Failed electrical inspection in Belgium: what next?

Direct answer. The deadline and the body to contact depend on the type of inspection. A report recording infringements calls for prompt action; an administrative deadline does not establish that the installation is safe. The different procedures are set out below.

We do not perform inspections: an independent approved inspection body does. We carry out the compliance work and prepare the file for the complementary visit.

1. First check which inspection you had

[1] FPS Economy: official procedure

Two points that prevent expensive mistakes:

• The inspection obligation on sale and on a power increase applies only to older domestic installations that have not undergone a conformity examination (or a full examination) after 1 October 1981.
• The sale inspection is not mandatory if seller and buyer agree it is superfluous because the installation will be fully renovated or the dwelling demolished; that agreement is recorded in the deed, and the buyer must inform the Directorate-General for Energy and supply the report for the new installation once it is in use.

2. The mistake to avoid: switching bodies to "pass"

This section concerns the complementary inspection; it does not remove the buyer’s free choice for the new inspection after a sale.

Having a second report drawn up by a different approved body is, according to the FPS Economy, an infringement of Book 1 of the RGIE/AREI, subject to sanctions. That second report remains legally valid as long as it records no infringements and those of the first report have been cleared — but it does not erase the obligations attached to the first report. If you did engage a third party within the prescribed period, the FPS advises informing the first body.

If nothing is done, or infringements remain at the complementary visit, the approved body informs the Directorate-General for Energy of the FPS Economy.

Practical consequence: book the complementary visit with the body that wrote the first report, and plan the works around their availability.

3. Turn the remarks into a scope of work

1. Protection — residual current devices, overcurrent protection, discrimination.
2. Earthing and equipotential bonding — earth electrode, protective conductors, bonding in wet rooms.
3. Distribution board — composition, circuit identification, identical or non-identical replacement.
4. Circuits and wiring — cross-sections, installation method, connection and junction boxes.
5. Equipment and wet zones — socket outlets, lighting points, equipment characteristics in risk zones.
6. Documentation file — see section 4; include it in the scope of work.

Also sort by safety urgency. If the installation stays in service, adequate measures must ensure the infringements do not endanger people or property.

4. The installation file

At an inspection you must hand over at least:

• the single-line diagrams of the installation;
• the position plans;
• if available, the EAN code (18 digits) identifying the connection, shown on your energy bill.

The single-line diagram states at least: characteristics of the wiring (type, cross-section, number of conductors), installation method, type and characteristics of residual current devices and of overcurrent protection, switches, connection boxes, junction boxes, socket outlets, lighting points, fixed machines and appliances, and the sources (transformer, solar panel, inverter, battery…). The position plan locates those same elements. Both belong to the installation file, kept in two copies, which also holds the inspection reports, the brief description of non-important modifications, and the technical documentation of the equipment and the PV installation.

• Important modification or extension (adding a circuit, non-identical replacement of a distribution board): conformity check before putting into use, plus new diagrams and plans.
• Non-important modification (adding a socket to an existing circuit, identical replacement of equipment): no pre-use check; a brief description, dated and signed by the person responsible for the work, kept in the file and shown on the position plan.

5. What your electrician needs from you

• the complete inspection report (every page, not just the conclusion), with the date and the name of the body;
• photos: closed distribution board with visible labels, without removing covers, meter, earth terminal, equipotential bonding in the bathroom and utility room, and every point named in the report;
• year of construction and the year of the last electrical work, if known;
• the single-line diagrams and position plans if they exist — and say plainly if they do not;
• your deadline: the date of the deed (sale) or the date of the visit (periodic/power increase);
• any renovation you plan soon (bathroom, kitchen, EV charger, solar panels): combining helps coordinate the work but does not remove inspection obligations.

6. What the written quote must contain

• The report's remarks point by point, each with the proposed solution.
• What is excluded, and why.
• Single-line diagrams and position plans: drawn by whom, delivered when.
• Who books the complementary inspection visit, and with which body (the same one as the first report).
• The schedule, and what stays out of service during the works.
• The VAT rate applied and why.
• Any evening/night/weekend surcharge, agreed before the works.

FAQ

What if safety appears to be at risk? Have an electrician assess the situation promptly and contact the body that issued the report. Do not remove covers or dismantle electrical equipment to take photographs.

Can I sell with a non-compliant report? The report is handed to the buyer at the deed and the handover is mentioned in the deed; the buyer then has 18 months. The FPS Economy states it is not competent to settle disputes between seller and buyer — only the courts are.

Can I pick a different body for the complementary visit? For the complementary visit, no: the same approved body verifies that the infringements are cleared. For the new inspection after a sale, the buyer chooses freely.

How long do I have? Remedy without delay; the complementary visit must happen within a maximum of one year of the inspection visit. A one-year window is not permission to wait a year before starting.

Official sources

• 1. SPF/FOD Economie — types de contrôle et suites des infractions
• 2. SPF/FOD Economie — documents, plans et modifications