EICR Electrical Testing: Pricing, Rules & Landlord Obligations UK 2026

What Is an EICR?

An EICR — formerly called a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) — is a formal assessment of the condition and safety of a property's fixed electrical installation. That includes the consumer unit (fuse board), wiring, sockets, switches, light fittings, earthing and bonding. It does not cover portable appliances (that's PAT testing).

EICRs are carried out to BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations), currently the 18th Edition including Amendment 2 (2022). The report identifies whether the installation is in a satisfactory condition and assigns classification codes to any defects found. The result is either “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” — a pass/fail distinction that carries real legal weight for landlords.

Who Needs an EICR?

Private Landlords (England)

Since 1 July 2020, The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 have made EICRs mandatory for all private rented properties in England. The rules are strict:

• An EICR must be carried out at least every 5 years, or at each change of tenancy if that is sooner.
• A copy must be given to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection.
• New tenants must receive a copy before they move in.
• The local housing authority must receive a copy within 7 days of a written request.
• Where the report is Unsatisfactory, remedial works must be completed within 28 days (or sooner if specified in the report) and written confirmation obtained from the electrician.

Failure to comply can result in civil penalties of up to £30,000. Scotland introduced equivalent requirements in 2015 under the Housing (Scotland) Act; Wales introduced its own regulations in 2023.

HMOs

Houses in Multiple Occupation have required electrical inspections every 5 years as a condition of mandatory HMO licensing since long before the 2020 regulations. Licensed HMO landlords must produce a valid EICR on request from the licensing authority. Given that HMOs typically have more circuits and greater wear on the installation, they often produce more remedial work than standard lettings.

Commercial Premises

Commercial periodic inspection intervals are set by Appendix 6 of BS 7671 and vary by premises type:

• Offices and shops: every 5 years
• Industrial premises: every 3 years
• Entertainment venues and places of public assembly: every 1–3 years
• Hospitals and care homes: every 1 year (or as advised by the authorised person)

Homeowners

There is no legal requirement for owner-occupiers to have an EICR, but it is strongly recommended every 10 years, or on purchase of a property. Many mortgage lenders and insurers now request evidence of a recent EICR as a condition of cover or lending on older properties.

EICR Pricing UK 2026

Prices vary by property size, number of circuits, age and condition of the installation, access difficulty, and geographic location. London and South East prices typically run 15–25% higher than the national figures below.

Key factors that push prices higher:

• Number of circuits: each circuit must be individually tested; more circuits means more time
• Age of installation: older wiring (pre-1970s rubber insulation, cast iron fuse boards) takes longer and is more likely to produce defect codes
• Access difficulty: lofts without boards, underfloor voids, or inaccessible consumer units all add time
• Distance: rural properties or those requiring significant travel should carry a call-out premium
• Same-day or emergency EICR: premium of 30–50% above standard rate

For landlord volume pricing — where a letting agency sends you 20+ properties per year — a small discount (10–15%) is commercially sensible. The reduced marketing cost and route efficiency more than compensates for the lower per-job rate.

What the Inspection Involves

An EICR combines visual inspection with a structured series of electrical tests. A qualified electrician works through every circuit in the property, testing each one individually before writing up the report.

Visual Inspection

The inspector checks the consumer unit, wiring condition where accessible, socket and switch condition, bonding connections at gas and water services, and any visible signs of deterioration, overheating or non-compliant work. Amateur or unregistered work is a common source of C2 codes at this stage.

Dead Testing (supply isolated)

• Continuity of protective conductors: confirms earth paths are intact throughout
• Insulation resistance: checks that wiring insulation is not degraded or breaking down
• Polarity: confirms live and neutral are not transposed at any outlet

Live Testing (supply restored)

• Earth fault loop impedance (Ze and Zs): confirms the fault path is low enough for protective devices to operate within the required time
• RCD testing: each residual current device is tested for trip time at 1× and 5× rated current; 30mA RCDs must trip within 40ms at 5×
• Prospective fault current (PFC): measured at the origin to confirm the consumer unit's rated breaking capacity is adequate

For a typical 3-bed semi with 10 circuits, a competent electrician will spend 2.5–3.5 hours on site including report completion. Properties with aged wiring or access issues can run to 4–5 hours.

Code Classifications: C1, C2, C3, FI

Every observation recorded on an EICR is assigned a classification code. These codes determine the outcome of the report and the urgency of any remedial action required.

Satisfactory vs Unsatisfactory Outcome

The overall EICR outcome is binary: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.

• Any C1 or C2 observation → Unsatisfactory
• C3 only (no C1 or C2) → Satisfactory
• FI present → Unsatisfactory (until further investigation resolves it)

When a report is Unsatisfactory, a landlord must have the C1 and C2 items remediated within 28 days and then obtain written confirmation from a qualified electrician that the work has been completed satisfactorily. This written confirmation does not need to be a full re-EICR — it is usually a minor works certificate or an email/letter on headed paper from the electrician who carried out the remediation.

However, if the remedial works are extensive enough to constitute a major alteration of the installation, an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) may be required instead. As the inspecting electrician, being clear about which documentation is needed protects both you and the landlord from compliance gaps.

Who Can Carry Out an EICR?

BS 7671 requires that EICRs be carried out by a “qualified person” — someone with the competence, knowledge and experience to inspect and test electrical installations safely. In practice, this means a registered electrician with an appropriate qualification such as:

• City & Guilds 2391 (Inspection, Testing & Certification), or the newer 2394/2395 split qualification
• EAL equivalent inspection and testing qualification

For landlord work specifically, the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020 require the inspector to be a member of a competent person scheme. The recognised schemes are:

• NICEIC — Approved Contractor or Domestic Installer
• NAPIT — Approved Contractor
• ELECSA — Approved Contractor or Domestic Installer
• SELECT — Approved Contractor (Scotland)

Always check that a contractor is currently registered by searching the scheme's online directory. Registration must be current at the time of the inspection — a lapsed registration makes the EICR invalid for statutory purposes.

Building an EICR Business

EICR testing is one of the best recurring revenue models in the electrical trade. Every property you inspect becomes a 5-year repeat customer. Every landlord you serve has multiple properties. Every letting agency you win sends you dozens of jobs per year with minimal sales effort.

Winning letting agency accounts

A mid-size letting agency managing 250 properties generates roughly 50 EICR jobs per year on a rolling 5-year cycle. Visit agencies in person, speak to the property manager, and emphasise fast certificate turnaround. Agencies lose time chasing certificates that arrive 2–3 weeks late. If you can deliver a completed report within 48 hours and store it somewhere the agency can access it directly, you immediately differentiate from most competitors.

Volume pricing and route efficiency

Batch jobs geographically — Monday in one postcode zone, Tuesday in another. At 4 EICRs per day at £175 average, that's £700/day. Cluster a week of work in the same area and you eliminate the dead travel time that makes solo EICR work unprofitable. Offer landlords with multiple properties a volume rate of 10% below standard — the route efficiency and repeat booking more than compensate.

Renewal reminder systems

Every EICR you issue creates a 5-year renewal. Without a system to track this, renewals fall through the cracks and the customer shops around when the next due date arrives. Set up automated reminders at 3 months and 1 month before expiry. Landlords who receive a timely reminder from you — not a letting agent chasing them — will almost always rebook without getting multiple quotes.

Remedial work conversion

When you find C1 or C2 codes, you are uniquely positioned to carry out the remediation — you already know the installation, you're already on site, and the landlord is under a legal obligation to fix it within 28 days. Quote the remedial work immediately on site. Conversion rates from EICR defect to remedial job typically run at 70–80% for landlords. This adds 20–40% to testing revenue with no additional marketing cost.