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Who Can Issue an Electrical Safety Certificate for My Catering Trailer?

by Zoe
(Ramsgate , Kent )

Black single-axle catering trailer plugged into a mains hook-up point on a UK hardstanding

Black single-axle catering trailer plugged into a mains hook-up point on a UK hardstanding

Hi ,
I'm looking for someone who can do me a electrical certificate for my catering trailer , in the THANET area of Ramsgate.
I am struggling to find anyone who can

Thanks
Zoe

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Aug 28, 2026
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by: MobCater

This one comes up more than you would think, and it is a real headache when you are ringing round and nobody seems to want the job. The good news is you are not doing anything wrong, it is just that a catering trailer is a slightly specialist bit of electrical work, so an ordinary domestic electrician sometimes shies away from it.

What you are after is an Electrical Installation Condition Report, usually shortened to an EICR. If the wiring in the trailer has just been installed or rewired you would get an Electrical Installation Certificate instead, but for a unit that is already up and running the EICR is the one most events, councils and insurers ask to see. As a rule of thumb, if your trailer runs anything off the mains through a hook-up lead, you want that report renewed every year.

The bit that trips people up is finding a sparky who is comfortable with it. A catering trailer counts as a mobile or transportable unit under the wiring regulations, which is covered by Section 717 of BS 7671. Not every electrician works with that section day to day, so when you phone round, ask straight out whether they have tested mobile units, caravans or exhibition stands before. The ones who do caravan and motorhome work are often your best bet locally.

To find someone properly qualified, use the free find an electrician tools on the NICEIC and NAPIT websites and search by your postcode. Both bodies only list electricians who are assessed and registered, so you know they are working to BS 7671. It is also worth asking other traders at your local events who they use, because a personal recommendation in your area is gold. Down your way in Thanet there will be caravan and marine electricians along the Kent coast who handle exactly this kind of work.

Keep the certificate somewhere safe once you have it, because you will be asked for it at pitch bookings and by your insurer, and a lapsed one can stop you trading on the day.

Hope that helps

David

Disclaimer: Electrical installation and testing on a catering unit must be carried out by a qualified electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT. Never attempt your own electrical certification. Standards and local requirements can change, so always confirm what your council, event organisers and insurer need before you trade.

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