If you manage more than one building, compliance can feel like a game of whack a mole. One site is due testing, another site needs remedials, a third site has a tenant move and suddenly everyone wants the paperwork today.
The fix is not more documents. The fix is one simple compliance calendar that tells you what is due, what is overdue, who owns it and what evidence you need.
Whether your sites are in Canary Wharf, Stratford, Southwark, Wembley, Greenwich, Hammersmith, Ealing, Croydon, Ilford or Barking, the principle is the same.
HSE makes the core duty clear. Electrical equipment must be maintained to prevent danger and the type and frequency of checks depends on the equipment, the environment and previous results.
So your calendar is not just dates. It is your evidence that you run a sensible system.
Step 1: Decide who owns the programme
Start with ownership, otherwise the calendar becomes a spreadsheet that nobody updates.
For each site, document:
Duty holder or responsible person
Approver for remedials and budgets
Key contact for access and shutdowns
Escalation route for urgent defects
This saves you when staff change or when procurement asks for proof of control.
Step 2: Build a basic asset register
You cannot schedule what you cannot see.
Your starter register should include:
Distribution boards and main isolators
Known high risk areas such as plant rooms, kitchens and comms rooms
Emergency lighting system type
Portable equipment categories, especially extension leads and shared appliances
Keep it simple. You can always refine it later.
Step 3: Set the inspection rhythm the right way
Here is the part many portfolios get wrong. They copy a fixed interval from another site.
IET guidance is clear that the interval for periodic inspection should be determined based on the type of installation, its use and operation, the frequency and quality of maintenance and external influences.
So treat your calendar as risk based. A quiet office block is different to a venue, school or hospitality site.
Step 4: Include the big three compliance streams
1) Portable equipment maintenance (PAT done properly)
HSE is clear that it is a myth that all portable appliances in a low risk environment need a PAT every year. The law requires equipment to be maintained to prevent danger and it does not prescribe fixed intervals.
Your calendar should include:
Routine user checks where appropriate
Planned visual inspections
Testing intervals based on risk and history
2) Emergency lighting checks and records
BAfE guidance summarises functional operation checks at least monthly and a full rated duration test at least annually, with failures recorded in a logbook and managed until repaired.
Your calendar should include:
Monthly functional test
Annual full duration test
Logbook review and defect close out
3) Fixed wiring inspection and remedials tracking
Your calendar should show:
Next periodic inspection window
Any access constraints or phased testing approach
A live remedials log with owners and dates
This is where you win contracts and audits. Reports without completion evidence are a common failure point.
Step 5: Use a calendar that facilities teams can actually run
You want a calendar that supports real life. That means:
Grouping tasks by site and by month
Aligning disruptive work with out of hours windows
Building in time for remedials after inspection
Creating reminders 6 to 8 weeks before due dates
The frequency depends on environment and previous results, so your calendar should adapt year by year rather than staying static.
A simple compliance calendar template you can copy today
You can paste this into a spreadsheet and repeat it for each site.
Site details
Site name:
Address:
Primary use (office, education, hospitality, mixed use):
Key access notes:
Duty holder:
Facilities contact:
Compliance items
Fixed wiring inspection
Last inspection date:
Next due date:
Notes on limitations or phased areas:
Portable equipment programme
Current approach (user checks, inspections, testing):
Next cycle window:
High risk areas list:
Emergency lighting
Monthly test day:
Annual test month:
Logbook location:
Defects and remedials
Defects owner:
Target completion window:
Evidence storage link:
Reporting
Where certificates are stored:
Who receives monthly summary:
Next quarterly review date:
What a sensible yearly schedule looks like
This is a practical example you can adapt.
Monthly
Emergency lighting functional test and logbook entry
Quick visual sweep of common risk items like damaged extension leads and overloaded adaptors
Quarterly
Review defects log, close out completed items and chase anything overdue
Portfolio review call to check upcoming works and access planning
Annually
Emergency lighting full duration test with records
PAT programme window based on risk and usage
Compliance pack audit to confirm certificates and reports are filed correctly
Every few years
Periodic inspection scheduled based on site factors such as environment, maintenance quality and use
Why this calendar is the fastest path to retainer contracts
Property managers and facilities teams do not buy retainers because they love subscriptions. They buy them because:
The calendar becomes one programme not ten separate jobs
Reporting stays consistent across the portfolio
Remedials are managed with less admin and fewer surprises
You reduce downtime by planning instead of reacting
If you are aiming for multi site contracts across London, this is the language your content and service pages should speak.
If you manage a portfolio across London and want a compliance calendar that actually works in the real world, Azure Electrical Ltd can help you build it, run it and keep it audit ready.
Send us your site list and your latest certificates and we will propose a practical schedule with clear reporting and sensible SLAs.