR, which is the report on an existing installation. An EICR comes later in the life of the building, for example when a landlord lets the property or a periodic inspection falls due.
Are EV chargers mandatory on new build homes?
In England, Part S of the Building Regulations requires charge points for new dwellings with associated parking, with some exceptions set out in Approved Document S. Each charge point has to meet minimum standards, including at least 7kW and, in most cases, an untethered socket. Where the exceptions apply, cable routes may be required instead.
What electrical certificates are needed for building control sign off?
For a new dwelling, building control will normally want the Electrical Installation Certificate for each plot, and the fire alarm and EV charge point records form part of the same picture. On blocks of flats, the shared parts need their own certificates and the emergency lighting needs commissioning records, plus the fire safety information handed to the responsible person under regulation 38.