Electrical Certificate of Compliance: What You Need to Know

A Certificate of Compliance (COC) is a legal document confirming that the electrical installation in a property meets the required safety standards at the time it was issued. It's not a maintenance guarantee — it's a snapshot of compliance on that date.

In South Africa, a valid COC is required by law when you sell a property — the seller must provide one to the buyer, and it needs to be issued by a registered person, not just any electrician.

You'll also need a COC after any new electrical installation or significant alteration to existing wiring, and most insurers require a valid COC on file to process a claim involving fire or electrical damage — worth checking before you assume you're covered.

A COC inspection checks things like earthing, bonding, circuit protection, and general wiring condition throughout the property, not just the specific area that was recently worked on, which is why older homes sometimes fail on issues unrelated to the current job.

If your COC is more than a few years old, or you're not sure whether one exists for your property, it's worth having an inspection done before you need one urgently — a sale, an insurance claim, or a fault are not the ideal moments to discover a compliance gap.

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