Each building system comes with its own records of how it was installed, tested and commissioned. The contract and specification usually ask for them, and some are required by law. They normally go in the O&M manual; the health and safety file points to them and records any hazards they reveal.
The standards named below are the editions current in November 2026. British Standards are generally voluntary. They may become binding through a contract or a specific legal requirement, and their role depends on the particular standard and the regime that applies; contracts, insurers and building control often expect work to follow them. Certificates should say which edition the work was designed and done to.
A certificate issued to an earlier edition is not wrong just because a newer one has since been published. Assess it against the edition that applied when the work was designed and carried out, and any transition period the publisher set.
Electrical and fire systems
| System | What to hand over | Comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical installation | Electrical installation certificate, with the schedule of inspections and schedule of test results; distribution board schedules | BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (the previous version was withdrawn on 15 October 2026) |
| Minor electrical work, such as an added socket or light on an existing circuit | Minor electrical installation works certificate, where that is the appropriate form instead of an electrical installation certificate | BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 |
| Electrical work in dwellings by a registered installer | Building Regulations compliance certificate from the installer's competent person scheme, within 30 days | Building Regulations 2010, regulation 20 |
| Fire detection and alarm, non-domestic | Design, installation, commissioning and acceptance certificates, with the zone plan and cause and effect | BS 5839-1:2025 |
| Fire detection and alarm, dwellings | Certificates for the system installed | BS 5839-6 |
| Emergency lighting | Completion certificate, with the log book for routine tests | BS 5266-1:2025 |
| Sprinklers, commercial and industrial | Design and commissioning documents, including water supply test results | BS EN 12845:2015+A2:2026 |
| Sprinklers, residential and domestic | Commissioning documents | BS 9251 |
| Lightning protection | Test and inspection records | BS EN 62305 |
Heating, ventilation and water
| System | What to hand over | Comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed building services (heating, hot water, ventilation, cooling) | Commissioning records; notice to building control that they were commissioned, by the deadline for the route (see handover documents) | Building Regulations 2010, regulation 44 |
| Mechanical ventilation in new dwellings (in Wales, also existing dwellings where it is provided or extended) | Air flow rate test results, to building control within 5 days of the final test | Building Regulations 2010, regulation 42 |
| Gas appliances | Commissioning record, usually the Benchmark checklist; Building Regulations compliance certificate through Gas Safe Register | Gas Safe registration is required for work in premises covered by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, such as homes, shops, offices and schools; some industrial premises are outside them and need a competent person instead. The certificate is under regulation 20 |
| Water fittings | Contractor's certificate from an approved contractor | Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 6 |
| Hot and cold water services | Flushing and, where needed, disinfection records; information for the client's legionella risk assessment | HSE L8; BS 8558:2015 and PD 855468:2015 |
| Pressure systems (steam, compressed air, hot water above 110°C; not an ordinary pressurised domestic hot water system just because it is pressurised) | Written scheme of examination, in place before the system is operated; and, where the scheme requires an examination before first use, the competent person's report of it | Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, regulations 8 and 9 |
Lifts, access and the building fabric
| Item | What to hand over | Comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger and goods lifts | Report of thorough examination after installation and before first use | LOLER 1998, regulation 9 |
| Escalators and moving walkways | Commissioning, inspection and maintenance records. They are not lifting equipment under LOLER | PUWER 1998, and the contract and specification |
| Fall-arrest anchor systems | Installation information and test or inspection records, with the inspection regime | BS 7883:2019, for anchor devices to BS EN 795 |
| Airtightness of a new building | Air pressure test results, to building control within 7 days of the final test | Building Regulations 2010, regulation 43 |
| Sound insulation, where testing is required | Test results to building control: for ordinary work, no later than the date the completion notice is given; for higher-risk building work, with the completion certificate application; under a registered building control approver in England, within 5 days of completion | Building Regulations 2010, regulation 41 |
| Fire stopping and fire doors | Product data, installer certification where third-party certified, and records of what was installed where | The contract and specification; feeds the fire safety information |
| Drainage | As-built layout and test or survey records | The contract and specification |
Before you accept a certificate
A certificate is only useful if it matches what was built. Before accepting one, check that:
- It is for this building and this work: the address, the area and the scope match.
- It names the standard and edition the work was done to.
- It is complete, dated and signed by someone competent, and registered where a scheme requires it.
- The results are recorded, not just "satisfactory", and any limitations, departures or observations are listed.
- Defects affecting safety or compliance have been resolved, and any required retesting completed. Record other outstanding items with an agreed action, a responsible person and a deadline. Recording a defect does not make the work safe to use: a report that lists a dangerous defect, such as a lift thorough examination report, is not evidence that the equipment can be used until the defect is put right.
- It is legible and searchable, in a format the client can keep.
How certificates relate to the health and safety file
Certificates normally go in the O&M manual, not the file. The file needs what they tell a future contractor: where the significant services and isolation points are, any hazards that remain, and safe working loads or limitations. The file can refer to the certificate for the detail. See what goes in the file.
Sources
- Building Regulations 2010 (regulations 20, 41, 42, 43 and 44)
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 6
- LOLER 1998, regulation 9
- Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, regulations 8 and 9
- HSE: pressure systems
- HSE: LOLER overview (escalators and moving walkways)
- HSE: gas safety duties
- IET: BS 7671 model forms (EIC and minor works certificate)
- IET and BSI publish Amendment 4 (2026) to BS 7671:2018
- BSI: the different types of British Standard
- BSI: BS 5839-1:2025
- BSI: BS 5266-1:2025
- BSI: BS 7883:2019
- HSE, L8 Legionnaires' disease: the control of legionella bacteria in water systems