C2 or C3

[Murdoch]

You turn up to undertake an EICR in a rental property.

The CU in nowhere to be seen and its located in the adjacent building that neither you and the tenant have access to.

How would you code this?

For me its a C2

 

[Geoff1946]

Should you code it at all, or simply abort the whole exercise? It's not actually an electrical risk, you just can't test it.

 

[Murdoch]

Should you code it at all, or simply abort the whole exercise? It's not actually an electrical risk, you just can't test it.

it’s a rental so has to be inspected

 

[ProDave]

it’s a rental so has to be inspected

So you tell the landlord you cannot carry out the EICR until access is provided, so put it back to the landlord as his problem to solve.

Point out is is not good practice to have a CU that the tenant cannot access should there be any problem, though I don't know how you would code "CU is not accessible to occupier"?

 

[Tom Nautilus]

Surely it's an FI.

If you could be given access then you would be able to find out whether it's safe and compliant, without that you can't check a whole bunch of important things so it may or may not be safe. There could be a C1 at the DB for all you know.

Not sure about the regs, but I don't think it is necessarily a critical issue that the tenant can't access the DB. You could argue on the grounds that the lights could trip leaving them in darkness but it's not necessarily electrically unsafe as a result. If you can test it and it's all kosher then I'd say a C3 on access to switchgear of critical circuits or something like that would be fair. Maybe a time delay RCD with a normal 30mA fused RCD spur on the tenants side could be a minimum cost solution?

Personally I would still create the EICR and report on anything could could still safely isolate, citing an operational limitation for no access to DB or supply equipment. That way you can still justify the charge for your wasted time!

 

[binky]

You could argue on the grounds that the lights could trip leaving them in darkness but it's not necessarily electrically unsafe as a result.

if you remember we went to multiple RCDs not for electrical safety but for the physical safety. You may have a customer on an oxygen machine for instance.

 

[UNG]

Without access to the CU is it worth even filling the paperwork in other than to state that the installation fall down on the lack of an accessible CU
For me an installation with the CU in another building or property that is inaccessible means the installation has no immediately accessible main switch for emergency isolation which is unsatisfactory
From the tenants perspective how is this installation metered