Which certificate, for which job
| Low-risk work | General work | High-risk work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examples | Replacing a light switch, power point or RCD | New or extended circuits, sub-boards, rewires | Mains work, solar PV systems, a higher-capacity switchboard |
| Electrical Safety Certificate (ESC) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate of Compliance (CoC) | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Independent inspection and Record of Inspection | No | No | Yes, by a licensed electrical inspector |
What each one is for
The EWRB sorts prescribed electrical work into three risk levels. Low-risk means repairing or replacing a fitting in an existing installation. General covers things like new circuits, additions, alterations and rewires. High-risk includes mains work, solar PV systems, and work in medical, hazardous and mining locations.
A Certificate of Compliance (CoC) confirms the work is electrically safe and meets New Zealand's electrical safety standards and codes. Electrical workers must give you one when they do fixed wiring work, but not for maintenance. The EWRB says to keep it somewhere safe as a record of the work done on your property.
An Electrical Safety Certificate (ESC) comes with every level of work, including small swaps like an RCD or a power point.
A Record of Inspection (RoI) is for high-risk work only. A licensed electrical inspector checks the work independently, and the RoI must have the related CoC attached. It's also recorded on WorkSafe's electricity and gas high-risk database. High-risk work isn't legally complete until both the CoC and the RoI have been issued.
When they're due, and who gets them
Electrical workers must issue certification as soon as possible after finishing the work. The EWRB's own pages give the time limit as 20 days in some places and 20 working days in others, so ask your electrician when to expect it. It goes to whoever contracted or authorised the job. If that person isn't available, it goes to the occupier or owner of the property.
When an inspection is needed, your electrical worker is responsible for arranging the licensed electrical inspector, not you. Keep the inspection report with your CoCs.
Lost yours? Electrical workers must keep certification records for 7 years, so the business that did the job is the first place to ask.
If the job is part of a building consent
Some electrical work happens inside a bigger build, like an extension or a new kitchen with its own building consent. Then the electrical certificate, called an energy work certificate, must go in with the application for the code compliance certificate. Your builder and electrician will usually sort this between them, but it's worth asking who's responsible before the job starts.
If you did some wiring yourself
New Zealand lets homeowners do a limited amount of electrical work, but only on a home they own and live in, and only when they're not paid for it. That work has to follow the homeowner code of practice, NZECP 51:2004, which doesn't cover solar PV.
If a homeowner installs, extends or alters cables, the work must be checked and inspected. If it's safe, a licensed electrical inspector connects it, tests it and issues a Certificate of Compliance. Homeowners can't connect their own wiring to the power supply, and switchboard and meter box work is never part of homeowner work. What you can do yourself covers the limits in full.
Landlords and property managers
In a rental, landlords and tenants can't do electrical work unless they're registered and hold a current practising licence, so every electrical job in a rental should come with certificates from a licensed worker. File them with the property's records.
For extractor fans installed to meet the healthy homes ventilation standard, Tenancy Services suggests getting the fan diameter, ducting and flow rate details from the installer in writing. Ask for those on the same visit as the certificates. Healthy homes for landlords explains the electrical side of the standards.
Signs something's wrong
- No certificate weeks after the job finished, and no reply when you ask.
- High-risk work, like a higher-capacity switchboard or solar, with no mention of an inspector.
- A certificate from someone you can't find on the EWRB public register.
- Anyone offering to issue a certificate for work they didn't do or check. In 2016 one man was fined $18,000 on charges that included issuing a Certificate of Compliance he wasn't authorised to issue.
- Work done by someone unlicensed. The EWRB warns that insurance can be affected when work isn't carried out and certified by a licensed electrical worker.
When the job's done
Ask which certificates to expect
Before work starts, ask whether the job is low-risk, general or high-risk. That tells you which certificates you'll get, and whether an inspector is coming.
Check who did the work
Ask to see the electrical worker's licence ID. It shows their photo, registration class and number, and expiry date. Then search the public register to confirm the licence hasn't been suspended.
Get the paperwork
If it hasn't arrived, ask for it. For high-risk work, check the Record of Inspection has the CoC attached.
File it with the house papers
Keep certificates together. They're the record of what was done, and a buyer, an insurer or the next electrician may want to see them.
If it goes wrong
You can complain to the EWRB about an electrical worker's conduct or work. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and the Disputes Tribunal settles claims up to $60,000, including whether a tradesperson has done the work properly.
Your part, and the electrical worker's
You can
- Ask which risk level the job is before it starts.
- Check the licence ID and the public register.
- Chase the certificates if they haven't arrived soon after the job.
- Keep every CoC, ESC and Record of Inspection somewhere safe.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Issue the right certificates for the risk level, as soon as possible after finishing.
- Arrange the licensed electrical inspector for high-risk work.
- Keep certification records for 7 years.
- Inspect, test and connect a homeowner's own wiring (a licensed electrical inspector only).
Our rule of thumb
Ask which certificates you'll get before the job starts, not after. If nobody can tell you whether the work is high-risk, or the answer to "will I get a CoC?" is a shrug, we'd keep looking. A licensed electrician who does this kind of job every week will tell you straight away.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.