UK Logbook Glossary: Every Term Explained

Quick definition: a UK “logbook” is any formal record you’re expected to keep — vehicle registration (V5C), tachographs, fire tests, food temperatures, property documents and more. This glossary gives plain-English definitions and points to the full guides on Logbook.co.uk.

Jump: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · L · O · P · R · S · T · V · W

A

Accident book

The workplace record of accidents and injuries. Workplaces with 10 or more employees must keep one; smaller workplaces still need injury records under other duties.

Free template: accident book template.

B

BASPI

Buying and Selling Property Information — a standardised dataset used by many conveyancers as a “single source of truth” for material property information.

Context in Property Sales Pack (UK 2026): What's Inside, Who Pays & the New Rules.

C

CDM

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations — duties on clients, designers and contractors to manage health and safety on construction projects, including the health and safety file.

The health and safety file is the long-term record handed to the client for future works.

COSHH

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health — regulations requiring assessment and control of hazardous substances at work.

Written assessment records are required where five or more people are employed. COSHH assessment records.

D

Drivers’ hours

EU/UK rules capping daily and weekly driving and requiring minimum breaks and rest.

Closely linked to tachograph use. See drivers’ hours & WTD.

E

EICR

Electrical Installation Condition Report — periodic inspection of fixed wiring in a property.

Landlords in England must obtain EICRs and give copies to tenants; other tenures use them for safety and conveyancing.

EPC

Energy Performance Certificate — rates a building’s energy efficiency (A–G) and is required when selling or letting most buildings.

A core document in any modern property sales pack or digital property logbook.

F

Fire risk assessment

A structured identification of fire hazards, people at risk, and control measures. Required for virtually all non-domestic premises under the RRO 2005 (and related regimes).

Records and reviews matter for enforcement. Related templates on free logbook templates.

Fire safety logbook

The premises record of tests, drills, training and maintenance for fire systems (alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers, etc.).

Template: Free Fire Safety Logbook Template (UK) — PDF & Excel.

G

Gas safety record (CP12)

The landlord’s annual gas safety check record for appliances and flues in rented residential property.

Must be given to tenants; keep for at least two years. Often filed in a property logbook.

H

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — the systematic food-safety approach UK food businesses must apply.

Records prove control points are monitored. HACCP records guide.

Home Report (Scotland)

The mandatory pack a seller in Scotland must commission before marketing: Single Survey, Energy Report and Property Questionnaire.

Scotland already runs a stronger upfront model than England. UK-wide comparison.

L

Legionella log

Temperature and control records for water systems used to manage Legionella risk under HSE guidance (e.g. HSG274).

Template: Free Legionella Temperature Log Template (HSG274) — PDF & Excel.

Logbook (general)

Any formal, dated record used to prove compliance, ownership, maintenance or operational history.

In the UK the word covers everything from a car V5C to fire, food and property records. Every type of UK logbook explained.

O

Oil record book

A statutory shipboard log of oil operations and machinery-space transfers required under MARPOL for certain vessels.

Inspected by MCA and port state control; false entries are a serious offence.

Over-7-day injury

A work-related injury that incapacitates a worker for more than seven consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident).

Weekends and rest days count. How to count it: RIDDOR's Over-7-Day Injury Rule: How to Count It (and the 15-Day Deadline).

P

PAT testing

Portable Appliance Testing — inspection/testing of electrical equipment; not a rigid annual legal timetable, but a risk-based duty under EAWR.

Record template: Free PAT Testing Record Template (UK) — PDF & Excel.

Pilot logbook

A pilot’s personal record of flight time and experience, maintained to CAA/EASA standards for licensing and ratings.

Overview in our aviation sector and related CAA guides — start from CAA Pilot Logbook Requirements: UK Complete Guide (2026).

Property logbook

A homeowner-owned (increasingly digital) record of a property’s documents, works, warranties and compliance history.

Not yet mandatory law in England — reforms are in progress. Property logbooks UK guide · reform timeline.

R

Registered keeper

The person or organisation DVLA records as responsible for taxing and insuring the vehicle.

Not always the same as the legal owner (e.g. hire-purchase or company fleet).

RIDDOR

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations — the duty to report specified work-related incidents to the enforcing authority.

Deaths and specified injuries: without delay. Over-7-day injuries: within 15 days. Full explainer: RIDDOR Explained: What UK Employers Must Report, and When (2026).

S

Sales pack / upfront information

The package of material information a seller is expected to provide early in a residential sale (material facts under consumer law, plus conveyancing packs).

See property sales packs UK.

T

Tachograph

A device that records driving time, rest, speed and distance for most commercial vehicles over the weight thresholds.

Drivers and operators must keep records. Start with tachograph rules UK.

Temperature log

A dated record of fridge, freezer or hot-holding temperatures used to show food has been kept at safe temperatures.

Template: Free Fridge Temperature Log Sheet (UK) — PDF & Excel.

V

V5C

The vehicle registration certificate (logbook) issued by the DVLA for a road vehicle in Great Britain.

Colloquially called “the logbook”. It records the registered keeper, not always the legal owner. See where the document reference number sits and every UK logbook type.

V5C document reference number

An 11-character code on the V5C that changes every time a new certificate is issued.

Used for online DVLA transactions (tax, sell, replace). Full guide: V5C Document Reference Number: Where to Find It on Your UK Logbook (with Photos).

V5C/2 (green slip)

The new-keeper slip torn from the V5C when a vehicle is sold, used by the buyer until their own V5C arrives.

Explained in our V5C/2 guide.

V62

The DVLA paper form used to apply for a replacement V5C when you do not have the current logbook.

Often used after loss, theft, or never receiving a certificate. Related: tax without a logbook.

W

Waste transfer note

The document that must accompany most non-hazardous waste transfers under the waste duty of care (EPA s.34).

Template: Free Waste Transfer Note Template + Season Ticket Log (UK). Hazardous waste uses consignment notes instead.

Working Time Directive (drivers)

Separate limits (including night work and average weekly working time) that sit alongside drivers’ hours rules for many professional drivers.

Guide: Working Time Directive and Driver Hours: A Complete UK Guide.

Using this glossary

Definitions are written for non-lawyers and checked against primary sources (gov.uk, HSE, DVLA/DVSA, FSA and related regulators). They are not legal advice — always confirm against the current official guidance before acting. For free downloadable forms, see our templates library.

New to the site? Start with What is a logbook? or the A–Z index of every guide.

Property reform terms (2026)

Language from the MHCLG home-buying roadmap and related industry practice. None of the legislative end-state items below are mandatory solely because they appear here.

Binding conditional contract

A proposed earlier-stage home-sale contract that would commit buyer and seller more firmly than a simple offer, with defined penalties and exceptions, once sales packs are embedded.

Part of the MHCLG 2026 roadmap (Chapter 7). Not current law. Government intends legislation only after upfront sales packs are in place. Full guide: binding conditional contracts UK. Also: reform timeline.

Sales pack

A standardised set of upfront property information prepared before a home is listed for sale, intended under the reforms to include searches and a property condition report.

Seller retains overall responsibility; professionals gather and verify elements. Not mandatory yet. Guide: property sales packs UK. Who pays: cost & responsibility. Condition report: explained.

Digital property logbook

An online secure record of information specific to a property, owned by the homeowner — the government’s working definition in the 2026 reform roadmap.

Broader than a one-off sales pack: it is meant to persist between transactions. Guide: property logbooks UK.

Material information

Information that could reasonably influence a consumer’s decision to view, offer on, or buy a property; estate agents already have duties to provide it under consumer law.

Often discussed as Parts A, B and C in industry guidance. See material information Parts A–C.

Reservation agreement

A voluntary early-commitment arrangement sometimes used today to secure a sale before full exchange; government wants wider awareness ahead of possible binding-contract legislation.

Not the same as a completed exchange. Context on the reform timeline.

RLBA

Residential Logbook Association — an industry trade body for digital property logbook providers; not a statutory regulator.

Runs industry standards and a register of logbooks; coordinates work such as the HMLR data trial. Attribute claims carefully. How to choose a provider.

BASPI

Buying and Selling Property Information — a standardised dataset used by many conveyancers as a structured source of material property information at sale.

Point-of-sale focused; a digital logbook can feed or output similar data. See sales packs.

Property condition report

A report on the physical condition of a property; the reform roadmap intends sales packs to include one (alongside searches) before listing.

Detail of format, cost and who commissions it will be set in guidance and eventual legislation. Full guide: property condition report & sales packs. Costs: who pays for a sales pack.