If you let a property in England, an Electrical Installation Condition Report every five years is not optional, and the fine for ignoring it can reach £30,000. The good news is that the test itself is usually one of the cheaper compliance jobs on your list. The awkward part is what happens if it comes back unsatisfactory, which is where most landlords get caught out on cost.
For a standard rented property in and around Manchester, expect roughly £120 to £200 for a one or two bed flat, £150 to £250 for a typical three bed terrace or semi, and £250 to £350 or more for a four bed plus house with multiple consumer units, outbuildings or an extension. HMOs sit higher again because there are more circuits, more final points and more paperwork.
Those figures assume the property is empty or the tenant is expecting the visit, the consumer unit is accessible, and the electrician can get the power off for a couple of hours. Anything that turns a single visit into two visits pushes the price up.
An EICR is not a visual once over. The electrician carries out dead testing (continuity, insulation resistance, polarity) and live testing (earth fault loop impedance, RCD trip times), inspects the consumer unit and a sample of accessories, and records the results circuit by circuit on a schedule of test results.
That is typically two to four hours on site for a normal house, plus time writing up. If a quote looks dramatically below the ranges above, ask how long the electrician expects to be there and whether the schedule of test results will be completed in full. A report with blank test columns is not worth having, and a local authority can reject it.
The report classifies faults. C3 is advisory and needs no action. C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) and FI (further investigation required) all make the report unsatisfactory, and the regulations give you 28 days to put them right and provide written confirmation to your tenants and, on request, the council.
Common remedials and rough costs: adding RCD protection or replacing an older consumer unit runs around £450 to £750; supplementary bonding to a bathroom or replacing missing main bonding to gas and water is often £120 to £250; sorting out a handful of loose terminations or a damaged accessory might be £80 to £150. A full or partial rewire on a property that has never been touched is a different conversation entirely, commonly £3,000 to £6,000 plus.
Budget as if there is a reasonable chance of a few hundred pounds of remedial work, particularly on anything with a pre 2008 consumer unit or a plastic board with rewireable fuses.
Book the EICR during a void period if you can. An empty property means full access to every socket and no negotiating around furniture, and it also means remedial work can be done the same week rather than around a tenancy.
Ask up front whether the quote covers minor remedials on the day. Many electricians will tighten terminations, replace a cracked socket or fit missing blanks while they are already there, which is far cheaper than a return visit. Also ask for the report as a PDF with the schedule of test results attached, because you will need to hand it to new tenants within 28 days and to any incoming letting agent.
At least every five years, or sooner if the report itself specifies a shorter interval. You must give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection and to new tenants before they move in.
Yes, provided it is less than five years old, was carried out on the same installation and is satisfactory. If work has been done since, such as a new kitchen or an extension, you should have the relevant certification for that work as well.
The testing work is identical, so the price is broadly the same. Any difference usually comes from HMO properties having more circuits, or from landlords needing faster turnaround on the report and remedial work to meet the 28 day deadline.
A quick call with Gary is usually enough to establish scope. For anything more involved, we’ll come out to measure up at a time that suits you.