An EICR is a full inspection and test of the fixed wiring in a property, written up with anything unsafe or non-compliant clearly coded. Not the kettle and the toaster — the consumer unit, the circuits behind the plaster, the sockets, the switches and the lighting.
It is the electrical equivalent of an MOT. Someone qualified goes through the installation methodically, tests it with calibrated instruments, and hands you a document that says either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, with a list of what needs attention and how urgently.
The 30-second answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it test? | The fixed installation — board, circuits, sockets, switches, lighting |
| Domestic cost, 2026 | £150-£250 for most homes |
| How long on site | 2-4 hours for a typical house |
| Valid for — rented | 5 years maximum (legal requirement) |
| Valid for — owner-occupied | 10 years recommended |
| Who must have one | Landlords, employers, most commercial premises |
What the codes actually mean
This is the part that causes the most worry, usually unnecessarily. There are four codes and only three of them matter for the pass or fail.
C1 — Danger present
Someone could be hurt now. Exposed live conductors, a broken socket with copper showing, a missing earth on a metal light fitting. An electrician finding a C1 should make it safe before leaving the property — usually by isolating that circuit — and tell you immediately rather than in the report a week later. C1s are rare in ordinary homes.
C2 — Potentially dangerous
Nothing is going to hurt you today, but it could under fault conditions. No RCD protection on socket circuits, inadequate main bonding to the gas and water, a missing earth in a lighting circuit, undersized cabling. This is the most common serious code and it is the one that fails a report. C2s must be put right.
C3 — Improvement recommended
Not a fault. Something that would not be done that way today but is not dangerous — no RCD on a lighting circuit in an older installation, a plastic consumer unit that is otherwise sound, no surge protection. C3s do not fail an EICR. A report can be covered in C3s and still be satisfactory. Be wary of anyone quoting you thousands to clear a list of C3s.
FI — Further investigation required
The inspector found something they could not resolve within the scope of the inspection. A circuit that disappears into a wall with no obvious destination, a reading that does not make sense. FI makes a report unsatisfactory because the question is genuinely open.
Any C1, C2 or FI makes the overall report unsatisfactory. C3 on its own does not. If someone tells you a house "failed" on C3s alone, ask to see the report — they are either mistaken or selling you work you do not need.
What it costs in 2026
| Property | Typical 2026 cost | Time on site |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 bed flat or terrace | £150-£200 | 1.5-2.5 hours |
| 3-bed semi (most common) | £180-£250 | 2-4 hours |
| 4-5 bed detached | £250-£350 | 4-6 hours |
| HMO with multiple boards | £300-£500 | Half to full day |
| Small commercial unit | From £350, priced per circuit | Varies |
Pricing follows the number of circuits, not the floor area — a small flat with two consumer units takes longer than a big house with one. Anyone quoting a fixed national price without asking how many circuits you have is guessing.
Two things to watch. A £79 EICR is not a full test; it is a foot in the door followed by a remedial quote. And an EICR from someone who only does EICRs and then quotes for every fault they find has an obvious conflict of interest — ask whether the codes are explained to you and whether you are free to take the report elsewhere.
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Landlords — a legal duty, not a recommendation
In England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require every private landlord to:
- Have the installation inspected and tested at least every five years
- Give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days, and to new tenants before they move in
- Supply a copy to the local authority within seven days if asked
- Complete any C1, C2 or FI remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and get written confirmation it is done
Local authorities can impose penalties of up to £30,000 per breach. Wales carries equivalent duties under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and Scotland has required five-yearly checks since 2015 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. Our landlord checklist covers the rest of the obligations alongside it.
Businesses and employers
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical systems to be maintained so as to prevent danger. There is no stated interval in the regulations, but a periodic EICR is how you demonstrate compliance, and it is the first document an insurer asks for after an incident. Most commercial premises are on a five-year cycle, with higher-risk environments more frequent. See our commercial electrical page.
Homeowners — not required, often sensible
No law makes you test your own home. The IET recommends every ten years for an owner-occupied property, or on change of occupancy. In practice, homeowners book one for a reason:
- Selling. Buyers' surveys routinely flag "electrics appear dated — further investigation advised", which is a lever for a price reduction. A satisfactory EICR closes that down. Covered in detail in our EICR and selling guide.
- Buying. £200 before exchange is cheap next to discovering a £5,000 rewire afterwards.
- Before spending money on the electrics. Anyone about to change a consumer unit should test first — a modern RCBO board will find every fault the old fuse box tolerated, and it is much better to know beforehand.
- Something is wrong. Breakers tripping, warm sockets, flickering lights, a burning smell. Those need looking at regardless of any schedule.
What happens on the day
An EICR is part inspection, part instrument testing. Roughly:
- Visual inspection. Every accessory that can be reached: sockets, switches, light fittings, the consumer unit, visible cabling, the earthing and bonding arrangements. A surprising share of faults are found by eye.
- Dead testing. Power off, circuit by circuit. Continuity of protective conductors, ring final circuit continuity, insulation resistance, polarity. This is where degraded cable and borrowed neutrals reveal themselves.
- Live testing. Power on. Earth fault loop impedance on every circuit, RCD trip times, prospective fault current at the origin.
- Sampling. A domestic EICR does not remove every socket in the house. The inspector samples — typically 10% or more — and the report states what proportion was inspected. That is normal and correct; a report claiming 100% inspection of a furnished house is not credible.
- The write-up. Observations coded, an overall verdict, a schedule of test results, and a recommended date for the next inspection.
Expect two to four hours for a typical home. You do not need to be there the whole time, but someone needs to give access to the loft, the meter and any locked rooms.
What if it comes back unsatisfactory?
It is not a disaster and it is not unusual. Older housing stock in Bradford, Halifax and the Pennine towns frequently comes back unsatisfactory on the same handful of items — no RCD protection, undersized main bonding, no earth at the lighting points.
What matters is proportion. A house with three C2s that are all "no RCD protection to socket circuits" needs a consumer unit upgrade, roughly £650-£950, and it is then satisfactory. A house with C2s spread across every circuit, on rubber or fabric cable, is telling you something different — see the rewire cost guide.
You are entitled to take the report to another electrician for the remedial work. A reputable firm will price the remedials clearly, item by item against the codes, and will not bundle C3 improvements into a C2 quote without saying so.
Choosing who does it
- Registered and verifiable. NAPIT, NICEIC, ELECSA or STROMA, with a number you can check at napit.org.uk.
- Qualified to inspect and test. Inspection and testing is a separate qualification from installation — C&G 2391 or 2391-52, and the current 18th Edition (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022).
- Calibrated instruments. Test meters need annual calibration. Ask; the certificate should be to hand.
- A full report, not a summary. You should receive the schedule of test results with actual readings, not a single page saying "satisfactory". Without the numbers the next inspector has no baseline.
The bottom line
An EICR costs £150-£250 for most homes, takes two to four hours, and lasts five years in a rental or ten in your own home. C1 and C2 must be fixed; C3 is advisory and does not fail the report. Landlords in England, Wales and Scotland have a legal duty; homeowners do not, but it is the cheapest way to find out what you are actually dealing with before spending money on the electrics.
Not sure where to start? The 30-second wiring safety check will tell you whether a report is worth booking, or get in touch for a fixed price.
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