Last updated 7 October 2026
Short answer: walk round your home one room at a time and look for the same few things: damaged plugs, leads and sockets, sockets or switches that feel warm or show scorch marks, overloaded extension leads, water near electrics, and RCD protection at the consumer unit. Everything on this checklist is a look and listen check you can do safely without opening anything. If you find burn marks, buzzing, a smell of burning or a breaker that keeps tripping, stop using that circuit or appliance and get an electrician to investigate.
This is a room by room list. If you would rather work through the year, our electrical maintenance calendar sets out what to check monthly, six monthly and yearly, and our winter electrical safety checklist covers heaters, outdoor fittings and power cuts. The room advice below follows Electrical Safety First’s home safety guidance.
Start at the consumer unit
The consumer unit (fuse box) protects every room, so check it first.
- You know where it is, it is easy to reach, and nothing is stored against it.
- The circuits are labelled so you can tell which breaker feeds which room.
- There is at least one RCD. Look for a “Test” or “T” button. Pressing it should switch off the circuits it protects; switch it back on afterwards. Repeat every six months.
- There is no damage, scorching, discolouration or crackling sound, and the casing does not feel hot.
- Check the label inside or beside the unit for the date of the last inspection and when the next one is due.
Call an electrician if there is no RCD, the RCD will not switch off when tested or will not reset, or you see or hear any of the warning signs above. Older boards without RCDs are not automatically unsafe, but an inspection will tell you whether yours needs changing. If it does, our consumer unit service in Aberdeen starts from £550 + VAT.
Kitchen
- Sockets and switches are a safe distance from the sink. Electrical Safety First suggests at least 30 cm horizontally where possible.
- Appliances under worktops, such as the fridge, dishwasher and washing machine, can be switched off without pulling them out. A switch above the worktop is the ideal.
- Leads are not trailing across the hob or near the sink, and no lead is damaged.
- No socket has so many appliances plugged in that it is overloaded, and high power appliances like kettles and heaters are not sharing an adaptor.
- The oven and grill are free of built up fat and grease, a major cause of kitchen fires.
- Nothing is stored on top of the microwave or blocking appliance vents.
- Your heat alarm sounds when you press its test button.
Call an electrician if a socket near the sink is damaged or gets splashed, or the cooker switch or connection feels warm.
Bathroom and shower room
Wet skin conducts electricity more easily, so the bathroom carries more risk than any other room.
- No extension leads or plug in appliances are brought into the room.
- Any socket is a shaver supply unit, unless it is at least 2.5 metres from the edge of the bath or shower tray.
- Light switches are a ceiling pull cord or are outside the room, so they are not used with wet hands.
- Light fittings are enclosed, or out of reach of someone in or just out of the bath or shower.
- The electric shower, if you have one, shows no scorching or water marks on its casing or isolator, and runs on its own circuit.
- The extractor fan runs and clears steam. Condensation that hangs around ends up on fittings.
Call an electrician if you see water inside a light fitting or shower casing, the shower isolator feels warm, or you get even a slight tingle from anything metal.
Living room
- Sockets are undamaged, free of burn marks and not warm to the touch.
- Extension leads behind the television and games consoles are not overloaded or plugged into each other.
- Laptops, tablets and phones charge on a hard surface, not on the sofa or carpet.
- Lamp flexes and plugs show no wear, cracks or loose covers.
- Lights are not flickering. Electrical Safety First says flickering lights should not be ignored, because they can be a sign the installation needs inspecting.
Bedrooms
- Phones and tablets are not charging on the bed or under a pillow, and ideally not overnight or unattended.
- Portable heaters are well away from curtains, bedding and furniture, and never used to dry clothes.
- Electric blankets show no wear, scorching or damaged flexes, and are stored as the maker says.
- Extension leads are not overloaded, and clothes are not piled on chargers or leads.
- There is a working smoke alarm on the floor where people sleep.
Home office or study
- Adaptors and extension leads are not “daisy chained” into each other. If a lead will not reach, move the desk.
- Every device uses the charger it came with, not a cheap replacement.
- Drinks are kept away from laptops and power supplies.
- Cables are tidied away so nobody trips over them.
Garage, garden and outside
- Outdoor equipment is used through an RCD, either at the consumer unit or a plug in RCD.
- Extension leads and cable reels used outside are made for outdoor use, and cable reels are fully unwound before use.
- Electric tools are stored somewhere dry and checked for damage before use, and nothing is used outdoors until the ground is dry.
- Outdoor sockets and light fittings have intact covers and seals. If you live near the coast, look for corrosion on metal parts.
- A garden pond pump is protected by an RCD, which Electrical Safety First suggests testing at least every three months.
- You know roughly where buried cables run before you dig.
- If you have an EV charger, its cable and connector are undamaged and stored off the ground.
Call an electrician if an outdoor socket or light has water inside, a cover is broken, or the RCD trips whenever it rains.
Warning signs anywhere in the house
Whatever room you are in, stop using the socket, switch or appliance and get it checked if you notice:
- burn marks or discolouration on a plug, socket, switch or light fitting;
- buzzing, crackling or “arcing” sounds;
- a smell of burning or hot plastic;
- a socket, plug or switch that feels hot;
- a fuse that keeps blowing or a breaker that keeps tripping;
- a shock or tingle from a switch, appliance or metal fitting.
Our electrical fault finding service traces faults like these to the circuit and the cause.
What this checklist cannot tell you
A walk round only finds what you can see and hear. It cannot tell you whether the earthing is sound, whether the cable insulation is breaking down inside the walls, or whether the RCDs switch off fast enough. That needs an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), where an electrician inspects and tests every circuit. Book one if:
- the next inspection date on your last report or consumer unit label has passed;
- you have just bought the home and have no recent report;
- the electrics are old. Electrical Safety First says electrics more than 50 years old should be checked and updated;
- you found any of the warning signs above.
Under BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the current wiring regulations, only C1 and C2 findings make an EICR unsatisfactory; C3 and FI are advisory. Our EICR starts from £150 + VAT for the main board and the first five circuits, then £15 + VAT for each circuit above five. See our EICR service in Aberdeen for what is included.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I test my RCD?
Press the test button every six months. The Scottish Government’s guidance for landlords uses the same interval for tenants. If the RCD does not switch off, or will not reset, have it checked.
How far should a socket be from a kitchen sink?
There is no fixed distance in the rules, but Electrical Safety First advises at least 30 cm horizontally from the sink or other water source where possible.
Can you have a socket in a bathroom?
Only a shaver supply unit, unless the socket can be fitted at least 2.5 metres from the edge of the bath or shower tray. Never run an extension lead into a bathroom.
Is it safe to charge my phone overnight?
It is best avoided. Electrical Safety First advises against charging devices unattended or overnight, and never on a bed, sofa or under a pillow. Charge on a hard surface with the charger that came with the device.
Is it safe to use extension leads all the time?
They are fine as long as they are in good condition, not overloaded and not plugged into each other. If you rely on them in every room, you probably need more sockets, which an electrician can add to the existing circuits or on a new circuit.
How often should a house have an electrical inspection?
For an owner occupied home there is no legal interval; follow the next inspection date on your last report. Rented homes in Scotland must be inspected at least every five years. If you have no record of an inspection, book one.
Found something on the list?
Call 07304 027013 or contact us and tell us what you found. We are NICEIC Approved Contractor 620239 and work across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
