The requirement for a COC arises from 7(5) of the Electrical Installation Regulations, which reads as follows:
Subject to the provisions of section 10(4) of the Act, the user or lessor may not allow a change of ownership if the certificate of compliance is older than two years.
Section 10(4) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act reads as follows:
Where a person designs, manufactures, imports, sells or supplies an article or substance for or to another person and that other person undertakes in writing to take specified steps sufficient to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that the article or substance will comply with all prescribed requirements and will be safe and without risks to health when properly used, the undertaking shall have the effect of relieving the first-mentioned person from the duty imposed upon him by this section to such an extent as may be reasonable having regard to the terms of the undertaking.
So what does this mean in practice in your situation?
If the purchaser undertakes to take responsibility for the issue of the COC, the seller may be legally relieved of this responsibility. For clarity though, the COC must be issued before the purchaser may take up residence (commence normal use of the installation).
Unfortunately although perfectly legal, the difficulty you are likely to face is to persuade the corporate machines to accept this process.
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