An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal inspection and test of a fixed electrical installation against the current wiring regulations. It involves dead and live testing circuit by circuit, not a visual check. Rented homes in England need one at least every five years and at a new tenancy; owner-occupiers are not obliged to have one, though roughly every ten years is the usual recommendation.
- An EICR is a test, not a look. If it took half an hour, it was not one.
- C1 and C2 fail a report. C3 does not — a report of only C3s is satisfactory.
- The power goes off in stages. Plan for that, especially if you work from home.
- Older installations are often dated rather than dangerous, and a good report says which.
What is actually being tested
An EICR covers the fixed installation — the consumer unit, the cabling, the sockets, switches and lighting points, the earthing and bonding. It does not cover your appliances, which is a separate matter.
The work splits into two halves. The visual inspection looks at the condition of accessories, evidence of overheating, whether the board is labelled, whether anything obvious is damaged or unsuitable for its location. The testing is where the real information comes from, and it requires the power off for parts of the day.
Dead tests, with the power off
- Continuity of protective conductors — confirming every earth path is actually continuous.
- Continuity of ring final circuits — confirming a ring is a ring and has not been broken or spurred badly.
- Insulation resistance — the big one. It measures whether the insulation between conductors has degraded, which is what reveals perishing cable before it causes a fault.
- Polarity — confirming live and neutral have not been reversed anywhere.
Live tests, with the power on
- Earth fault loop impedance — whether a fault would actually trip the protective device fast enough.
- RCD operation — timing each RCD to confirm it disconnects within the required period.
- Prospective fault current — confirming the devices fitted can safely interrupt a fault.
Reading the codes
| Code | Meaning | Does it fail the report? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present — risk of injury now | Yes | Make safe immediately, on the day |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous | Yes | Remedial work required |
| C3 | Improvement recommended | No | Optional; consider at next works |
| FI | Further investigation required | Yes | Investigate before concluding |
| — | No issues found | No | Nothing |
A report is unsatisfactory if it contains any C1, C2 or FI. It is satisfactory with C3s alone, however many. That distinction matters, because C3 items are sometimes presented as urgent remedial work when they are advisory.
Common findings, and what they really mean
- No RCD protection on circuits — typically C2 or C3 depending on the circuit. Extremely common on pre-2000s boards and the single biggest safety improvement available.
- No earth on lighting circuits — usual on older installations. It rules out metal fittings and switches until addressed.
- Undersized or missing main bonding to gas and water — common, usually C2, and generally a straightforward fix.
- Cables not in permitted zones — a hazard to anyone later fixing a shelf. Often only discoverable by testing.
- Damaged accessories or signs of overheating — scorching or discoloured terminals point at loose connections.
- Rubber or fabric-sheathed cable — pre-1960s and brittle. This is the finding that most often means a rewire rather than repairs.
- Board not labelled — usually C3, but worth fixing: an unlabelled board is a problem when someone needs to isolate a circuit quickly.
Who needs one, and how often
Private rented homes in England must have a satisfactory EICR at least every five years, and a report must be in place at the start of a new tenancy. The report is given to tenants, and to the local authority on request. Where it is unsatisfactory, remedial work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, with written confirmation supplied.
Owner-occupiers have no legal obligation. The usual recommendation is roughly every ten years, and sooner if you are buying, if the installation is clearly old, or if you have had unexplained tripping.
Before buying a house is the most useful time of all. A standard homebuyer survey does not test the electrics; it notes their apparent age and recommends further investigation. An EICR turns that into a number you can negotiate with.
After any significant alteration, or where you have inherited work with no paperwork.
What the day involves
- The electrician arrives and identifies every circuit, which on an unlabelled board takes a while.
- Power goes off for the dead tests. On a typical three-bedroom house this is the bulk of the time.
- Circuits are tested one at a time, with results recorded for each.
- Power comes back on for the live tests and RCD timing.
- A sample of accessories is opened up — you cannot assess terminals from the faceplate.
- Findings are coded and the report is produced, usually within a day or two.
Plan for the power being off for a meaningful part of the day. If you work from home, or have a freezer you care about, say so when booking and it can be sequenced around.
Dated is not the same as dangerous
Worth saying, because EICRs can be used to sell work that is not needed.
An installation can be thirty years old, lack RCD protection and have no earth to the lighting, and still be functioning safely in a house where nobody is drilling into walls. The report will record those as C2 and C3 items, and the C2s genuinely should be addressed — but it is not the same as saying the house is about to catch fire.
Equally, a modern-looking board does not mean a safe installation. We have tested recent consumer units sitting on top of perishing rubber cable, where the board was replaced because it was visible and the cable was not.
A good report distinguishes clearly between what is dangerous, what should be improved and what is simply old. If yours reads as a list of everything that could conceivably be upgraded, ask the electrician to walk you through which findings genuinely matter.
What it costs
These are the electrical figures published across this site:
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EICR (3-bed) | £150–£300 | Safety certificate |
| Electrician, hourly | £45–£90/hr | Certified, Part P |
| Typical job | £233–£473 | Sockets, lighting, faults |
| Consumer unit upgrade | £450–£700 | RCD protection |
| Full rewire (3-bed) | £3,000–£6,000 | Whole-house |
A quote well below the EICR range usually means a visual inspection rather than a test. Ask what testing is included before booking — a report without test results is not an EICR.
A full test rather than a walk round, with every finding explained in plain terms and the C3s clearly separated from the C2s.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an EICR take?
A typical three-bedroom house takes a few hours, because testing is done circuit by circuit with the power off for much of it. An unlabelled board adds time, since every circuit has to be identified first. An inspection quoted as half an hour is a visual check, not a test.
Does the power have to be off?
For part of the day, yes. The dead tests — continuity, insulation resistance, polarity — all require the supply off, and they are the ones that reveal deteriorating cable. The live tests follow with the power back on. Tell us when booking if you work from home and it can be sequenced to suit.
What does an unsatisfactory EICR mean?
That the report contains at least one C1, C2 or FI item. A C1 is a present danger and should have been made safe during the visit. A C2 is potentially dangerous and needs putting right but is not an emergency. A report with only C3 items is satisfactory, no matter how many there are.
How often should a homeowner get an EICR?
There is no legal requirement for owner-occupiers. Roughly every ten years is the usual guidance, and sooner if you are buying a property, if the installation is visibly old, or if you have had unexplained tripping. Before purchase is the most useful timing, because a standard survey does not test the electrics.
Will an EICR tell me if I need a rewire?
It is the best available evidence. Insulation resistance results across the circuits show whether cable has degraded, and findings like rubber or fabric-sheathed cable point strongly to replacement. It avoids the two common errors: rewiring a sound installation because it looks old, and patching one that has reached the end of its life.
Can I use an EICR from the previous owner?
It is useful background but not a substitute for your own, particularly if it is several years old or if work has been done since. Ask for it during conveyancing along with any installation certificates — a seller who can produce the paperwork for the consumer unit and any new circuits is giving you real information.
A test, properly done, explained plainly
We test circuit by circuit, code the findings honestly and tell you which ones actually matter rather than handing over a list. Free quote, no obligation.