When should you get an EICR?

EICR stands for Electrical Installation Condition Report. It is a record of the condition of the fixed electrical installation in a property: the consumer unit, wiring, circuits, sockets, switches and light fittings. It does not cover portable appliances such as kettles or lamps.

A qualified electrician carries out inspection and testing, checking for damage, wear, overloaded circuits, poor earthing and bonding, and anything that does not meet the standards the installation should be judged against. Parts of the property may need to be accessed and the power switched off for a time, so it helps to plan the visit around your household.

The report gives an overall result of satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Any problems are listed with codes: C1 means danger is present, C2 means potentially dangerous, C3 means improvement is recommended, and FI means further investigation is needed. A C1, C2 or FI usually means the report is unsatisfactory.

There is no general rule that a home must have an EICR before it is sold, but getting one first is often sensible. A buyer's surveyor or solicitor may ask about the electrics, and a report in your hand answers that question early.

If the report finds faults, you can have the work done, or decide how to handle it in the price and the sale. Finding out after an offer has been accepted tends to cause delays and awkward renegotiation. Ask your estate agent or solicitor what buyers in your situation usually expect.

If the seller has no report, or the one they have is old, consider arranging an EICR before you exchange contracts. A standard survey is not an electrical test, so it will not tell you the real condition of the wiring and consumer unit.

Tell the electrician you are buying so they can give you a clear picture of what needs attention. Older properties, those with an old fuse board, and homes with signs of DIY alterations are good reasons not to leave it until after you move in. If you cannot test before exchange, book it as soon as you get the keys and before any redecorating hides the cables.

Landlords in the private rented sector in England must have the electrical installation inspected and tested at regular intervals, and must give tenants a copy of the report. The report states when the next inspection is due, and for rented homes that interval is commonly five years at most, sometimes shorter if the installation's condition calls for it.

Buying a property to let, or selling a tenanted one, makes a current report especially useful. The electrical safety standards and the detail of the regulations can change, so check GOV.UK for the current position rather than relying on an older article.

Outside of a sale, there are several good moments for an EICR:

When the last report is out of date or its recommended retest date has passed. For an owner-occupied home with no known problems, the interval is often longer than for rented property, and the report will advise.

Before or after major work, such as a rewire, an extension, or replacing the consumer unit, where you want to confirm the condition of the wider installation.

When you notice warning signs: tripping circuits, flickering lights, warm or scorched sockets, a buzzing sound, or a fuse board that looks old.

When you move into a property and have no paperwork on the electrics at all.

Pricing for an EICR depends on how the electrician charges: a fixed price for the inspection, an hourly rate, or a callout fee plus time. What moves the cost most is the size of the property, the number of circuits and consumer units, how easy it is to reach the installation, and how long the testing will take. Any follow-up repairs are separate and depend on the parts and labour needed. Ask for a written quote that says what is included, and whether remedial work would be quoted separately.