EICR costs depend on the location, age, and size of the property as well as the extent of the inspection.
EICR costs start from £99 for a single-bedroom flat and can exceed £300 for a larger 6-bedroom detached home with a large fuseboard.
The average cost for an EICR is between £159 – £199.
Landlords and HMOs (House in Multiple Occupation): Landlords of HMOs have added responsibilities. Regular inspections are crucial due to the increased electrical load and potential wear and tear in properties with multiple occupants.
Change of Use or Ownership: Whenever there is a change of property ownership or a change in its use, it is advisable to conduct an EICR.
Aging Installations: Older properties or installations may need more frequent EICRs. Wear and tear can affect the safety of electrical systems. In some cases, annual inspections may be recommended.
High-Risk Environments: Certain environments, such as swimming pools or theaters, may pose higher electrical risks. In these cases, more frequent EICRs, potentially every 1 to 3 years, may be necessary to ensure continued safety.
EICR rates mainly depend on the following factors:
Below are the average EICR costs for different-sized homes at 2026 prices:
Studio: £99
One Bed Flat: £120
Two Bed Flat: £120- £150
Three Bed Flat: £180- £210
One/Two Bed House: £150- £180
Three/Four Bed House: £200- £250
Five+ Bed House: £300
The rate for commercial properties also depends on size but expect to pay £15-20 per circuit tested, excluding VAT.
A commercial EICR will generally cost more than a residential report. This is because commercial properties are larger and have more complex installations than a standard home.
A periodic inspection must be carried out when selling a previously owned house, or if the property is a house in multiple occupation (HMO).
The key components include:
In England and Wales, it’s a legal necessity, with electrical tests mandated every 5 years.
Only certified electricians should test systems and produce reports for new tenants. Failure to comply can result in fines up to £30,000 and insurance termination.
Regular checks ensure upgrades occur within a 5-year timeframe, enhancing safety for both landlords and tenants.
Regulations also mandate an electrical installation condition report within 5 days of alterations, with a compliance certificate issued within 30 days, providing essential documentation to building control agencies.
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Not every electrician can legally or validly issue an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
The person must be a “competent person” with specialised qualifications in electrical inspection and testing.
To do and sign off on an EICR an electrician must meet these specific criteria:
• Specialist Qualifications: Generally need advanced testing credentials, such as the City & Guilds 2391 (or equivalent) in inspection and testing. Many standard electricians focus only on installations and lack this.
• Governing Body Registration: The inspector should be registered with a recognised scheme like NICEIC, NAPIT, or SELECT. This proves they undergo regular assessments and carry up-to-date knowledge of the IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671).
• Insurance: They must have adequate Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance.
Before hiring, ask the electrician directly about their testing qualifications. You can easily verify if an electrician holds the correct credentials by checking the Electrical Competent Person Register.
Yes, an EICR will tell you if a property needs a full or partial rewire.
If your property needs a rewire, it will be made clear in the report through classification codes and a final verdict:
The report will state whether the electrical installation is “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory”. A recommendation for a rewire will always result in an Unsatisfactory rating.
Code C1 (Danger Present): Immediate risk of injury. This must be fixed right away,
Code C2 (Potentially Dangerous): Urgent remedial action is required.
An electrician will declare a rewire if they find:
Old Wiring Types: Fabric-coated, lead-sheathed, or black rubber-insulated cabling (TRS), which naturally degrades and cracks over time.
No Earthing: Older systems that lack proper earthing on lighting or socket circuits, posing a severe shock risk.
Severe Widespread Degradation: Testing reveals that the insulation resistance of the wires behind the walls has broken down completely across the entire property.
If the issues are isolated to just one area the electrician will likely recommend a partial rewire rather than doing the whole house.
For a standard 2-bedroom flat, an EICR assessment typically takes between 1 to 2 hours to complete.
The exact time depends on a few factors:
The age of the property: Older flats with older fuse boxes often take longer to test and diagnose.
The number of circuits: If the flat has a large number of individual electrical circuits, the electrician will need more time to test each one.
Accessibility: The inspection will go faster if the electrician has clear, unobstructed access to the consumer unit (fuse box), sockets, and major appliances.
Once the physical inspection is finished, the electrician will process the data and usually email you the digital EICR certificate within 24 to 48 hours.
No, an EICR does not test every single socket. Instead, electricians use a method called sampling.
For a standard domestic property, regulations typically require a minimum 20% sample of the fixtures and fittings across the property.
Here is how that works in practice:
1. The Main Fuse Box is Tested 100%
The electrician will perform dead and live tests on 100% of the circuits at the consumer unit (fuse box). This checks the core safety, earthing, and breaker functionality for the entire property.
2. Sockets and Switches are Sampled
Once the main board is checked, the electrician will inspect a portion of your actual sockets and switches (usually around 20% to 30%).
They will deliberately target sockets that are high-load or higher-risk, such as those in kitchens, bathrooms, or utility areas.
They will visually inspect the remaining sockets for obvious damage, cracks, or burn marks.
When will they test more?
If the electrician finds a fault or an unexpected reading within that initial 20% sample, they are required to increase the sample size. If they find widespread issues, they may expand the inspection to test 100% of the sockets to locate all the faults.
How long an EICR is valid for depends on how the property is used:
Rental Properties (Landlords): Valid for a maximum of 5 years. It is a strict legal requirement across the UK to renew it at least every 5 years, or sooner if the inspector specifies a shorter timeframe due to the age or condition of the electrics.
Owner-Occupied Homes (Homeowners): Recommended every 10 years. There is no legal requirement for homeowners to get one, but it is strongly advised.
Commercial Premises / Businesses: Valid for a maximum of 5 years (shorter for high-risk environments like industrial units or properties with swimming pools).
1. Lack of Proper Earthing
This is one of the most frequent (and dangerous) failures. Earthing ensures that if a fault occurs, the electric current safely trips the fuse rather than travelling through a person or appliance. Electricians often find:
No earthing on lighting circuits (very common in homes built before 1970).
Unbonded main incoming gas or water pipes.
2. Overloaded Circuits
Over time, households add more appliances than the original system was designed to handle. This leads to overloaded circuits, causing wires to overheat behind walls. Inspectors find this when checking the consumer unit or seeing melted plastic inside sockets.
3. Outdated Consumer Units (Fuse Boxes)
While having an old fuse box isn’t an automatic failure on its own, it will fail if it lacks modern safety devices like RCDs (Residual Current Devices) or RCBOs. RCDs instantly cut the power if they detect a leakage of current, preventing fatal shocks and fires. Plastic consumer units installed in areas like exit routes can also fail modern fire safety standards if they show signs of thermal damage.
4. Poor DIY and Unprofessional Alterations
Uncertified electrical work is a major culprit. Common issues include:
Sockets or lights wired up incorrectly by previous owners.
Hidden junction boxes that are inaccessible.
Using the wrong size or type of cable for a circuit.
5. Wear, Tear, and Environmental Damage
Electrical components degrade naturally over time. Inspectors frequently log failures for:
Cracked, broken, or loose sockets and light switches.
Cables damaged by rodents chewing through them in lofts or under floors.
Water ingress in outdoor lights, kitchens, or bathrooms, which creates a severe risk of a short circuit.
Landlords can be fined for not having a valid EICR. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations, local authorities enforce these safety checks strictly.
Maximum Financial Fines: Local councils can issue civil penalties of up to £30,000 to £40,000 per breach.
You can be fined not just for failing to have the inspection done every 5 years, but also for failing to give a copy of the report to your tenants within 28 days, or failing to carry out required remedial works within the legal timeframe.
Per-Property Basis: If a landlord owns multiple properties and none of them have valid EICR certificates, the local authority can issue separate fines for each property.
Insurance Implications: If an electrical fire or accident occurs in a rental property without a valid EICR, the landlord’s insurance policy will almost certainly be voided, leaving them personally liable for damages or legal claims.
An EICR will receive an “Unsatisfactory” (failing) result if the inspector finds any faults that pose an immediate or potential danger. These faults are marked with specific codes on the report:
Code C1 (Danger Present): An immediate risk of injury or electric shock (such as exposed live wires or melted sockets). This causes an automatic failure and requires immediate repair.
Code C2 (Potentially Dangerous): A fault that could become dangerous if a second fault occurs (such as a lack of proper earthing or overloaded circuits). This also causes an
