EICR & Electrical Safety Checks

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is the formal document that confirms whether the fixed electrical installation in a property, the wiring, consumer unit, sockets, light fittings and earthing, is safe for continued use, judged against the current edition of BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations).¹ It is not a simple MOT-style pass/fail: it grades each defect from C1 (danger present) through to C3 (improvement recommended), then gives an overall verdict of satisfactory or unsatisfactory, so you can see what needs urgent attention and what can wait.²

For rented homes in England, an EICR is a legal requirement under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, which a 2025 amendment extended to social landlords.² Local councils can fine landlords who breach the regulations up to £40,000.²

What an EICR Covers

The inspecting electrician will test and visually inspect:

• Consumer unit (fuse board), condition, labelling, presence of RCDs and surge protection
• Earthing and bonding, main protective bonding to gas, water and other services; supplementary bonding in bathrooms
• Circuits, continuity and insulation resistance tests on each ring final, radial and lighting circuit
• Sockets and switches, polarity, condition, appropriate ratings
• Fixed appliances, cooker connections, shower circuits, EV charger circuits if installed
• Adequacy of wiring, whether the existing wiring type (e.g., rubber-sheathed wiring in older properties) poses a risk

The inspector will not test portable appliances (that is covered by PAT testing) and will not open up wall chases to inspect buried cable.

EICR Cost in the UK (2026)

London prices tend to sit above these figures. NICEIC and NAPIT registered electricians may charge a small premium over unregistered contractors, the extra cost is almost always worth it for the quality assurance.

Beware very cheap EICRs advertised for £99 or less for a three-bedroom house. A thorough inspection of an average home, with insulation resistance testing on every circuit, typically takes two to four hours, and older or larger properties can take half a day or more.³ An inspector who charges £99 is unlikely to be spending that time.

How Often Do You Need an EICR?

• Owner-occupied homes: every 10 years is the recommended interval, not a legal requirement, and Electrical Safety First also advises one before selling or buying a home¹
• Private rental properties: every 5 years (a new inspection is not required at a change of tenancy if a valid report exists, but the latest report must be given to each new tenant), this is a legal minimum in England under the 2020 Regulations²
• Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs): every 5 years, under the same 2020 Regulations, which apply to HMOs as to other rented homes²
• New installations: on completion of a new build or full rewire, an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is issued rather than an EICR; the first EICR is then due on the date the certificate recommends, usually 10 years later for an owner-occupied home and 5 years for a rental

Understanding the Code Grades

An EICR is deemed satisfactory if it contains no C1 or C2 codes, and any FI item still has to be investigated.² A C3 alone does not constitute a fail.² If the report contains any C1 or C2 items, remedial work must be completed and a minor works certificate or a new EIC issued before the installation can be re-classified as satisfactory.

What Happens After a Failed EICR

1. Obtain quotes from two or three registered electricians for the remedial work. The inspector who issued the EICR is not automatically the right person to carry out the remediation, so compare their price with the others.
2. Prioritise C1 issues: these must be made safe immediately, sometimes by isolating the circuit at the consumer unit until it can be repaired.
3. For rental properties, remedial or further investigative work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so: this is the statutory timeframe under the 2020 Regulations.²
4. Once remedial works are complete, the electrician issues an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or minor works certificate for the specific circuits repaired.² You then have a satisfactory EICR supported by the remediation certificate.

Common remedial costs: replacing a consumer unit £500–£900; adding RCD protection to an existing board £150–£300; rewiring a single circuit £200–£500; bathroom supplementary bonding £100–£200.

Choosing a Qualified Electrician

Only electricians registered with an approved Part P competent person scheme can self-certify their own work without notifying the local authority building control.⁴ The main schemes are:

• NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting)
• NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers)
• Another scheme authorised by government; the full list of competent person schemes is published on GOV.UK

You can verify registration at the NICEIC or NAPIT websites. Always ask to see the electrician’s current scheme membership card. An unregistered electrician can still carry out notifiable work legally, but it must then be notified to building control or certified by a registered third-party certifier, which adds cost and delay, and may complicate property sales or insurance claims.⁴

EICRs for Buyers and Sellers

An EICR is not a standard requirement for conveyancing, but it is becoming increasingly common for buyers to request one as part of their survey process, particularly for older properties. If you are selling an older house whose wiring has not been updated for decades, arranging an EICR before listing can remove a potential negotiating chip and speed up the sale.¹

Properties with TT earthing systems (common in rural areas on overhead supplies) require particular care, the earthing arrangements are more complex and the EICR inspector must have experience with these installations.

Summary

An EICR is a low-cost way to confirm that one of the most dangerous systems in your home is safe. For landlords it is a legal obligation; for owner-occupiers it is good practice every decade. Budget £150–£300 for a flat or three-bedroom house, more for a large detached home, use an NICEIC or NAPIT registered inspector, and address any C1 or C2 codes promptly. Keep the report: insurers, lenders and future buyers may ask to see it.