Electrics and gas
An EV charging cable lies across the front path with no cover and the unit was not energised by the surveyor. What electrical test is still outstanding?
An electrical test of the charging unit is still outstanding. The survey saw an EV cable lying across the front path with no cover. The unit was not energised. The inspection has not tested the charger, not issued an electrical certificate, and not decided the circuit is sound because the box looks modern. A cable on the path is a physical hazard the report can mention. It is not a test. The outstanding test is the electrical one the surveyor did not carry out.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
EV chargers are fixed electrical equipment. A home survey records what is visible: a lead across a path, a missing cover, a unit on the wall. Testing would mean energising and measuring, which this visit did not do. No cover on the cable is a trip and a damage point you can see without a meter. It does not tell you the protective device, the earthing or the installation of the unit. Those stay untested.
Ask an electrician to inspect and test the charger, and mention the uncovered cable across the path as part of that brief. Tell the solicitor the survey did not energise the unit. Do not describe the home survey as an electrical installation condition report. It is not one. The test remains outstanding until someone qualified does it. Until then the unit is untested.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see the uncovered cable without energising the charger?
- Is an electrical test of the unit still outstanding?
- Have you stopped short of calling the installation tested?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the path cable as seen, not as tested.
- Ask an electrician to test the charger.
- Do not call the home survey an electrical certificate.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the cable is unplugged, has the test become unnecessary?
Unplugged is not tested. The unit was not energised by the surveyor, and no electrical test was done. A lead that happens to be disconnected can still be a damaged lead across a path. The outstanding test is unchanged. Ask for the test anyway.
Does a new-looking charge point mean the circuit is new and sound?
No. A new case is a new case. The survey did not energise the unit and did not test the circuit. Age of the plastic is not an electrical result. The test is still outstanding. Looks are not an electrical certificate.