EICR explained: who needs one and what it costs

What an EICR actually is

EICR stands for Electrical Installation Condition Report. An electrician inspects and tests the fixed installation (consumer unit, circuits, sockets, switches, earthing and bonding), then issues a report grading any defects. It covers the wiring in the walls, not your appliances; the toaster is on its own.

The visit typically takes 2–4 hours depending on the size and age of the home, with circuits switched off in turn while testing happens. The report ends in one of two verdicts: satisfactory, or unsatisfactory with a list of coded observations explaining why.

Who needs one, and when

Rented homes in England must have a satisfactory EICR renewed at least every five years, with a copy given to tenants; Scotland has required this since 2015, and the rules across the UK nations differ in detail but rhyme. If a rental report is unsatisfactory, the remedial work generally has to be completed within 28 days.

For owner-occupiers there is no legal requirement, but the trade guidance is an inspection every ten years, and always when buying, because the standard survey does not test the electrics. If your lights flicker without explanation or the consumer unit predates RCDs, an EICR answers the question properly rather than by guesswork.

The nuance people miss: C3 is advice, not failure. An older-but-safe installation can pass with a list of C3s attached. C1 and C2 are the codes that block a satisfactory result, and FI means the inspector saw enough to want a closer look, which counts against the report until it is done.

What it costs and how to choose

As a guide, an EICR on a three-bed home runs £150–£300, with smaller flats toward the bottom of the range and larger or older houses above it. Remedial work is quoted separately at normal electrician rates, £45–£65 an hour outside London. Be wary of bargain EICRs priced as loss-leaders for remedial work: a proper inspection takes hours, and the price should look like it.

Choose an electrician registered with a competent-person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT and qualified to the current wiring regulations (BS 7671, the 18th Edition). Ask how long the inspection will take: a confident, specific answer is a good sign. Our home electrics guide explains the wider cast of certificates and where each one comes from.

Then keep the paperwork. An EICR certificate is one of the documents that buyers’ solicitors, insurers and future you will all ask for, so file it properly rather than in the kitchen drawer of destiny. Tickover’s documents vault stores it against the property, alongside the certificates good tradespeople carry, and reminds you before the five or ten years run out.