Electrical Inspection Failed — What Now? Step-by-Step Guide After a Negative Inspection

Work methodically. The official sources used here do not publish a dependable national failure percentage. A negative report also does not tell you, in the abstract, whether it concerns documentation or an immediate safety risk. The individual findings in the inspection body's report are decisive.

In this guide, you'll learn what to do after a negative inspection, what the deficiency codes mean and how to prepare for the re-inspection.

What Happens After a Negative Inspection?

After the inspection, you receive a detailed report from the approved inspection body. It lists the infringements, affected installation sections and conclusion.

Read codes using the report's own legend

Code systems and priority classes can vary between organisations and report templates. Do not derive a universal Belgian deadline from “C1”, “C2” or “C3”. Use the legend in the actual report and ask the issuer to clarify the rule reference, circuit and expected proof. Any finding identified as immediate danger takes priority regardless of its short code.

Deadlines by Situation

Property Sale

For the relevant sale inspection of an old dwelling, the buyer generally has 18 months from the authentic deed, not simply a private offer date, to remedy the installation and arrange a new inspection.

New Installation

For a new installation or major modification, the section affected by infringements cannot be put into use. The issues must first be corrected and a new conformity control carried out. Any grid-connection process must be confirmed separately with the relevant operator.

Periodic Inspection

After a negative periodic inspection, federal guidance requires a supplementary visit by the same body within twelve months. Still verify the control type, report and any special instruction.

Ten review areas, not a statistical ranking

Use these as review areas, not a claim about national frequency or an automatic verdict:

1. residual-current protection appropriate to each circuit and load;
2. single-line diagram, situation plan and board labels describing the same installation;
3. earthing, bonding and automatic-disconnection concept supported by measurements;
4. clear identification of circuits and protective devices;
5. cable selection and mechanical protection appropriate to the installation method;
6. special-location rules, including the actual bathroom geometry;
7. main switching and isolation suitable for the installation;
8. coordination of conductor, installation conditions and overcurrent protection;
9. an explicit project assessment of surge protection;
10. separation of AREI/RGIE findings from regional housing duties such as smoke alarms.

The inspector's exact finding and the current Book 1 text determine what must be corrected. A list cannot replace diagnosis, measurements or the report.

Record the applicable edition and the inspector's wording before choosing a remedy.

Step by Step: After the Negative Inspection

Step 1: Read the Report Carefully

Go through each deficiency individually. Note down:

• Which report category and legend does the inspection body use?
• Where exactly is the problem (room, circuit)?
• What exactly is the complaint?

Step 2: Set Priorities

Start with every item the report identifies as immediate danger, a reason for disconnection, or a barrier to first use. Then order the remaining work by dependency: cause and protection concept first, followed by execution, measurement and documentation.

Step 3: Professional or DIY?

You can organise the report, collect records and compare the drawings with visible equipment. Whether a correction is safe and lawful to carry out yourself depends on the work and your competence. Work inside a distribution board or on protection, earthing and fixed wiring belongs with an electrical professional:

• Retrofit or replace RCDs
• Improve earthing
• Route cables through protective conduit
• Install the main switch

Step 4: Update Plans

The single-line diagram and situation plan must reflect the current state. Do not invent conductor sizes or protection ratings. Resolve unknown characteristics before export or record them clearly as open.

Step 5: Schedule the Re-Inspection

The responsible body depends on the procedure. A supplementary visit after a negative periodic inspection is carried out by the same body. For a new inspection after the relevant negative sale inspection, the buyer may generally select an approved body and the complete installation is reviewed again. Confirm the scope from the report before booking.

Budget without false precision

Fees and repair costs vary with procedure, inspection body, travel, number of boards, measurement effort and the actual defect. Request the current tariff directly. A repair quotation should separate diagnosis, materials, labour, measurements, drawing updates and the next inspection. A fixed online price cannot represent concealed wiring repairs or a board rebuild.

Build evidence for the next inspection

Keep one row per finding: report text, affected circuit, planned action, responsible person, completion date and evidence. Photos can support the record but do not replace measurements. Update drawings only after the work has actually been completed, then reconcile labels and references again.

The official domestic inspection-types page explains consequences and deadlines. The federal property-sale FAQ covers the 18-month period and selection of an inspection body. Use the federal list of approved bodies when booking.

Turn each finding into a verifiable action

An inspection report often states an outcome rather than the technical cause. Low insulation resistance might come from a damaged conductor, moisture, connected equipment or several issues together. “Drawing does not match” can mean a missing socket or an incorrect sequence of protective devices. Do not immediately order one component; first establish the cause and affected scope.

Ask five questions for every finding:

1. which installation section was actually inspected?
2. which rule or protective function is affected?
3. what diagnosis or measurement confirms the cause?
4. what correction removes the cause instead of hiding the symptom?
5. what evidence will allow the inspection body to verify the completed correction?

Findings can depend on one another. A board alteration changes the single-line diagram, labels, protective devices and potentially measurements. Earthing work must be complete before the final drawings and repeat measurements. Plan one consistent final state instead of documenting a chain of contradictory intermediate states.

Separate documentation from physical defects

A missing drawing is not solved by drawing unverified assumptions. Survey the installation first; opening and measuring equipment belongs only with someone able to do so safely and competently. Then connect every plan symbol to the actual circuit and confirm that the board, single-line diagram and situation plan use the same reference.

A physical defect is not solved by improving the drawing. If a protective device is unsuitable, earthing inadequate or a cable mechanically exposed, the physical installation must be corrected and, where required, measured again. Only then should the drawings be updated to the executed condition. This order prevents a return visit from finding current documents but the same hazard.

The property-sale case

After a negative sale inspection, keep the report, authentic deed and installation file together. The eighteen months run from the authentic deed. The buyer communicates identity and deed date to the original inspection body. If another approved body is chosen for the new visit, the official federal explanation says that body informs the first one.

The period is not permission to ignore an evident hazard. Have unsafe sections assessed promptly and isolated where necessary. A resale, complete renovation or demolition during the period may change the procedure; use the federal FAQ and the specific notarial situation rather than a generic answer.

Control changes before the follow-up visit

After remediation, freeze a documented state: dated plans, board labels, measurement records and photographs of work that will become concealed. Compare every later change with that state and update the file where necessary. Otherwise, one seemingly minor added cable can break the consistency that the electrician and drafter established. Ask all users to avoid temporary connections and independent alterations before the visit. If a change is unavoidable, give the responsible professional the report, current plans and an exact description of the new work. The evidence then remains continuous and the inspector does not unknowingly assess a different installation from the one prepared.

Final readiness check

• Every finding maps to a completed action.
• Corrections requiring measurements have documented results.
• Circuit references match at the board and on both plans.
• Added and removed equipment is reflected on the situation plan.
• Ratings and cable data match the executed single-line diagram.
• The correct body and inspection type are confirmed.
• Report, drawings, EAN code and relevant manufacturer evidence are ready.

This cannot promise a positive report. It does prevent a completed repair from becoming unverifiable because records or references contradict one another.

How PlanElec Helps

The PlanElec self-check can flag some supported planning issues before the inspection:

• Validation flags supported data about RCDs and protection sizing
• Single-line diagram represents the entered topology consistently
• Situation plan uses the supported Belgian symbol library
• Labelling of all circuits is automatically documented in the diagram

The self-check is not a conformity certificate, performs no measurements and cannot guarantee a positive result. It supports a consistent file for professional review.

Related articles:

• Top 10 AREI Violations
• 30 mA RCD: When Is It Mandatory?
• Cable Cross-Section and Breaker: The Right Combination

Prepare your electrical plans with PlanElec and use the self-check as guidance before professional review and the official inspection. Get started →