EICRs and electrical condition reports

It's an inspection and test of the fixed wiring (the boards, circuits, sockets, switches, lights and earthing), resulting in a report that's either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, with any problems coded by seriousness.

• Private rented homes in England: a satisfactory report is a legal requirement, renewed at least every five years, with a copy to the tenant.
• Owner-occupied homes: not compulsory, but sensible roughly every ten years, when you buy, or after an extension or a run of odd faults.
• Commercial premises: driven by your duties under the Electricity at Work Regulations and usually by your insurer, with the interval set by the type of premises.

This is the part that causes most of the confusion, so here it is plainly.

• C1, danger present. Something is unsafe right now. It gets made safe before we leave, and it makes the report unsatisfactory.
• C2, potentially dangerous. Not a live danger today, but it will be if something else fails. Makes the report unsatisfactory and needs putting right.
• C3, improvement recommended. Doesn't fail the report. Worth doing, not urgent.
• FI, further investigation required. Something couldn't be resolved on the day and needs looking into. Also makes the report unsatisfactory.

Some of the testing has to be done with the power off, circuit by circuit. A typical three-bedroom house takes around three to four hours; larger properties and commercial sites take longer.

1. A visual inspection of the boards, accessories, earthing and bonding.
2. Dead testing: continuity, ring circuit continuity, insulation resistance.
3. Live testing, earth fault loop impedance, RCD and RCBO operation, polarity.
4. A sample of accessories opened and inspected, with the sample size recorded.
5. The report issued with a schedule of circuits, test results and any observations coded.

Access matters: consumer units, loft hatches and anything boarded in need to be reachable. Cupboards packed to the ceiling in front of the board slow the whole job down.

You get a quote for the remedial work with the report, itemised against the codes, so you can see exactly what you're paying to fix and why. You're not obliged to use us for it.

For landlords in England, remedial work flagged as C1, C2 or FI has to be completed within 28 days of the report, or sooner if the report says so, with written confirmation to the tenant and, on request, the local authority.