Checking a home's electrical installation (boletín eléctrico)

Terms used

• Boletín — The boletín is the electrical installation certificate (CIE) that shows a home's wiring was installed and checked to the rules.
• CIE — The CIE (certificado de instalación eléctrica) is the official certificate of a home's electrical installation, also called the boletín.
• ICP — The ICP is the power-limiting switch that cuts the supply if you use more than your contracted power.
• Cuadro eléctrico — The cuadro eléctrico is the fuse box or electrical panel with the switches that protect your circuits.

Key rules

• Boletín validity: A boletín is generally accepted for a home supply contract for 20 years from issue.
• Landlord pays: The landlord pays to bring worn wiring up to standard and to obtain a certificate needed for the supply.
• Change of holder: In most regions, changing the contract holder at a home with a current supply needs no new boletín.
• Earthing: A working test button on the differential does not prove the home has earthing.

What to look at first

Start with the fuse box (cuadro eléctrico). It tells you most of what you need to know about the installation. The checklist below walks you through it step by step. This page explains what you are looking for and what to do with the result.

A modern, safe panel normally has:

• A power-limiting switch (ICP) or a smart meter with a power limiter, matching the contracted power.
• A general breaker.
• One or more differential switches rated 30 mA, each with a test button.
• A separate small breaker for each circuit: lighting, sockets, kitchen, oven or hob, washing machine, air conditioning.
• A label on every circuit.
• A closed cover with no bare live parts.
• Tidy wiring. The earth wire is green-yellow.

Warning signs are old porcelain or screw-in fuses, no differential switch, and burn marks.

Checking the earthing

Earthing is what makes the differential switch protect you. You can do some checks yourself:

• Look at the sockets. They should be the type with earth clips or pins. But a socket can have clips and no earth wire behind it.
• Press the test button on the differential. It should trip. A working button does not prove the home has earthing.
• Plug in a cheap socket tester. It shows whether the earth is connected.
• Look for a green-yellow wire at the panel running to an earth bar or an earth point in the building.

These checks have limits. A tester does not show whether the earth is good enough. Only an electrician with an earth-resistance meter can measure that. If anything looks doubtful, ask an electrician to check before you sign or move in.

When you need a certificate

A certificado de instalación eléctrica (CIE), usually called the boletín, is the paper that says the installation was made and checked to the rules. You need a new one in these cases:

• A new installation.
• A reform or extension that needs a technical project.
• A power increase that changes the installation's category or needs a new installation.

The electricity distributor asks for a valid boletín when a new supply is connected. It also asks for one when a supply is reactivated after a long time without service. Sometimes it asks when the contract holder changes and no valid certificate is on file.

In most regions, a simple change of holder at a home with a current supply needs no new boletín. A power increase within what the installation can already handle usually needs only a procedure with the distributor. Regions differ on whether a new boletín is also required, so ask your distributor and the regional industry department.

How long it lasts

A boletín is generally accepted for a home supply contract for 20 years from issue. It stops being accepted if the installation is substantially modified or an inspection finds defects. Some regions set different periods or require updating in specific cases.

Who pays

The landlord pays to bring worn wiring or installations up to standard and to obtain a certificate needed for the supply. That includes renewing a worn panel or wiring.

As a tenant, you pay for damage you cause and small everyday repairs. You also pay the normal supply contract charges. A lease can share out minor costs, but it cannot make you carry the landlord's duty to provide a safe, habitable home.

If you ask for a power increase for your own needs, you normally pay the distributor's fees.

If you are buying, ask the seller for the current boletín and its date before you commit. Budget for any upgrade yourself, because the cost will be yours after purchase.

Timeline and deadlines

• Boletín issued for the installation: on the day it is issued, when the work is finished

• Distributors accept the boletín for new contracts, changes of holder and reconnections: for 20 years from issue

Documents you need

• Certificado de instalación eléctrica (CIE, or boletín): needed for a new supply, for a reform or extension that needs a technical project, and when a power increase changes the installation's category. The installer who did the work issues it, and the distributor asks for it for a new connection.

• A valid boletín on file when a supply is reactivated after a long time without service. It also helps when the contract holder changes at a home that has no certificate on file. It must be no more than 20 years old and must not predate a substantial modification of the installation.

• Boletín for a rented home: the landlord pays to obtain it when it is needed for the supply contract.

Safety checklist for wiring, gas and water on arrival

Day-one safety checklist

• Open the fuse box (cuadro eléctrico) and look for a main switch, a power-limiting switch (ICP) or smart meter, and a separate small breaker for each circuit.

• Check that the panel has a differential switch rated 30 mA with a test button, then press the button once to see that it trips.

• Look for warning signs in the panel: old porcelain or screw-in fuses, no differential switch, burn marks, loose wires or an open cover.

• Check that each circuit is labelled and that the cover closes with no bare live parts showing.

• Test every socket and light switch in each room, and note any that are loose, cracked, warm or dead.

• Read the date printed on any rubber butane hose and the stamp on the regulator, and replace them if they are out of date.

• Read the boiler's data plate and check that the model and serial number match the paperwork.

• Find the boiler's service sticker and note the date of the last and next service.

• Look at the boiler and its flue for leaks, rust or soot, and check the age of the unit.

• Run every tap and flush every toilet, and look under sinks for leaks.

• Ask for the electrical installation certificate (boletín) and check that it was issued for this home.

• Ask for the gas installation certificate and proof of the latest gas review, which is due every 5 years.

• Ask for the energy performance certificate, plus the boiler maintenance records and, in regions that require it, the habitability certificate (cédula de habitabilidad).

• Send any defect you find to the seller or landlord in writing within your first days, with photos, and ask them to fix it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a new boletín when I only change the contract holder?

No, in most regions a simple change of holder at a home with a current supply needs no new boletín. A distributor may still ask for one if the supply has no valid certificate on file. If that happens, ask the landlord to arrange it.

Do I need a new certificate to increase my contracted power?

Not usually, because a power increase within the installation's capacity normally needs only a procedure with the distributor. A new certificate may be needed if the increase changes the installation's category or needs a new installation. Regions differ, so ask your distributor first.

Does a working test button on the differential prove my home has earthing?

No, a differential that trips when you press its test button does not prove there is an earth connection. Plug in a cheap socket tester and look for a green-yellow earth wire at the panel. Only an electrician with an earth-resistance meter can tell you whether the earth is good enough.

Who pays if I ask for a power increase for my own needs?

You normally pay the distributor's fees when you ask for more power for your own needs. The landlord still pays for bringing a worn installation up to standard. The lease can split minor costs, but it cannot shift the landlord's duty to provide a habitable home to you.