EICR Cost UK: How to Price Electrical Inspection 2024

Quick Answer: A UK EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) prices at £140-£220 for a 1-2 bedroom flat, £180-£280 for a 3-bedroom semi, £240-£380 for a 4-bedroom detached, and £350-£550+ for larger or commercial properties. Landlord-mandated EICRs in England and Wales (Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020) must be carried out every 5 years and certified by a competent electrician. Remedial work to upgrade to "Satisfactory" status is quoted separately — typically £85-£800 depending on findings.

Summary

EICR is the most-quoted standalone electrical inspection job in the UK and the most variable in pricing. The 2020 Private Rented Sector regulations forced a massive expansion of the EICR market — every rented property in England and Wales now needs a 5-yearly EICR. The trade response has been a wide price range: £100 "loss leader" quotes from large national firms, £180-£280 mid-market quotes from local established firms, and £300-£500 quotes from premium operators.

The price difference reflects the time spent. A proper EICR on a 3-bedroom semi takes 2.5-4 hours: visual inspection of every accessible socket, switch, light point, and consumer unit; dead testing (insulation resistance, continuity); live testing (RCD trip times, earth fault loop impedance); and the written report. A £100 EICR is typically 60-90 minutes of work — often missing the dead testing or sampling at a level that doesn't catch faults.

This guide covers what a proper EICR should cost, what work the price covers, what the C-codes mean, and how to price the remedial work that often follows. For consumer unit replacement see consumer unit replacement pricing guide; for full rewires see full rewire pricing guide.

Key Facts

EICR pricing (typical fee)

• 1-2 bedroom flat — £140-£220
• 3-bedroom semi/terrace — £180-£280
• 4-bedroom detached — £240-£380
• 5+ bedroom / period property — £320-£550+
• HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) — £280-£480 + £25-£45 per additional letting
• Commercial unit (small) — £350-£650
• Commercial unit (medium, 5+ circuits) — £550-£1,200+
• Industrial unit — POA, typically £800-£3,500+
• Holiday let / Airbnb — pricing as residential

Time on site (typical)

• Flat / 1-2 bed — 1.5-2.5 hours
• 3-bed semi — 2.5-4 hours
• 4-bed detached — 3-5 hours
• Larger / period — 4-7 hours
• HMO — 3-6 hours depending on letting count

C-Code classifications (BS 7671)

• C1 — Danger present, immediate remedial action required
• C2 — Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required
• C3 — Improvement recommended (not a failure)
• FI — Further investigation required
• N/A — Not applicable to this installation
• LIM — Limitation imposed during inspection

Remedial work pricing

• Replace single faulty socket — £45-£95
• Replace MCB — £35-£75
• Add main earth bonding (gas/water) — £80-£180
• Replace damaged cable section (1-2m) — £85-£180
• Replace consumer unit — £450-£950+ (see consumer unit replacement pricing guide)
• Add 30mA RCD protection (existing CU) — £180-£380
• Replace shower isolator — £55-£120
• Replace damaged switch — £35-£85

Regulatory

• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020 — mandatory 5-yearly EICR for English/Welsh private rentals
• BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 — current wiring regulations (the test reference)
• Competent Person Scheme — NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, BSI registration required for landlord EICRs

Quick Reference Table

Detailed Guidance

What an EICR actually involves

A proper EICR is a systematic inspection of every accessible part of an electrical installation, plus dead and live testing. The process:

1. Customer briefing (15-30 mins) — explain process, identify the installation extents, agree any limitations (locked cupboards, inaccessible loft, customer's own appliances)
2. Visual inspection (30-60 mins) — check consumer unit, every socket and switch face-plate (remove a sample, typically 10-20%), inspect ceiling roses and lighting points, examine earth bonding, identify special locations (bathrooms, kitchens)
3. Dead testing (45-90 mins) — power down at the main switch, perform insulation resistance test on each circuit (≥1MΩ at 500V), continuity test on protective conductors, polarity check
4. Live testing (30-60 mins) — restore power, test RCD trip times (≤300ms at 5x rated mA, ≤40ms at IΔn for socket circuits), earth fault loop impedance (Zs) measurement at the furthest point of each circuit, prospective fault current (Ipfc) measurement at origin
5. Recording and reporting (30-60 mins on-site + 15-30 mins office) — schedule of inspections, schedule of test results, observations and C-codes, condition summary, declaration of satisfactory or unsatisfactory

Total: 2.5-4 hours on a 3-bed semi. Reports must be issued within 28 days (PRS landlords) and within 7-14 days is best practice.

Sampling vs full inspection

BS 7671 does not require 100% inspection of every accessory. The inspector decides the sample size based on age, accessibility, and customer needs. Typical sampling:

• Sockets — remove and inspect 10-20% of accessible sockets per circuit, with bias toward older or higher-use locations (kitchen, bathroom-adjacent)
• Switches — sample 1-2 per circuit
• Light fittings — visually inspect; remove ceiling rose only where suspected fault
• Ceiling voids and floor voids — visually accessible only; record limitation if no access

The temptation on a "cheap EICR" is to sample at 5% or visual-only. This is the source of many "Satisfactory" reports that miss real faults. Best practice is to record limitations clearly — if the customer wanted everything inspected, the price would be 30-50% higher.

Interpreting C-codes

The four C-codes (plus FI/LIM/N/A) determine whether the report is "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory":

• C1 — Danger present — any C1 makes the report "Unsatisfactory" automatically. Examples: exposed live conductors, water ingress to live components, no earth bonding at all
• C2 — Potentially dangerous — makes report "Unsatisfactory". Examples: damaged sockets, no RCD protection on bathroom circuits, undersized main earth bonding
• C3 — Improvement recommended — does NOT make the report "Unsatisfactory" but should be addressed. Examples: socket with old colour wiring (compliant when installed but not modern best practice), single-RCD board when RCBOs would be preferable
• FI — Further investigation — testing impossible without intrusive work. Examples: inaccessible cable in suspended floor, suspected hidden joint box

A typical 3-bed semi EICR finds 2-5 C2 or C3 observations. The conversation with the customer is critical — most C2s are fixable for £50-£200 and the trade should always quote the remedial work alongside the EICR.

Remedial work pricing

Common remedial items and pricing:

• Add 30mA RCD to existing socket circuit — £180-£380 (RCD add to existing CU, requires CU access)
• Replace damaged socket face-plate — £45-£95 (1 socket including labour)
• Replace damaged switch — £35-£85
• Replace shower isolator — £55-£120
• Replace MCB with RCBO — £75-£140 each
• Upgrade main earth bonding to 10mm² — £80-£180
• Add supplementary equipotential bonding to bathroom — £80-£180
• Replace damaged cable section (1-2m) — £85-£180
• Full consumer unit replacement — £450-£950+ (see consumer unit replacement pricing guide)

Always quote remedial work as a separate line, not bundled with the EICR fee. The customer should be free to decline (and a "fail" EICR remains the customer's record even if remedials are declined).

Landlord PRS Regulations 2020 — specifics

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require:

1. EICR every 5 years (or sooner if the report recommends)
2. Inspection within 14 days of a new tenancy if previous EICR is over 5 years
3. Satisfactory report — landlord must provide to tenants within 28 days of inspection, to local authority within 7 days if requested
4. Remedial works — must be completed within 28 days if "Unsatisfactory" (or sooner if specified)
5. Penalty — local authority can issue civil penalty up to £30,000 for non-compliance

The Welsh regulations (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with EICR requirements from 2024) are similar but with subtle differences in inspection cycles and remedial timescales. Always check current regulations for jurisdiction.

Scotland has different rules (the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014) requiring EICRs every 5 years for private rentals.

Hidden costs and risk premium

The five most-missed cost lines in EICR quotes are: (1) limitations charge — if access is restricted, the inspector may need to return for full inspection (£80-£180); (2) urgent re-test fee — if remedials are done, a re-test EICR confirms "Satisfactory" status (£60-£180); (3) HMO additional letting fee — typically £25-£45 per additional letting beyond base; (4) emergency or short-notice surcharge (25-50%); (5) commercial / non-domestic premises — different test sampling rules and reporting requirements.

Risk premium of 10-15% is standard on pre-1965 properties — likely to find C2s requiring remedial work, possible loss of customer satisfaction if the "fail" wasn't expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between an EICR and a PAT test?

EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) inspects the fixed wiring of a property — the wiring in the walls, ceiling, and consumer unit. PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) tests portable electrical equipment — kettles, microwaves, lamps, computer power supplies. Landlords and commercial premises typically need both: EICR every 5 years, PAT testing annually or per manufacturer's recommendation. PAT testing is typically £1.50-£3.50 per appliance with a £45-£95 minimum visit fee.

Can a landlord do their own EICR?

No — EICRs must be carried out by a "qualified person" per the PRS Regulations 2020. A qualified person is defined as a member of a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, BSI, etc.) or specifically qualified to BS 7671 inspection and testing standards (City & Guilds 2391 or equivalent). DIY landlord EICRs are not compliant.

What if the EICR comes back "Unsatisfactory"?

The landlord has 28 days to remedy any C1 or C2 observations and obtain a re-test or written confirmation of remedial work. The remedial work must be done by a competent person (same qualifications as the inspector). The remediation evidence (invoice, confirmation letter, re-test EICR) must be retained for the duration of the tenancy and provided to tenants and local authority on request.

Can I just quote the EICR without commenting on remedial work?

Yes legally, but commercially it's a missed opportunity. The EICR exposes what needs fixing; the customer is your best lead for the remedial work right there. Always include "if any remedial work is needed, we can quote separately on the day" in the initial EICR quote. Many trade firms do free or discounted EICRs to win the remedial work — a £150 EICR followed by £450-£1,200 of remedials is a common business model.

How long is an EICR valid for?

5 years for residential properties (landlords required by PRS Regulations 2020 to renew every 5 years; owner-occupiers should follow IET guidance of 10 years for owner-occupied or sooner if the report recommends). Commercial installations: 5 years for fixed wiring (IET guidance), more frequent for high-risk environments. The EICR itself states the recommended next inspection date.

Regulations & Standards

• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020 — landlord EICR requirements (England)

• Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 — Welsh equivalent

• Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 — Scottish PRS electrical safety

• Building Regulations Part P — installation safety reference

• BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 — Requirements for Electrical Installations (the IET Wiring Regulations)

• IET Guidance Note 3 — Inspection and Testing — the inspector's reference document

• BS EN 61557 series — test equipment performance standards

• City & Guilds 2391-52 / 2391-50 — inspection and testing qualifications

• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020

• Approved Document P (Electrical safety)

• IET Guidance Note 3 — Inspection and Testing

• NICEIC — EICR Guidance

• NAPIT — Landlord EICR Information

• Electrical Safety First — EICR Guide for Landlords

• consumer unit replacement pricing guide — common remedial work after EICR

• full rewire pricing guide — when EICR triggers full rewire

• extra sockets and lights pricing guide — minor remedial work pricing

• leak repair pricing guide — water ingress findings during EICR