ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CONDITION REPORT (EICR)
What is an EICR and why do I want one?
The EICR (often referred to as a Periodic or Landlord inspection) is a report detailing the condition of the electrical installation in your home, office or business.
The report looks into a variety of aspects of the installation and gives an engineering opinion on whether the installation is safe for continued use.
There are certain circumstances in which an EICR will be required by law, under the Electricity at Work Regulations or other legislation:
- Rental properties - by far the most common type of EICR we do - the law now requires these to be done every 5 years and at each change of tenancy. The Landlord is responsible for ensuring that this is done on time and will be a condition of insurance.
- Commercial properties - if people come to work in the location, then the EWR will mandate regular inspections. How often those need to be done will be the subject of a risk assessment, but we can provide you with guidance to assist.
- All other domestic dwellings - at present, there is only a recommendation to have an inspection every 10 years, although do check that your home insurer doesn't actually mandate this. It is becoming increasingly common for EICRs to be required when selling properties too - another common reason why we are asked to do them.
What is included in an EICR?
An EICR done properly will include the following:
- Inspection of the main supply equipment, such as the main fuse and meter
- Testing of the main earth connections
- Visual inspection of all accessible accessories, including correct termination of wires and correct installation methods - this takes up the bulk of the time, but unlike many, we do this for ALL accessible parts of the installation when testing domestic properties.
- Testing to ensure that there is an earth connection at each accessory and that the polarity is confirmed to be correct.
- Testing to ensure that the insulation around cables has not degraded over time to such a point to cause a fire risk.
- Ensuring that any circuit protection (circuit breakers & RCDs etc) are appropriate and function correctly under test.
- Comparing the installation to current regulations and making recommendations for improvement.
What will the report include?
The report will detail any findings that require improvement or remedial work, with a summary of whether the installation is in a satisfactory or unsatisfactory condition.
There are standard codes that are used on the report:
- C1: A fault has been identified that is immediately dangerous and ideally should be remedied straight away.
- C2: A fault has been identified that is potentially dangerous that requires urgent remedial action.
- C3: One or more aspects of the installation requires improvement, either to comply with the latest version of the regulations or to prevent a C2 fault occurring in the future.
- FI: Further investigation is required without delay - a fault has been identified, but it is not clear how serious it is or what is causing it. An additional site visit will be required. We try not to use this code, but there will be times (particularly on larger installations) when it won't be possible to fully understand a fault without major exploratory work.
Note: if a C1, C2 or FI code is used, the report automatically becomes unsatisfactory.
How long will the EICR take?
It is unfortunately very difficult to answer this question! This depends hugely on the size and complexity of the installation, plus whether or not the property is occupied or vacant.
We typically allow 4-5 hours for a typical 3-bed semi-detached property, and go up or down from there. Vacant properties tend to be around 25% quicker than occupied ones and we offer discounted rates for these.
Please note that power will need to be switched off (either fully or in part) for the majority of the inspection - we can provide standby power supplies for low powered devices to continue to operate.
How much does it cost?
A site visit will be required in all cases to provide any sort of formal estimate, but the figures below will hopefully help you get into the right ballpark!
We require access to the whole of your electrical installation on the day(s) of the inspection - this can be done in sections if needed. For us to conduct the inspection fully, we will also require the power to be turned off at various points - we will work with you to minimise disruption during this process.
Current approximate pricing (early 2023):
- Initial fee: £50
- Circuits supplying multiple items (such as lights & sockets) plus EV charger circuits: £30 each
- Circuits supplying single items (such as cookers & immersion heaters, but excluding EV chargers): £15 each
Using a typical 3-bed semi-detached as an example (check your own consumer unit)
Typical circuits:
- Downstairs lights
- Upstairs lights
- Downstairs sockets
- Upstairs sockets
- Cooker
- Immersion heater
- Power shower
- Boiler
EICR indicative cost:
- Initial fee
- 4x multiples
- 4x singles
- Total cost: £230
- Discounts available for unoccupied/vacant properties