Electrics and gas
Services are marked NI and the surveyor still photographed the consumer unit. Does the photograph cancel the NI mark?
No. The photograph does not cancel the NI mark. Services were marked NI because they were not inspected, and a picture of the consumer unit is not a test. Rating 1 means no repair currently needed. Rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. Rating 3 means serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. NI means not inspected, not a pass. The camera recorded a view. It did not turn that view into one of those ratings.
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?
Surveyors photograph what they can see so the reader can follow the note. A consumer unit on camera may show labels, old devices or a crowded enclosure. None of that is an electrical test, and the NI mark says the service was not inspected. Deleting NI because a picture exists would invent an inspection. The photograph illustrates the limit. It does not close it. Anyone reading the services section should let the letters stand ahead of the image.
Tell your solicitor that services are NI and that the photograph is not a certificate. An electrician can test the installation if you instruct that separately. Do not tell a lender the consumer unit was passed because it appears in the report. Rating 1 was not applied. The survey has not decided the electrics are safe or unsafe. NI remains the finding, and the picture remains only a picture.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does NI on services stay in place beside the photograph?
- Was the consumer unit seen but not tested?
- Has anyone avoided reading the picture as rating 1?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep NI on services even though a photograph exists.
- Tell the solicitor the picture is not an electrical test.
- Instruct an electrician if you need the installation tested.
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
Can the photograph still help a later electrician?
Yes. It can show the unit as it looked on the day, which may help someone plan a test. Help is not a rating. NI means not inspected, not a pass. The image does not cancel those letters, and it does not become rating 1 because it is clear enough to zoom in on.
Does NI on services mark the whole house as not inspected?
No. NI is attached to the services that were not inspected. Other elements can carry rating 1, rating 2 or rating 3 where they were inspected and those meanings apply. Do not spread the services mark across the roof or the walls. Read each element on its own line.