An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a thorough inspection and test of a property's fixed wiring: the consumer unit (fuse box), cables, sockets and switches. It's checked against the current wiring standard (BS 7671) and written up with anything that's worn, damaged, or no longer up to today's regulations.
Not really. An EICR is a judgement, and you can only trust it as much as you trust the electrician writing it.
I test and inspect every circuit carefully, and report exactly what I find, no more and no less. Nothing glossed over for an easy certificate, nothing overstated to upsell more work.
If you've just bought a property, an EICR is the electrical equivalent of a structural survey: it tells you exactly what you've taken on. Perhaps your surveyor already recommended one.
EICRs aren't just for newly bought homes. In any home, especially an older one, it's the clearest way to catch dangerous wiring, overloaded circuits, or missing safety devices before they cause a problem, rather than after. Nothing needs to seem wrong for an EICR to be worthwhile. A broken seatbelt seems fine until you crash, and faulty electrics are the same.
Regulations also recommend that the electrics for a swimming pool or hot tub are inspected annually. Find out more about pool and spa electrics.
For a typical 3-bed family home, expect the visit to take 2 to 4 hours, depending on the number of circuits. I'll test the supply, earthing, protective devices (fuses, RCDs) and the wiring of every circuit in the property. I'll then do a full visual inspection, including looking inside a selection of sockets, lights, and any other accessories.
You'll get a written report rating the installation Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory overall, with every observation coded:
The report tells you what's wrong. I'll tell you what actually matters: talking you through the results in plain English, and giving you my honest, practical take on what's really worth doing and what isn't.
Tested and certified, and sent to you digitally once complete.
It's recommended every 10 years if you own and live in your home, and regulations recommend annual checks if you've got a pool or hot tub. If you're a landlord, a 5-yearly EICR isn't just recommended, it's a legal requirement.
I charge a base rate plus a small amount per circuit, which usually works out at around £200 to £300 for a typical house, with no VAT to add. See the pricing page for the exact rates, or get in touch for a firm number.
It's not a legal requirement, but it's one of the most useful things you can do. The best time is usually just after you've completed, once you have full access to every room and circuit — trying to arrange one beforehand can mean restricted access while the current owner's still there. Your surveyor may have recommended one anyway.
It depends who you are. If you're a landlord, you're legally required to fix any C1 or C2 findings to bring the report to Satisfactory. If it's your own home, there's no legal obligation, but I'd still recommend addressing them — we can talk through the practical impact and figure out the most sensible plan. Worth knowing: an FI code on its own no longer makes the overall report Unsatisfactory, only C1 and C2 do.
