According to the Electrical Safety Council, it is suggested that electrics ought to be tested (maximum) every 10 Years for owner-occupied properties and 5 years for rented properties.

The reason for periodic inspection and testing is to decide if the establishment is alright for proceeded with use. In the UK, all electrical establishment work is done to BS 7671 IEE Regulations and they express that an electrical establishment ought to be designed, installed, operated and maintained in a safe manner at all times.

The purpose of the test is to discover if there are any potential:

• shock and fire dangers
• any overloaded electrical circuits or hardware
• lack of earthing or bonding of Gas and Water mains.
• distinguish any deficient electrical work,

It is possible that there may be damaged or faulty cables hidden under floorboards or within walls. Therefore testing is important as unseen nails or screws may have caused punctures or cables may have been bitten by rodents.