What Is An EICR Test? Process, Costs, And Legal Rules UK

If you've been asked to arrange an electrical safety check on a property, or you've come across the term while reading up on landlord obligations, you've probably found yourself asking what is an EICR test. It's one of those things most people don't think about until they need one, and by then, the questions stack up fast. What does it actually involve? Is it a legal requirement? How much should you expect to pay?

An EICR, or Electrical Installation Condition Report, is a formal inspection of a property's fixed electrical installations, the wiring, sockets, consumer unit, and everything connected to them. A qualified electrician checks whether these systems are safe to use and meet current UK wiring standards. The report grades each finding by severity, telling you exactly what needs attention and how urgently it needs fixing.

At Electrical Testing London, we carry out EICRs across London and the South East for homeowners, landlords, and commercial clients. Our engineers each bring at least 10 years of hands-on experience, so we've seen just about every wiring scenario a London property can throw up. This article breaks down the full EICR process, what it costs, how long it takes, and the legal rules you need to know, whether you're a tenant, a landlord, or a homeowner looking after your own property.

What an EICR test is and what it covers

When someone asks what is an EICR test, the simplest answer is this: it's a detailed, documented inspection of all the fixed electrical installations inside a building. That means everything wired permanently into the property, not appliances you can unplug and carry out of the room. A qualified electrician works through the system methodically, checking it against the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671), which is the current UK standard for electrical installations. At the end, you receive a formal written report that grades every issue found by how serious it is.

The fixed electrical systems an EICR covers

The inspection doesn't focus on just one or two components. Every part of the fixed wiring system is assessed, from the point where electricity enters the property through to the individual circuits serving your lights, sockets, and hard-wired appliances. An electrician will inspect the consumer unit (often called the fuse box), cabling running through walls and ceilings, socket outlets, light fittings, earthing and bonding arrangements, and any isolator switches for appliances like cookers or showers.

Earthing and bonding receive particular attention during an EICR because faulty earthing is one of the most common causes of electric shock and fire in UK properties. These connections keep you safe by giving fault currents a controlled path to earth rather than through a person or combustible material. Checking them is a core requirement of every inspection carried out under BS 7671, not an optional extra.

A property can look completely normal on the surface while the wiring behind its walls is decades out of date and potentially dangerous. An EICR makes that hidden risk visible.

How an EICR differs from a PAT test

This distinction is worth clarifying because the two are often mixed up. A PAT test (Portable Appliance Test) checks the safety of individual appliances that you can unplug and move around, things like kettles, monitors, and desk lamps. An EICR covers everything that is permanently wired into the building's electrical system and cannot be removed without carrying out rewiring work.

Both are valid safety checks, and many commercial properties need both carried out regularly. They serve different purposes and use different testing methods. If your landlord or building manager requests an EICR, they are specifically asking about the property's fixed wiring, not the portable equipment inside it.

Who carries out an EICR

Only a competent, qualified electrician can carry out and sign off a valid EICR. In practice, this means someone registered with a recognised scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, or who can otherwise demonstrate the required competence under Part P of the Building Regulations. The report they produce must also follow the format set out in BS 7671 to carry any legal weight.

Always check your engineer's qualifications and scheme registration before booking. An EICR signed off by an unqualified person has no legal standing, provides no genuine protection, and would not satisfy any legal obligation placed on you as a landlord or property owner. It's worth spending a few minutes verifying credentials upfront rather than paying for a report that turns out to be worthless.

Why an EICR matters for safety and compliance

Electrical faults cause around 20,000 house fires in the UK each year, and a significant proportion trace back to deteriorating fixed wiring rather than anything obvious like a faulty appliance. Understanding what is an EICR test helps you see it not as a box-ticking exercise but as the mechanism that identifies these risks before they turn into something far more serious. Without a periodic inspection, problems inside the electrical system build slowly and invisibly until they fail.

Hidden wiring risks you cannot spot yourself

Most electrical deterioration happens inside walls, beneath floorboards, and within the consumer unit where you have no way of seeing it. Insulation breaks down, connections loosen over time, and protective devices can degrade without showing any outward sign. None of this is visible during a routine walk around the property, which is exactly why a formal inspection by a qualified engineer is the only reliable way to find it.

An EICR gives that engineer the tools and authority to test every circuit, protective device, and earthing connection in the system, not just the parts that are easy to reach. A single degraded connection in an ageing consumer unit can cause persistent overheating that eventually starts a fire. Catching that fault during an inspection costs a fraction of what a claim, repair, or personal injury case would set you back.

Deteriorating wiring does not send warning signs. By the time something fails visibly, the damage is already done.

Legal requirements for landlords and commercial properties

If you rent out a residential property in England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require you to have an EICR carried out at least every five years. You must provide tenants with a copy of the report within 28 days of the inspection and act on any remedial work within 28 days of receiving the report, or sooner if the report specifies it.

Commercial property owners carry similar obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and associated electrical safety regulations. A valid EICR forms part of demonstrating that the premises are safe for employees, contractors, and visitors. Failing to maintain up-to-date inspection records exposes you to enforcement action, financial penalties, and personal liability if an electrical incident causes injury or serious property damage.

What happens during an EICR visit

When an engineer arrives to carry out an EICR, the inspection follows a structured process that typically takes between one and four hours depending on the size of the property and the condition of the wiring. Understanding what is an EICR test in practical terms means knowing what the engineer will be doing throughout that time, and what access they will need from you to complete it properly.

Before the engineer starts

Your engineer will need access to the consumer unit and every room in the property before the work begins. It helps to clear any furniture or stored items away from sockets, fuse boards, and distribution boards beforehand. The electrician will also need to switch circuits off during parts of the inspection to carry out dead testing safely, so you should expect short periods without power to specific areas of the property.

You'll be asked a few brief questions about the age of the installation and whether any electrical work has been carried out since the last inspection. This background helps the engineer focus their testing on the areas most likely to have deteriorated or been altered without proper certification.

The inspection and testing process

The engineer works through the property circuit by circuit, starting at the consumer unit and moving outward. They check the physical condition of visible wiring, verify that protective devices are correctly rated for the circuits they serve, and test earthing and bonding connections throughout the installation. Every socket, switch, and light fitting is visually inspected for signs of damage, overheating, or wear.

Live and dead testing both form part of the process. Dead testing checks the integrity of conductors and insulation with the power isolated, while live testing confirms that protective devices will operate correctly under fault conditions. The engineer records every test result against the relevant circuit on the inspection form, which becomes the basis of the final written report you receive at the end.

The inspection covers every circuit systematically, so by the time the engineer leaves, nothing in the fixed electrical system has been left unchecked or undocumented.

EICR results and codes explained

Once the inspection is complete, you receive a written report that lists every observation the engineer recorded during the visit. Part of understanding what is an EICR test is knowing how to read that report once it lands in your hands. The report will carry one of two overall outcomes: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. A Satisfactory result means the installation is safe for continued use. An Unsatisfactory result means at least one serious issue was found that needs addressing before the installation can be confirmed as safe.

The four observation codes

Each individual finding in the report is assigned a classification code that tells you how serious it is and how quickly you need to act. These codes follow a standard format set out in BS 7671, so any qualified electrician reading your report will interpret them the same way.

A C1 or C2 observation will always produce an Unsatisfactory overall result on the report. C3 observations do not make the report Unsatisfactory on their own, but they are still worth taking seriously, particularly in older properties where multiple C3 findings can indicate an installation that is gradually falling behind safe practice.

A single C1 observation is enough to make the entire installation Unsatisfactory, regardless of how well the rest of the system performs.

What to do after receiving your report

If your report comes back Satisfactory with no C1 or C2 codes, no immediate action is required beyond keeping the report on file and noting when the next inspection is due. If your report is Unsatisfactory, you need to arrange remedial electrical work to address every C1 and C2 observation, then obtain written confirmation from the engineer that the work has been completed correctly.

Once remedial work is done, the engineer signs a completion notice confirming the installation has been brought to a satisfactory standard. Keep this document alongside the original EICR, as both form part of your compliance record.

EICR rules, frequency and costs in the UK

If you've been working through this article to understand what is an EICR test, the practical questions around how often you need one and what it will cost are the natural next step. UK regulations set clear minimum inspection frequencies depending on the type of property, and costs vary based on property size and location, though not in ways that should catch you off guard if you know what to expect.

How often you need an EICR

The required inspection frequency depends on who occupies the property and how it is used. For private rented homes in England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require an EICR at least every five years. For commercial premises, the same five-year cycle applies as a standard benchmark, though your insurer or local authority may specify more frequent checks depending on the nature of your business activities.

Homeowners who occupy their own property face no legal obligation to arrange an EICR on a fixed schedule. Most electricians and insurers recommend one every ten years, or whenever you buy a property or carry out significant renovation work. Older properties, particularly those built before the 1970s, often need inspection sooner because the wiring and consumer units installed at that time fall well outside current BS 7671 standards.

If you cannot locate a previous EICR for the property, treat it as overdue and arrange one promptly.

What an EICR costs

EICR pricing reflects the size of the property and the number of circuits the engineer needs to test. A one-bedroom flat in London typically costs between £150 and £250, while a larger four or five-bedroom house might run from £300 upwards. Commercial properties vary more widely depending on the complexity and age of the installation.

Prices in London and the South East tend to sit at the higher end of the national range, which is worth factoring into your budget. Always request a written quote before booking, and confirm that it covers both the full inspection and the written report. Some contractors price the inspection and the documentation separately, so check exactly what is included before you commit.

Next steps

You now have a clear picture of what is an EICR test, from the inspection process and the observation codes through to the legal rules and typical costs. Whether you're a landlord working to meet the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, a commercial property owner keeping on top of compliance, or a homeowner who simply wants to know the condition of your wiring, the next practical step is the same: book a qualified engineer and get the inspection done.

Waiting does not reduce the risk inside your electrical installation. Wiring deteriorates whether you inspect it or not, and the cost of identifying a fault early is always smaller than the cost of dealing with the consequences later. Our engineers cover London and the South East and bring at least 10 years of hands-on experience to every job. Request a quote for your EICR and we'll get back to you promptly.