Homeowner Wiring - Certificate of Verification (CoV)

Thinking about doing your own electrical work? Short answer: don't. You wouldn't carry out your own dental work, so don't carry out your own electrical work. We've seen fires, property damage and shock injuries in Auckland homes caused by improper wiring, and a $10,000 professional job become $25,000 after rectification (both figures including GST).

If you've already completed homeowner wiring, eCertify may be able to help, anywhere in Auckland. Our registered inspectors go through the installation with a fine-tooth comb: mapping the full installation, checking all cable runs, protection and connections, and running a full suite of testing. This may require removal of wall linings unless you have photos from along the way.

If the work is safe, up to code and installed exactly per NZECP51, we issue a CoV. If issues are found, and in our experience something always needs rectifying, we provide a remedial report first.

Please be upfront: don't book a lower-cost option to hide homeowner wiring. We can tell, and if we find this has occurred you'll be charged in full for the visit and we'll no longer assist with certification.

What the rules actually require of homeowner wiring

New Zealand does let an owner do certain wiring work in their own home, and NZECP 51 is the code of practice that sets out what and how. The part people miss is what has to happen at the end of it.

Under that code, the testing and certification of owner completed wiring must be carried out by an electrical inspector, not by an electrician and not by you. The inspector certifies the work and livens it, and the work may only be connected to the supply by an inspector. Until then no part of it may be connected to a power supply while it is being carried out. There is no version of this where you finish the job, switch it on and get a certificate afterwards.

One practical trap sits at the switchboard. New cables run from the main switchboard of an existing installation have to be left in the ceiling space near it. You are not permitted into the back of the switchboard enclosure, and the connection into the switchboard has to be done by a licensed electrical worker.

What the inspector has to check

This is why the price is what it is. The code does not leave the scope to the inspector's judgement. The inspection and testing is done to NZS 3019 and must include a random selection of socket-outlets, light switches and light fittings, every socket-outlet rated above 10 A, every permanently connected appliance, and all fittings, appliances and light fittings associated with damp locations.

Every one of those, not a sample of them. On a whole house of owner wiring that is a long visit, and it is the reason this is the most expensive item on our list.

Why we ask for your photos

The inspector has to be satisfied about cable runs that are now behind linings. If you photographed the work as you went, before the plasterboard went on, that evidence does the job and the visit stays straightforward. If you did not, some linings may have to come off, and that is a cost and a mess that nobody enjoys.

So if you are reading this before you start: photograph everything. Every run, every junction, every fixing, with something in shot for scale. It is the cheapest insurance available on the whole project.

How long it takes

Longer than our other visits, and it varies with how much you did. A single circuit is a short job. A full house of owner wiring is most of a day. Tell us the scope when you book and we will give you a realistic window rather than an optimistic one.

If the work does not pass

In our experience something almost always needs rectifying, and that is not a criticism. You get a remedial report first, setting out what has to change and why. Once it is put right, we certify. Some of the rectification you may be able to do yourself under the same code, and some of it you will not. We will tell you which is which rather than leaving you to find out.

Please be upfront with us

Do not book a cheaper inspection and hope the owner wiring goes unnoticed. We can tell. If we find it has been hidden from us you will be charged in full for the visit and we will not assist with certification afterwards. Tell us at the point of booking and the whole thing is straightforward.

What the price includes

The price is fixed and includes GST. It covers callout and mileage anywhere in Auckland, the full inspection and testing the code requires, and either your certificate or a remedial report. Removal and reinstatement of linings, and any remedial work, are separate and always quoted before anything starts.