Here you'll learn what the Quinquennial Inspection is and how it impacts the work of the PCC.
Going deeper
Beyond the main architectural inspections, the PCC is also responsible for a number of regular safety and systems checks. These are essential for compliance and insurance purposes. These include:
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): An inspection of the building's fixed wiring. This is required at least once every five years.
- Portable Appliance Testing (PAT): An annual check of all movable electrical appliances owned by the church.
- Lightning Protection System: Must be tested annually by a specialist engineer.
- Fire Fighting Equipment: Fire extinguishers and other equipment should be checked annually by a competent person.
- Heating System/Boiler: Should be serviced annually by a qualified engineer.
- Organ: It is recommended that the church organ is tuned and checked annually, or as advised by the organ builder. Details of accredited organ builders can be found through the British Institute of Organ Builders.Resources
Resources
These web pages can be very helpful for those involved in tracking and organising maintenance tasks. Your Churchwarden may well be already aware of them but if not, feel free to share these links:
- The Church of England's 'Advice and guidance for church buildings' page.
- The Church of England's web page all about building maintenance and repair.
- A checklist offered by Ecclesiastical Insurance to support choices that help church buildings to be more resilient to the effects of climate change.
- The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) offers this maintenance calendar for any organisation responsible for ancient properties.
- The National Churches Trust also offers a maintenance web page.
- The Church of England's Parish Buying website offers deals and discounts for all sorts of church maintenance products and services.
- The Institute of British Organ Building (IBO) offers a list of accredited organ builders and specialists for maintenance, tuning and more.
We’d love to hear from you
We hope you’re enjoying this new resource and finding it useful. As it’s so new, we’re keen to hear what you think and how we can build on it.