Landlord EICRs in Harrow

What a landlord EICR involves

An EICR has two halves. The first is inspection: the electrician looks over the consumer unit, the earthing and bonding to gas and water pipes, and opens up a sample of sockets, switches and light fittings to check the connections and the cable behind them. The second is testing: every circuit is tested with calibrated instruments for continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and, where fitted, RCD operation.

The results go onto a report with a schedule of test results for each circuit, a list of observations, each with a classification code, and an overall verdict of satisfactory or unsatisfactory. You receive the report to keep and to pass on.

What the law asks of a landlord

Under the Electrical Safety Standards regulations, a private landlord in England must have the installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so. Our inspections are carried out as an NICEIC Approved Contractor. The report then has to reach the right people on time:

• each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection
• a new tenant before they move in
• a prospective tenant within 28 days of asking in writing
• the local council within 7 days of a written request

You keep the report until the next inspection and give a copy to the next inspector. The government guidance says a council can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 for a breach. The full list is in our landlord electrical safety rules guide.

When the report comes back unsatisfactory

A report is unsatisfactory when it contains any C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) observation. The regulations then give you 28 days, or less if the report sets a shorter time, to have the remedial work or any further investigation done by a qualified person. Within 28 days of the work being finished you must confirm it in writing to your tenants and the council, usually by sending the certificate for the work.

We price remedial work as a separate quote set out observation by observation, so you can see what each fix is for and compare it with another electrician’s price if you want to.

Access and tenants

The power has to go off circuit by circuit during testing, so tenants need notice. Ask them to expect the fridge, freezer, broadband router and any home office to lose power for short spells, and tell us in advance about anything that must stay on, such as medical equipment. If you are not there, we can arrange access through the tenant or your letting agent and send the report to both of you.

What affects the price of a landlord EICR

The time an inspection takes depends mostly on the number of circuits, not the number of bedrooms. A flat with six circuits is quicker than a house with a second consumer unit, an extension, a garage and a garden office. Unlabelled or hard-to-reach boards, locked rooms and tenants’ furniture against sockets also add time. Ask for a price with the property type and postcode, and say whether you want PAT testing done on the same visit. Our guide to what an EICR costs explains how to compare quotes.