Homeowner and Landlord Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR) in Bristol

EICR stands for ‘Electrical Installation Condition Report’

Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR) involve the electrical testing and visual inspection of the electrical installation in a property. This is a brief electrical check to make sure it is safe to use for continued use and complies with regulations.

An EICR reveals if there are hazardous live parts that present a danger of electric shock or may cause a fire. They should also determine if anything might become live and therefore dangerous should a fault occur.

When do I need an EICR?

We generally perform EICRs under three circumstances:

  • An EICR for landlords. Landlords must now carry out an EICR on the properties they let on the private rental market every five years. EICRs don’t strictly need to be performed after a change of tenant. The landlord should carry out visual inspection of the property on change of tenancy. If there is visible damage to electrical fixtures and fittings, an EICR should be performed.
  • A home-buyer or home-seller EICR. When purchasing or selling a property, the state of the electrical installation at the property is of interest to the vendor and buyer. If remedial works are required to ensure the electrical installation is safe and compliant with regs, the cost of these works are important when negotiating a price. We work with vendors, buyers and estate agents to ensure a quick and competitive EICR and remedial work process, easing the stress and reducing the cost of selling or buying a property.
  • You have requested substantial works to be carried out on an existing electrical installation. If you have asked for work that involves additional circuits, rewiring or a board change, we may need to test the broader electrical installation to see if it’s safe to make these changes.
  • You have experienced multiple electrical issues over a short span of time which may mean there are broader issues with the installation which will be revealed by an EICR.

How long does an EICR take?

Generally, for a flat or house with no more than 10 circuits, we advise that EICR testing may take between 2 – 4 hours. For larger electrical installations the electrical check will take longer. Power will be intermittent during the testing process.

How much does an EICR Cost?

Generally, for a flat or house with no more that 10 circuits we advise that the EICR will cost between £150 + VAT and £250 +VAT, depending on the size of the property. If there are more than 10 circuits or additional consumer units we will negotiate a price based on the number of boards and circuits.

What does my EICR mean?

Once we have finished the testing we will produce the EICR certificate. The summary section on the report will say whether we deem the installation “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory”. If the installation is satisfactory, no remedial work is necessary and the electrical installation is safe for continued use. If the installation is unsatisfactory, remedial work is necessary in order to make the installation safe. Common remedial works include consumer unit replacements and rewiring. We will produce a quote for the minimum remedial works needed to make it safe, unless we are requested to do more than the minimum by yourself.

On the Observations and Recommendations page of your report we will list the issues we’ve observed along with their code. The codes broadly mean the following:

  • C1 Issues: The electrical installation is dangerous, there is a risk of injury and immediate remedial action is required.
  • C2 Issues: The electrical installation is potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action is required.
  • C3 Issues: Improvement is recommended.
  • FI: Further investigation is required without delay.
  • LIM: We have agreed with the client not to test this part of the electrical installation
  • N/A: Not applicable to the testing

The presence of a C1, C2 or an FI will lead to an unsatisfactory report which requires remedial works or further investigation.

What happens next?

If the EICR certificate is unsatisfactory we will provide a remedial quote for the works necessary to pass the installation as safe. Once these works have been performed we will issue an installation certificate or a minor works certificate for the remedial works. These certificates should be appended to your report as proof that the issues identified in the report have been rectified.

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