Skip to content

Why every EV installer must keep control of their install data

Picture of Mark Pymm

A practical guide to protecting your work, your reputation, and your income when it comes to customer and installation data in the EV charging industry

As an EV installer, your reputation lives and dies by your work, but once the job is complete, it’s the data that protects you.

From compliance and warranty claims to grant audits and customer disputes, if you don’t hold the photos, certificates, and technical records… you’re left exposed.

More worrying? Some manufacturers and platforms are now trying to centralise, control, or delete that data, even telling installers they have no right to keep it, as they were just a subcontractor.

This white paper lays out exactly:

  • Why that could be legally and commercially dangerous
  • What you're required to keep (and for how long)
  • How to retain control of your install data, and why you should never give it away

Website Banner Image Temlate (2)

General Law: The 6-Year Rule That Could Cost You:

Under the Limitation Act 1980, a customer can make a legal claim for breach of contract or negligence for up to 6 years after an installation.

So even if you installed a charger in 2021, you could still face a claim in 2027.

If that happens, and you’ve deleted your:

  • Installation photos
  • Certificates
  • DNO paperwork
  • Test results

…you may not be able to defend yourself, even if the work was done perfectly.

If you don’t keep the data, you can’t prove the job was done right.

 

Your CPS: Scheme Requirements You Signed Up To

Both NICEIC and NAPIT require their approved contractors to:

  • Retain electrical certificates and test results for at least 6 years
  • Keep copies of notifiable works
  • Provide records when requested for audits, complaints, or dispute resolution

Failure to do this doesn’t just put your work at risk, it can result in deregistration and damage your business credentials.

 

BS 7671: The Wiring Regs Expect It

The IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) say:

  • Every installation or alteration must be documented
  • Installers must retain a copy of the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or Minor Works Certificate (MEIWC)
  • Test results should be kept for future inspections or modifications

This isn’t admin, it’s a safety and traceability requirement.

 

OZEV Grants: Keep the Evidence or Pay It Back

For installers who claimed under:

  • EVHS (Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme)
  • EVCG (Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant)
  • WCS (Workplace Charging Scheme)

…the rules are clear:

You must retain all supporting documentation for at least 6 years.

That includes:

  • Photos of the installation (pre, during, and post)
  • Signed customer declarations
  • EICs and test results
  • Grant claim forms and supporting invoices

If OZEV audits you and you can’t provide that data, you must repay the grant, potentially £350 to £14,000 per job.

Even if the job came via a third party, you’re liable.

 

UK GDPR: Why Installers Are Data Controllers

Let’s clear something up... If a platform or manufacturer shares a job with you, including customer details, and you use that data to:

  • Carry out a DNO application
  • Upload photos
  • Store EICs
  • Generate test results

You are not just a Data Processor.

Under UK GDPR, you are a Data Controller for the installation data you handle and generate. That means:

  • You decide how and why the data is used (e.g. for certification, compliance, grant evidence)
  • You hold legal responsibility for keeping that data safe, secure, and accessible
  • You have a duty to retain it for regulatory and legal reasons

If someone tells you to delete that data, and you comply, you could be in breach of GDPR, especially if it later results in lost evidence or an unresolved complaint.

You’re not handling someone else’s data on their behalf, you’re handling your own records for your own compliance. That’s a legal difference that matters.

 

Best Practice: What to Keep, and For How Long

Here’s a clear, no-nonsense checklist of what you should retain for every job:

Data Type Description Keep For
📑 Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) For new installations 6+ years
🧾 Minor Works Certificate (MEIWC) For alterations / additions 6+ years
📋 Test Results & Schedules Proof of compliance and safety 6+ years
📷 Photos (Before, During, After) Location, routing, finish 6+ years
🧾 Invoices & Payment Records Proof of transaction 6+ years
📤 DNO Applications / Responses Grid approval evidence 6+ years
✍️ Signed Customer Docs Job sheets, acceptance, declarations 6+ years
💷 OZEV Documentation All forms & evidence 6+ years

TOP Tip:

Use a secure platform that you control and own the licence for as your companies ‘one source of truth’, regardless of the platform where and how the job is shared, and by who.

 

Final Word to Installers

When it comes to accountability, it doesn’t matter where the lead came from, the moment you take on the job, the responsibility becomes yours. From the first communication to the final test result, the paper trail is what protects you.

If there’s ever a fault, a dispute, a claim, or an audit down the line, it’s your name on the certificate, and that means you need to own the data that backs it all up.

  • You surveyed the job.
  • You delivered the installation
  • You signed it off.
  • You’re liable, even if someone else gave you the work.

 

Don't hand away control of your installation data.

Don't delete your records because someone else says so.

Don't leave your future unprotected.

 
,