Knowledge base
After a home sale, a renovation or a periodic check, a recognised inspection body hands you a report on your electrical installation. The document is short; the terminology is not. This guide walks through how the report is structured, what the diagrams mean and what to do with the verdict — so you know where you stand before you call anyone.
§01
A recognised inspection body (erkend keuringsorganisme) examines your installation at fixed moments: when a home is sold, before a new or heavily renovated installation is put into service, after a connection upgrade and periodically. The inspector works to the AREI (RGIE), the Belgian regulations for electrical installations, and records the findings in the report you receive.
§02
Every report contains the same building blocks: the identification of the installation and the type of inspection, the inspector's findings, the list of infringements and the final verdict — compliant or non-compliant.
Mind the difference between infringements and remarks. Infringements must be resolved and lead to a re-inspection; remarks are points of attention without an immediate obligation. Treating them as one pile makes the job look bigger — and costlier — than it is.
§03
Two documents belong with the inspection: the single-line diagram (which circuits exist, how they are protected and what is connected to them) and the position diagram (where sockets, light points and distribution boards sit in the home). Missing or outdated diagrams are among the most common infringements in older homes — annoying, but very fixable: they can be redrawn from the installation as it stands.
§04
Compliant means the inspector found no infringements. Non-compliant means the listed points must be resolved, followed by a re-inspection by a recognised body.
In a sale, the regulations set the period within which the new owner must bring the installation into order — typically eighteen months after the deed. The exact deadline for your situation is in the report itself or with your notary; use that as your reference, not a general rule of thumb.
§05
Use the list of infringements as your work list. An installer such as Heliora translates those points into a concrete repair plan: what has priority, what can be bundled and which documentation the inspection body expects at the re-inspection. The roles stay legally separate: the installer repairs and prepares, the recognised body approves.
