Periodic electrical inspection: when it’s due and how to schedule it
How often an electrical installation must be re-inspected by type of premises, what it involves and how electricians turn it into scheduled, recurring work.
A periodic inspection is the regular repeat of the inspection of an internal electrical installation, with a new installer’s declaration (in Greece, the ΥΔΕ) and a new test report. It isn’t a box-ticking formality: installations age, loads change and other people’s alterations pile up.
For an electrician, periodic inspection is also the most predictable part of turnover — if you keep records. Without records, it simply doesn’t happen.
How often it’s required
The frequency depends on the type of premises and the risk involved, and it’s set nationally. In Greece, for example, the intervals usually cited are:
- Homes and similar premises: every 14 years.
- Enclosed business premises without flammable materials: every 7 years.
- Enclosed business premises with flammable materials: every 2 years.
- Entertainment venues and places of public assembly: every year.
- Outdoor commercial installations (marinas, campsites and the like): every year.
Beyond the regular intervals, a re-inspection is also required after a significant alteration to the installation, after a serious incident (fire, flood, lightning strike) and when the use of the premises changes.
What it involves
A periodic inspection covers the same ground as the initial one: visual inspection, testing and compiling the file. The difference is that now there’s a point of comparison — and it’s the comparison that reveals deterioration.
An insulation resistance that has halved in seven years may still be within limits, but it says something about where the installation is heading. Without the previous value, that information is lost.
Why it’s forgotten — and who pays
The owner has no reason to remember something that happens every seven or fourteen years. The only person who can remember it is the electrician who carried out the previous inspection — and only if they noted it somewhere they’ll see it.
In practice, that “somewhere” is almost always a binder that never gets opened. That’s why re-inspections usually happen when a third party asks for one (a sale, a lease, an insurer) rather than when they’re due.
How it becomes scheduled work
- On every declaration you sign, record the date of the next inspection together with the type of premises.
- Keep the date on the installation, not on the customer: the property will still be there, the owner may change.
- Set a reminder three months before — early enough to schedule it, late enough to be relevant.
- Send a short message saying what’s expiring and why it’s needed. It isn’t a sales pitch; it’s information about the owner’s obligation.
- Group re-inspections in the same area into the same week.
In ElectroPro, the next inspection date goes onto the installation record when you enter the declaration, and it shows up in your to-do list as it approaches — without you having to remember a thing.
Note
Inspection intervals are set by the legislation in force and may change. Confirm the current rules in your country with the competent authority before telling a customer about their obligations.