Who disconnects equipment before collection?
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Disconnection belongs to whoever the agreed scope assigns it to, using people competent for the actual work. Do not assume it is automatically the buyer's job, the seller's electrician's job or part of a haulier's collection service.
Set the responsibility before the sale. Buyers need to price the work, and site staff need to know which equipment is safe to release.
Separate arranging the work from doing it
The person booking a contractor may not be qualified to carry out or approve the technical work. Record both roles, together with the service boundaries.
| Item | Arrangement owner | Competent work provider | Evidence before release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical supply to a named machine | Named seller or buyer contact | Appropriate electrical contractor | Agreed isolation and disconnection completion record |
| Commercial catering gas appliance | Named contact | Person with competence and registration appropriate to the work | Appliance and supply boundary confirmed |
| Compressed air, steam or other service | Named contact | Specialist appropriate to the system | Agreed release record and remaining-service condition |
| Shared controls or interlocks | Site technical owner | Appropriate specialist | Effect on retained equipment assessed and resolved |
| Remaining building connection | Property or site owner | Relevant provider | Safe agreed end condition confirmed |
Fill the table for the actual site. It is not a universal certification format or permission to undertake the work.
For electrical work in Great Britain, HSE guidance on working on equipment explains the importance of safe working arrangements and suitable competence. A switched-off control panel does not tell a collector that every relevant source has been addressed.
Define the boundary that remains
A connected asset may share power, extraction, water, gas, controls or other services with equipment that stays. Ask the technical owner to identify those interfaces.
Consider a fictional workshop where two machines share an air distribution arrangement. Selling one machine does not authorise removal of the whole system. The scope should identify the departing machine, the retained service and who leaves the remaining installation in the agreed condition.
Photographs and marked drawings can support the discussion. They are not substitutes for the appropriate inspection or technical decision.
For catering assets, use the gas equipment guide and electrical evidence guide to prepare the relevant records. HSE's commercial catering gas information sheet explains the competence and registration distinctions for that sector; do not treat all catering gas tasks as interchangeable.
Use a readiness hold
Keep the asset on hold until the agreed evidence is available and the named person has confirmed release. A scheduled contractor visit is not evidence that the work was completed.
Record the asset reference, work date, provider, completion evidence and any remaining restrictions. If the contractor finds an unexpected connection, update the scope and collection plan before proceeding.
Tell the collection team exactly what the release covers. Disconnected may still mean fixed to the floor, full of fluid, linked mechanically to another asset or awaiting dismantling. Avoid turning one completed task into a blanket ready-to-load claim.
Connect disconnection to the next activity
The dismantling scope guide helps define what happens after service work. Coordinate the sequence with the movement contractor so that neither party expects the other to resolve an interface.
Keep changes visible to the person handling the sale. If preparation takes longer than expected, revise the appointment through the agreed route.
Give UK Auction Group the responsibility matrix and realistic readiness conditions. That allows collection information to describe what buyers must arrange and what the site will provide.
Sources
This guide gives general information. Equipment-specific, legal, tax and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser or competent specialist. The guides do not promise sale prices, fees or results.