Plumbing services
EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report
TL;DR
An EICR is a legal requirement for every rented property in England under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020 — renewed every 5 years or at every change of tenancy, whichever is sooner. Fair fixed price is £145–£210 for a typical flat or small house, up to £280 for a large family home. Every C1 (Danger) and C2 (Potentially Dangerous) code must be remediated within 28 days for the certificate to be 'satisfactory'.
The EICR is the electrical equivalent of a CP12 — a full test of every circuit in a property against the current wiring regulations (BS 7671). It's been a mandatory 5-yearly inspection for private rented properties in England since 1 July 2020, and in Scotland since 2015.
This page covers what an EICR actually tests, how the C1/C2/C3 coding works, and what the law requires you to fix and when.
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What does the law require for an EICR?
Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, every landlord in England must arrange an EICR by a qualified electrician at least every 5 years, and at every change of tenancy (whichever is sooner). A copy must be given to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection, to any prospective tenant on request, and to the local authority within 7 days if they ask for it. Non-compliance carries fines up to £30,000.
- Minimum every 5 years for existing tenancies
- At every change of tenancy (whichever comes first)
- Copy to tenant within 28 days of inspection
- Copy to new tenants BEFORE they move in
- Kept on file until the next inspection is due
- Fines up to £30,000 for non-compliance
What we actually test on an EICR
A proper EICR is a full electrical test, not a visual inspection. We isolate the property and carry out live and dead tests on every circuit: continuity of protective conductors, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance, RCD trip times, and prospective fault currents. The consumer unit is inspected, all accessible sockets and switches are checked, and the installation is compared against BS 7671:2018+A2:2022.
- Consumer unit (fuse board) inspection and testing
- Every circuit tested — lighting, ring mains, radial, cooker, shower
- Continuity of earth and protective bonding
- Insulation resistance on each circuit
- RCD trip-time and trip-current tests
- Earth fault loop impedance at every accessible point
- Sample of sockets, switches, isolators (typically 20% or all if fewer)
- Compliance with current BS 7671 amendment
Understanding C1, C2, C3 and FI codes
Every observation in the report gets a code. C1 (Danger present, risk of injury) requires immediate action — we usually make safe on the day. C2 (Potentially dangerous) must be fixed within 28 days for the certificate to be Satisfactory. C3 (Improvement recommended) is advisory only; the report can still be Satisfactory with unlimited C3s. FI (Further Investigation) means something needs opening up to determine severity.
- C1 — Danger present, requires urgent action (report is Unsatisfactory)
- C2 — Potentially dangerous, fix within 28 days (report is Unsatisfactory)
- C3 — Improvement recommended, not mandatory (report is Satisfactory)
- FI — Further Investigation needed (report is Unsatisfactory until resolved)
- Satisfactory = no C1, no C2, no FI. C3s allowed
Fair fixed pricing — no per-circuit surprises
Some firms quote a low headline price then charge per circuit — a 2-bed flat can end up costing £350. Our fixed prices are all-in for a typical installation with up to the number of circuits stated. Very large installations, split-load consumer units, or commercial supplies are quoted after a quick site check.
Typical prices
Real-world ranges from recent Northwest jobs. Your final price is confirmed in writing before any work starts.
| Item | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EICR — flat or studio (up to 6 circuits) | 145 – 175 | 1-bed / studio flats |
| EICR — 2–3 bed house / flat | 165 – 210 | Up to 10 circuits |
| EICR — 4-bed family home | 195 – 260 | Up to 14 circuits |
| EICR — large / 5-bed / multiple boards | 245 – 320 | Priced after site check |
| EICR — HMO up to 6 bedrooms | 220 – 320 | Includes individual room testing |
| C1 make-safe on the day | included | Isolation and warning label |
| Same-day PDF report | included | Full observation photos + summary |
Kit & brands we use
All EICRs are carried out by NAPIT or NICEIC registered electricians using calibrated Megger MFT1741+ multi-function testers. Reports are issued in the current BS 7671 electronic format (Certi or NAPIT online), with full observation photographs and location diagrams.
EICR red flags
The EICR market has serious cowboys. Ask these before you book.
- Are you individually NAPIT, NICEIC, ELECSA or Stroma registered? (Company registration is not enough)
- What's your registration number, so I can verify at napit.org.uk / niceic.com?
- Is the quoted price all-in, or per-circuit?
- Will you provide the full report with test results, not just a certificate summary?
- If C2 remedials are found, are you quoting them independently, or is there pressure to use you?
- Can I see a sample redacted report before I book?
Our promise on this job
Flat £50 diagnostic — deducted in full from any work booked. Fair, transparent quote before we start. If we can't fix the fault we diagnosed, we refund the diagnostic. All gas work is signed off by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Talk to KJ about eicr — electrical installation condition report
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