Costs

How much does an EICR cost, and what are you actually paying for?

By Mizan, Founder and lead engineer4 August 20266 min read

An electrician inspecting a large distribution board

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a full examination of the fixed wiring in a property. It is not a visual once-over, and the price difference between quotes usually comes down to how much of the work is genuinely being done.

What drives the price

The number of circuits — a one-bedroom flat with six circuits is a much shorter job than a four-bedroom house with eighteen.
Access — boarded lofts, fitted kitchens and blocked consumer units all add time.
The age of the installation — older wiring throws up more that needs investigating.

Why the cheapest quote can cost you more

A proper EICR involves dead testing and live testing on every circuit, which takes hours. A very low price often means sampling a fraction of the circuits, or in the worst cases issuing a certificate with barely any testing behind it. That is worthless if something goes wrong and an insurer asks questions.

Understanding your codes

C1 — danger present. Risk of injury now. Requires immediate action.
C2 — potentially dangerous. Needs remedial work urgently.
C3 — improvement recommended. Not a failure, and does not make the report unsatisfactory.
FI — further investigation required, without delay.

If you are unsure, it is always cheaper to ask than to guess. Give us a call and we will tell you straight.

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