An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is the MOT of your home's wiring - a registered electrician inspects and tests everything and grades what they find. It's the honest way to know whether your electrics are safe, and whether that scary rewire quote is actually justified.
An EICR is usually £150-£300 for a typical home, more for larger properties. It's separate from any remedial work it recommends.
Typical UK Prices
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Flat / 1-2 bed | £120-£200 |
| 3-bed house | £180-£280 |
| 4-5 bed house | £250-£400 |
| Per-circuit (small jobs) | £20-£40 |
What an EICR Actually Checks
The electrician inspects the consumer unit, wiring, sockets, switches and earthing, and tests circuits for safety. You get a report that grades every issue with a code:
- C1 - Danger present
- Immediate risk of injury. Must be made safe straight away.
- C2 - Potentially dangerous
- Needs fixing urgently. A C1 or C2 makes the installation "unsatisfactory".
- C3 - Improvement recommended
- Not dangerous, but worth doing. A C3 alone still passes.
- FI - Further investigation
- Something needs a closer look to confirm whether it's a problem.
Who Needs One
- Landlords - legally required every 5 years for rented homes in England
- Homebuyers and sellers - increasingly requested before a sale
- Owner-occupiers - recommended every 10 years
- Anyone with an old fuse box or wiring they're unsure about
What Affects the Price
- Number of circuits
- More circuits means more testing time - the main driver of cost.
- Accessibility
- Boarded lofts, blocked consumer units and buried cables slow the job.
- Property age
- Older installations take longer to test and document thoroughly.
What Happens After
- A "satisfactory" report is valid for up to 5 (rental) or 10 (owner) years
- Any C1 or C2 must be remedied to make the installation satisfactory
- You'll get a quote for any remedial work - get a second opinion on big ones
- Keep the certificate; buyers, insurers and letting agents ask for it
How Long Does an EICR Take?
For a typical home, an EICR takes two to four hours, depending on the number of circuits and how accessible everything is. The electrician needs to turn the power off for parts of it to test circuits safely, so it's not a no-disruption job - expect the lights and sockets to go off and on through the visit. A boarded-over loft, a blocked-in consumer unit, or buried junction boxes all add time, which is why access is one of the things that affects the price.
What Happens If It Fails?
An "unsatisfactory" result isn't a disaster - it just means at least one C1 or C2 issue was found that needs putting right. The report lists each item with its code and a description, so you (or another electrician) can quote the remedial work precisely. Once the dangerous items are fixed, a quick re-check or a new certificate makes the installation satisfactory. For landlords this matters legally; for owners it's simply the to-do list for making the wiring safe.
An EICR vs a Quick Visual Check
Don't confuse a full EICR with the casual once-over some traders offer. A visual check just looks for obvious problems; an EICR involves actually testing the circuits with instruments - earth continuity, insulation resistance, RCD operation and more - which is what catches the hidden faults. It's the difference between glancing at a car and putting it through an MOT, and it's why the certificate carries weight with insurers, buyers and letting agents.
How Often Should You Get One?
For an owner-occupied home, every ten years is the general recommendation - or sooner if you've bought an older property, had a flood, or notice any of the warning signs. For rented homes in England it's a legal requirement every five years, and at each change of tenancy in practice. It's also wise to get one when buying a house, since the standard survey barely touches the electrics. Think of it as a periodic safety check rather than a one-off: wiring degrades slowly, and a decade is long enough for problems to develop unseen.
If your EICR recommends major work, our rewiring cost guide explains full vs partial rewires, and 7 signs you need an electrician covers the warning signs between inspections. For anything urgent, the emergency electrician cost guide applies, or get an emergency electrician on the way.