EICRs & Electrical Inspection Testing
An Electrical Installation Condition Report tells you the true state of the wiring in a property - what's safe, what needs attention, and what needs putting right now.
What an EICR actually involves
We inspect the installation and carry out a series of dead and live tests on the circuits: continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation. That combination is what finds the problems you can't see - deteriorated insulation, a missing or undersized earth, a borrowed neutral, an overloaded circuit.
You get a written report rather than a verbal all-clear. Anything found is coded so you know how urgent it is, and we'll talk you through it in plain English before you decide what to do.
How the codes work
Every observation on an EICR carries a classification code, and those codes decide whether the installation is recorded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory:
- C1 - danger present. A risk of injury exists. Immediate action required.
- C2 - potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action required.
- C3 - improvement recommended. Not a failure; worth doing.
- FI - further investigation. Something needs looking into before it can be classified.
Landlords and rented property
In England, privately rented homes must have the electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. You must give the tenant a copy of the report, and where the report requires remedial work it has to be carried out within the timescale the report sets.
We can do the inspection and the remedial work, so you're not chasing two trades to close the report out. If you manage several properties we're happy to work through them together.
Buying, selling or renovating
An EICR is worth having before you commit to a house with older wiring, before a renovation that will bury circuits in walls, and after any work you did not commission yourself. It's much cheaper to know what you're dealing with before the plastering starts.
Common questions
How often should an EICR be done?
For privately rented homes in England the legal maximum is five years. For an owner-occupied house the widely used guidance is every ten years, and every five years for a flat. Sooner if you're buying, if the property has been extended, or if you have any reason to doubt past work.
Does an EICR mean my electrics get switched off?
Parts of the testing have to be done with circuits isolated, so there will be periods without power while we work. We'll agree the timing with you first so it's not a surprise.
What happens if the report comes back unsatisfactory?
An unsatisfactory result means at least one C1, C2 or FI observation. It doesn't mean the whole installation needs replacing - usually it's a specific fault or a handful of items. We'll quote for putting right exactly what the report requires, and nothing you don't need.
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