EICR London — Electrical Installation Condition Report
NICEIC registered electricians across London. From £120, same-week booking, digital BS 7671 report, 5-year certificate for private rented property. Domestic, HMO and commercial rates.
Combined EICR + CP12 visits at discount for landlord portfolios. Out-of-hours commercial inspections available.
Prefer a landline? Call 0207 046 1363.
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) in London costs £120–£500 depending on property size and occupancy. Every private rented property in England needs one every 5 years under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. C1 and C2 fails must be remedied within 28 days.
What is an EICR?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal safety inspection of the fixed wiring in a building — the cables, consumer units, sockets, switches and protective devices that are built into the fabric of the property. It is set out in the model report schedule in BS 7671 (the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations) and has to be issued by a competent person on a registered scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT or the Electrical Contractors’ Association.
The inspection breaks the installation down into five domains: circuit design and conductor sizing, the earthing arrangement (TN-C-S, TN-S or TT), main and supplementary bonding, residual current devices and their coordination, and the consumer unit itself. The electrician works through each domain with a structured tick list — nothing is judged by gut feel, everything is measured.
Physical tests fall into two groups. Dead testing — with the supply isolated — covers continuity of protective conductors, ring final circuit continuity, insulation resistance at 500 V DC and polarity. Live testing covers earth fault loop impedance (Zs at every accessory, Ze at the origin), prospective short-circuit current and RCD trip times at ½×, 1× and 5× rated residual current. Every reading is recorded against the design value using a Megger MFT1741 or Fluke 1664 FC multi-function tester.
Who needs an EICR in London
EICR duties now sit on a widening circle of property operators. The 2020 regulations were the big change for the private rented sector, but commercial and HMO duties ran in parallel long before that.
- Private landlords — under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 every assured shorthold tenancy in England must have a live EICR, renewed every 5 years, with a copy given to new tenants before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of every new report.
- HMO operators — Houses in Multiple Occupation have held a 5-yearly EICR duty since the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and the Housing Act 2004. Most London boroughs require a copy as part of licence renewal inspections, plus a PAT schedule for landlord-supplied appliances.
- Commercial premises — the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 make every employer responsible for the safety of the fixed installation. HSE guidance (HSR25) and Electrical Safety First recommend 5-yearly EICRs for offices, shops and light-industrial premises, 3-yearly for kitchens and 1-yearly for public-access and high-risk sites.
- End-of-tenancy and change-of-occupancy checks — many London letting agents now book a fresh EICR between every tenancy even when the 5-year clock has not run out, because the report is the cleanest record that the property was handed over safe. Some insurers require it.
- Short-term lets — Airbnb and similar platforms fall under the 2020 Regulations in England because each guest stay is a tenancy. A current EICR is required alongside the CP12 Gas Safety Certificate.
Our EICR service across London
Every EICR is carried out by an electrician on the NICEIC or NAPIT register, holding current 18th Edition (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022) and City & Guilds 2391 inspection and testing qualifications. Test equipment is calibrated annually — we run Megger MFT1741 and Fluke 1664 FC multi-function testers with dated calibration certificates kept on the van.
Domestic bookings are usually attended within 3–5 working days across London. Priority landlord accounts get same-day or next-day slots. Commercial inspections that disrupt trading — offices, retail, restaurants — are scheduled for evenings and weekends at no extra cost. Digital reports land in the landlord’s inbox within 48 hours, with a hard copy posted on request.
Remedials discovered on site are priced as a fixed quote before any work starts. Portfolio landlords on our PPM contracts get 5-year expiry reminders automated from the day of issue, so renewals never catch you cold.
EICR cost in London — transparent pricing
Pricing is by property type and number of circuits. A fixed figure is confirmed on the call based on bedrooms, consumer unit, EV charger presence, outbuilding supplies and occupancy. No VAT add-ons, no parking charges, no out-of-hours premium on scheduled commercial work.
| Property Type | What’s Covered | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed flat | Up to 6 circuits, single consumer unit, one RCD group. | £120–£180 |
| 2-bed flat / house | Up to 8 circuits, full fixed-wiring inspection. | £160–£220 |
| 3-bed house | Up to 10 circuits, 2 RCD groups, garden supply. | £200–£280 |
| 4–5 bed house | 10+ circuits, separate outbuilding supply, dedicated EV/cooker circuits. | £280–£400 |
| HMO (5+ occupants) | Landlord circuits + individual unit sampling. Emergency lighting check if installed. | £300–£500 |
| Commercial (small office) | Up to 20 circuits, 3-phase incomer, emergency lighting, fire alarm spur test. | from £350 |
| Commercial (full building) | Full installation — DB sampling schedule agreed in advance. Out-of-hours available. | POA |
* Prices include VAT. Full pricing list on the pricing page.
What’s included in every EICR
- Visual inspection of consumer unit, accessories, wiring and enclosures
- Dead tests — continuity of protective conductors, ring final circuits, insulation resistance
- Live tests — earth fault loop impedance (Zs/Ze), prospective short-circuit current, RCD trip times
- Polarity verification at every accessory
- Functional test of every RCD and RCBO at ½×, 1× and 5× rated residual current
- Full circuit schedule with conductor csa, protective device rating and test results
- Electronic EICR report in BS 7671 model format (digital PDF within 48 hours)
- Certificate valid 5 years (domestic rented) or as recommended by inspecting electrician
Understanding the report codes
Every observation on an EICR carries a classification code. Two of them fail the installation, one of them is advisory only, and the fourth parks the report until more information is found. Reading the codes correctly is the difference between a five-minute remedial and a panic about a £30,000 fine that never actually applied.
Danger present — risk of injury
Immediate action required. Typical examples: exposed live conductors in a broken socket, a consumer unit with no earth, a cooker isolator with burnt bus-bar. On a C1 the electrician will make safe on site (isolate the circuit, shroud the fault) before leaving. A C1 makes the installation Unsatisfactory by definition.
Potentially dangerous — urgent remedial action required
The fault could cause injury under certain circumstances. Typical examples: a missing RCD on a bathroom circuit, an undersized tails cable, an earth bond missing from a gas or water service. C2s must be corrected within 28 days of the report being issued to the landlord. A C2 also makes the installation Unsatisfactory.
Improvement recommended
Does not make the installation unsafe or fail the inspection. Typical examples: an older wooden consumer unit that is still serviceable, a lack of RCD protection on circuits that do not currently require one, ageing but sound BS 3036 rewireable fuses. C3s are advisory — the landlord is not legally forced to fix them.
Further investigation required
The inspector could not reach a safe conclusion without additional testing — usually because access to part of the installation was blocked, or a reading was borderline. An FI also fails the inspection until the further work is done. Typical cause: a locked cupboard hiding a sub-main the landlord did not disclose.
A report is marked Satisfactory if no C1, C2 or FI codes are recorded. Anything else comes back Unsatisfactory and triggers the 28-day remedial clock for rented property. C3 codes are improvement recommendations only — legally optional, but most landlords clear them at the same visit to keep the record clean for the next 5 years.
What to do if the property fails
An Unsatisfactory EICR starts a 28-day clock under Regulation 3(4) of the 2020 Regulations. Within those 28 days the landlord must either complete all C1, C2 and FI remedial work, or complete whatever shorter period the report specifies, and then obtain written confirmation from a qualified person that the work has been carried out. Written confirmation must be sent to the tenant within 28 days of the works and to the local authority within 28 days of a formal request.
On the van every electrician carries a working stock of RCBOs, metal-clad sockets, earth clamps, bonding conductor, SY cable, junction boxes and 18th Edition consumer unit spares. Around 70% of C1/C2 findings are sorted on the same visit from that stock — a broken socket changed, a missing bond clamped in, a faulty RCD swapped for an RCBO. A clean follow-up certificate is then issued on the same call-out with no second visit fee.
Larger remedials — a full consumer unit change, rewiring a circuit, installing a TT supplementary earth — get fixed-price-quoted before the electrician leaves and scheduled within the 28-day window. After remedial work a formal re-test is carried out on the affected circuits and a new or updated EICR is issued alongside the Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate for the work done. If the fault was caused by water damage or an earlier plumbing emergency, both trades can be coordinated on the same visit.
Landlord and commercial benefits
For landlords with multiple properties and for block and commercial managers the EICR is not an isolated visit — it sits inside a compliance calendar that also holds CP12s, legionella checks, fire risk assessments and PAT testing. Getting the calendar right saves real money across a portfolio.
- • Portfolio discount — 10–20% off EICRs from three properties, scaling with volume.
- • Combined EICR + CP12 same-visit rate — both compliance certificates in a single attendance.
- • Compliance calendar — anniversary reminders for each certificate type keyed to the property.
- • No call-out fee on scheduled work — you pay for the inspection, not the journey.
- • Consolidated monthly invoicing with VAT breakdown per property and per certificate.
- • Out-of-hours commercial scheduling — evenings and weekends at no premium on contracted sites.
Penalties for non-compliance
Enforcement of the 2020 Regulations sits with local authorities — every London borough has an environmental health and housing standards team with the power to serve a remedial notice and to impose a financial penalty in its own right, without going to court.
- Fines up to £30,000 per breach under Regulation 11 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. Breaches can be charged per property and per year of non-compliance.
- Remedial notices at the landlord’s cost — if the landlord does not complete required works, the local authority can carry them out directly and recover the full cost from the landlord, plus admin.
- Rent Repayment Orders — in some boroughs a missed EICR on a licensed HMO feeds straight into a First-tier Tribunal Rent Repayment Order application, recovering up to 12 months of rent for the tenant.
- Invalid rental contracts and Section 21 issues — failure to provide the tenant a copy of the EICR prejudices the landlord’s ability to serve a valid Section 21 notice under the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Deregulation Act 2015.
- Insurance implications — most landlord and commercial policies require an in-date EICR as a policy condition. An electrical fire claim on a property with an expired or Unsatisfactory EICR is commonly refused.
- Commercial prosecutions under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 — the HSE continues to prosecute employers under the 1989 Electricity at Work Regulations where a workplace incident is linked to a missed fixed-wiring inspection.
Areas covered
EICRs are carried out across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Heaviest booking volumes come from Camden, Westminster, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Haringey and Greenwich.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an EICR cost in London?
How often is an EICR required for landlords?
What’s the difference between an EICR and a PAT test?
Can you do an EICR same week?
What if my property fails the EICR?
Does the EICR cover the fuseboard (consumer unit)?
Do I need an EICR for a short-term let?
How long does an EICR inspection take?
Is the certificate valid for 5 years?
Can you do commercial EICRs?
Book your EICR today
NICEIC registered electrician, fixed price confirmed on the call, digital BS 7671 report within 48 hours, 5-year certificate for private rented property. Combined visits with your CP12 Gas Safety Certificate at a discounted rate.
Fully insured • NICEIC scheme number on every report • VAT-registered invoices • 28-day remedial guarantee