Electrics and gas
An electric-vehicle charger is wired into a consumer unit that was not opened. Has this visit produced an electrical certificate?
No. This visit has not produced an electrical certificate. The charger was seen as equipment wired into a consumer unit, and that unit was not opened. A home survey does not test the circuit, does not take the cover off and does not issue an electrical condition report or a certificate for the charger. Cables into a closed unit do not show the protective device, the connections or any notification. The report can note the charger and the unopened unit. It has not certified the electrical work.
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?
An electric-vehicle charger is fixed electrical work. Its condition is a matter for inspection and test, not for a look at the case. An unopened consumer unit hides the breaker and the terminals. The surveyor leaves covers on because removing them is for someone qualified to work safely on the installation. A charger on the wall is not proof it was installed properly. A competent-person scheme is one route to building-regulations compliance for electrical work, not the only route. This survey does not issue that certificate either way.
Ask the solicitor for any installation certificate, notification or warranty for the charger, and keep the home survey separate from those papers. The survey has not said the unit complies. If you need an electrical opinion, instruct an electrician to inspect and, if appropriate, to test. Do not tell a lender this visit certified the charger because the case was on the wall. The unit was not opened, so the circuit was not examined. Presence is not a certificate.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is any electrical certificate for the charger actually in the pack?
- Was the consumer unit cover left on for the whole of the visit?
- Does the report describe the charger, or only note that one is fitted?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not describe this survey as an electrical certificate.
- Ask the seller for the charger installation certificate and any notification.
- If the circuit must be tested, instruct an electrician. This visit did not open the unit.
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
Does a new-looking charger mean the wiring is sound?
No. A clean case does not show the terminals inside an unopened consumer unit. The survey did not test the circuit and did not date the cable. Appearance is not a certificate. Ask for the installation paper. If it is missing, an electrician can inspect. This visit has not called the charger safe or unsafe.
Can the surveyor take the cover off if you ask on the day?
A home survey is not turned into an electrical inspection by a request to remove a cover. Live equipment is left closed. This visit did not open the unit and did not produce a certificate. If a cover needs to come off, that is an electrician's inspection, arranged as its own instruction.