How long does an EICR take?

For an average house, an EICR inspection typically takes a few hours, depending on the size of the property and number of circuits — the electrician tests each circuit and inspects visible wiring, sockets, switches and the consumer unit.

What do the EICR codes mean?

Findings are generally classified using codes — broadly, an immediate danger requiring urgent action, a potentially dangerous issue requiring remedial work, and an improvement recommendation that isn't itself dangerous but doesn't meet current standards. The exact classification and terminology is set by the inspecting electrician's governing standard — ask your electrician to explain any code found on your report in plain terms.

How often should an EICR be renewed?

Recommended intervals vary by property type and use — rented properties in England have a specific legal maximum interval, while owner-occupied homes are more a matter of general good practice tied to the age and history of the installation. Ask the inspecting electrician for a recommended next-inspection date specific to your property.

How often does a rented property legally need an EICR?

In England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have a valid EICR carried out at least every 5 years, and to fix any C1 or C2 defect found within 28 days (C1 meaning immediate danger, C2 meaning potentially dangerous and needing urgent remedial work). A copy must be given to tenants and the local authority on request.

Can I check anything myself before calling an electrician?

You can safely look for obvious visual warning signs — scorch marks or heat discolouration around sockets and switches, a socket faceplate that feels warm, a persistent buzzing sound, or a consumer unit that's visibly old fuse-wire style rather than modern breakers — and you can test your RCD by pressing its labelled test button (it should trip the power immediately; if it doesn't, that's worth reporting). None of this replaces a proper EICR, and anything beyond a visual check or the RCD test button should be left to a qualified electrician.

What Is an EICR and Why Do You Need One?

An Electrical Installation Condition Report — universally shortened to EICR — is a formal inspection and test of a property's fixed electrical installation: the wiring, consumer unit, sockets and switches, as opposed to portable appliances. It's become a familiar requirement for landlords, but it's genuinely useful for any homeowner who isn't confident about the condition or age of their electrics.

What an EICR actually involves

A qualified electrician inspects and tests the fixed wiring and connected equipment throughout the property, checking things like the condition of the consumer unit, earthing and bonding, circuit protection, and visible signs of wear or damage to accessible wiring. It's not a full strip-out inspection — it's a professional assessment based on visual inspection plus electrical testing, similar in spirit to an MOT for your home's electrical system.

Who needs one

Landlords — private rented properties in England have a specific legal requirement: a valid EICR at least every 5 years under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, with any C1 or C2 defect fixed within 28 days of the report.
Homebuyers — commissioning an EICR before or shortly after buying an older property is a common, sensible step, since a standard house survey doesn't test the electrics in the same depth. A worked example: buying a 1960s semi with no paperwork on when it was last rewired is exactly the situation an EICR is designed to de-risk before you've committed to a purchase price that assumed the electrics were fine.
Homeowners with an ageing or unknown electrical history — if you don't know when the property was last rewired or inspected, an EICR is the reliable way to find out its actual condition rather than guessing from age alone.

Understanding the findings

An EICR report classifies any issues found using a coding system, broadly separating urgent safety issues from less pressing improvement recommendations that don't meet current standards but aren't themselves dangerous. The report will also give an overall "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" result. Landlords in England have a hard 28-day deadline to fix C1 (danger present) and C2 (potentially dangerous) items once identified. If your report comes back unsatisfactory, it doesn't necessarily mean a full rewire is needed — often it's a smaller number of specific remedial items, which the electrician's report should itemise clearly. See our guide on rewiring costs for when a full rewire genuinely is the right call versus targeted remedial work.

What you can reasonably check yourself first

None of this replaces a proper inspection, but it's genuinely useful to know what a homeowner can safely observe before booking: scorch marks or discolouration around sockets and switches, a socket that feels warm to the touch, a persistent buzzing sound, or pressing your RCD's labelled test button to confirm it trips the power as it should. Anything beyond that — opening a consumer unit, testing circuits, checking earthing — is professional-only, both for safety and because it needs proper test equipment to mean anything.

A common trigger: consumer unit condition

It's genuinely common for an EICR to flag an old-style fuse box as needing replacement with a modern consumer unit with RCD protection — see our guide on consumer unit replacement for what that involves and roughly what it costs.

Choosing who carries it out

An EICR should be carried out by a qualified, registered electrician — checking their registration with a recognised competent-person scheme is a reasonable, sensible step before booking, the same as for any electrical work in a dwelling.

Acting on the results

If remedial work is recommended, it's worth getting it planned properly rather than treating each item in isolation — particularly if you're already planning renovation work elsewhere in the property, since electrical remedial work often overlaps usefully with other jobs already involving opened-up walls or floors.

Frequently asked questions

For private rented properties in England, landlords are legally required to have a valid EICR carried out at set intervals. For owner-occupied homes there's generally no legal requirement, but it's still a genuinely useful health check, particularly for an older property or one you've just bought.

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Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): What It Is and Why You Need One