EICR Explained: Electrical Safety Reports for Homeowners and Landlords

What an EICR checks

All electrical installations deteriorate with age and use, says Electrical Safety First. A periodic inspection will show whether circuits or equipment are overloaded, find electric shock risks and fire hazards, identify defective electrical work, highlight missing earthing or bonding, and test the wiring and fixed equipment. The inspector checks everything against BS 7671, the UK wiring standard, and you also get a schedule of your circuits. If anything dangerous or potentially dangerous is found, the installation is declared unsatisfactory and needs remedial work without delay.

How often you need one

Electrical Safety First recommends an inspection every 10 years for an owner-occupied home, every 5 years for a rented home, every 3 years for a caravan and every year for a swimming pool. It also recommends one when a property is being prepared for letting, and before selling a property or buying one that has been lived in.

What the codes mean

The report classifies anything it finds, as GOV.UK's guidance for landlords explains. C1 means danger present and a risk of injury; the inspector may make it safe before leaving. C2 means potentially dangerous. C3 means improvement recommended, but not required for the report to be satisfactory. FI means further investigation is required without delay. Any C1 or C2 makes the installation unsatisfactory for continued use, so remedial work is needed.

What it costs

Which? surveyed 19 of its Trusted Traders in November 2025 and found an electrical inspection of a standard three-bedroom semi costs £100 to £330, taking four to eight hours, excluding VAT, with prices towards the top of the range in London and the South East. Checkatrade gives a range from about £150 for a one-bedroom flat to £375 for a five-bedroom house. Bigger homes with more circuits take longer to test.

Landlords: the legal rules

In England, landlords must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years, according to GOV.UK. They must give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, to new tenants before they move in, to prospective tenants within 28 days of a request and to the council within 7 days of a request. Remedial or further investigative work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, followed by written confirmation to the tenant and council. The rules were extended to social landlords in 2025, and councils can impose fines of up to £40,000.

Signs of older wiring an inspector looks for

Electrical Safety First lists examples that may need replacing: an old fuse box with a wooden back or cast-iron switches; round-pin sockets and round light switches; fabric-coated cables hanging from ceiling roses; and black switches or sockets mounted in skirting boards. Cables coated in black rubber were phased out in the 1960s, and lead- or fabric-coated cables are older still. If you can see any of these, an EICR is a sensible first step before deciding whether you need a rewire.

Frequently Asked Questions