EICR Testingin Staffordshire &the Midlands.
Full Electrical Installation Condition Reports from £250 — for homeowners, landlords and buyers. Independent, methodical, properly documented. No rubber stamps.
From £250 · City & Guilds 2391-52 inspector · Landlord-compliant reports
What eicr testing involves — and why it matters.
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal safety inspection of the fixed electrical installation in a property. It covers the consumer unit, all circuits, earthing arrangements, accessible wiring and every socket and switch on the installation — with each observation coded C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended) or FI (further investigation required).
Landlords (legally required every 5 years for rented properties in England), homeowners buying or selling, owners of older properties who don't know when the wiring was last checked, and anyone who has noticed intermittent electrical issues.
Every 5 years for rented properties (legal minimum). Every 10 years for owner-occupied. Immediately before purchase on an older property. Immediately after any suspicious electrical event (tripping, burning smell, warm sockets).
An unsafe installation is a fire and shock risk. The EICR is the only formal way to know your installation's current condition. Landlord non-compliance carries fines up to £30,000 per breach. Insurance claims following electrical fires can be refused where the installation was known to be non-compliant.
What goes wrong when this isn't done properly.
Old plastic consumer units
Any plastic-cased consumer unit not enclosed in a non-combustible enclosure gets a C3 as standard, and depending on condition, potentially higher. Common in properties older than ~2016.
Missing RCD protection
Older installations without RCD protection on socket circuits get coded — RCD protection is now required across most circuits under the current wiring regulations.
Non-compliant DIY work
Chocolate-block joints in ceiling voids, cables run under floorboards without protection, socket outlets fitted to circuits that can't support them. All coded, all easy to miss without a full test.
Rubber-stamp EICRs
Some inspectors visit for 45 minutes, look at the board, and issue a satisfactory report. That's not an EICR — that's a fraud. Real EICRs test every circuit under live and dead conditions.
Our process.
- 1
Booking and property brief
We take a brief on the property age, any known issues, whether it's occupied and any circuits you'd particularly like us to look at.
- 2
Visual inspection
Consumer unit, distribution boards, accessible cabling, main earth arrangement, MET bonding, socket outlets and switches — a full walk-through.
- 3
Dead testing
Continuity, insulation resistance, polarity and earth fault loop impedance measured on every circuit with the supply isolated.
- 4
Live testing
RCD trip times, operational tests, prospective fault currents — measured with the supply restored.
- 5
Report generation
Written report with each observation coded C1 / C2 / C3 / FI, a clear satisfactory/unsatisfactory verdict, and photographs where relevant.
- 6
Remedial quotes
Where items need addressing we quote them separately and honestly — no coding items that don't need coding to sell you work.
The benefits, in concrete terms.
Landlord legal compliance
Meets the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. Fine-avoidance and insurance-valid.
Peace of mind before purchase
Buying a 1960s house? An EICR tells you before you exchange whether you need to budget £600 or £6,000 on remedial work.
Independent inspection
We're not incentivised to fail your installation. Where remedials are needed, we quote them — you're free to use anyone.
Proper documentation
Reports formatted to current standards, with clear coding rationale, ready for insurers, letting agents or solicitors.
Fast turnaround
Reports issued within 48 hours of the test in most cases.
Same-day remedial quotes
Where minor remedials are needed we can often complete them there and then, saving a second visit.
EICR reports from £250.
Every job is quoted in writing before any work starts. No surprises, no time-and-materials creep.
The detail behind the work.
What actually gets tested
Every circuit is tested for continuity of protective conductors, continuity of ring final circuits, insulation resistance between live conductors and earth, polarity, earth fault loop impedance at every socket outlet, and RCD trip times on RCD-protected circuits. This is not an eyeballing exercise — it's a set of formal instrument tests taking 2–4 hours on a typical home.
Coding: C1, C2, C3, FI
C1 = danger present, immediate action required (unsafe accessible live parts). C2 = potentially dangerous, remedial action required (missing RCD protection on a socket circuit, poor earthing). C3 = improvement recommended, not required (plastic consumer unit in good condition). FI = further investigation required (something we couldn't safely determine on the day). C1 or C2 = unsatisfactory report. C3 alone = satisfactory.
Landlord requirements in detail
Since 2020, all private rented properties in England must have an EICR every 5 years, or before any new tenancy. The landlord must supply the current EICR to any new tenant within 28 days of tenancy start, and to any prospective tenant on request. Remedial work identified in the report must be completed within 28 days of the report date. Non-compliance carries fines up to £30,000.
Consumer unit age vs current standards
Consumer units installed before ~2008 typically lack RCD protection on socket circuits — a C2 under current regulations. Units installed before ~2016 are typically plastic — a C3 under current regulations. Neither necessarily requires immediate replacement, but both will show in the report and inform any negotiation on a house purchase.
Older wiring types we still encounter
Rubber-insulated cabling (pre-1960) is invariably a C1 or C2 — the insulation is at end of life. Old-style single-core in conduit is often fine if the conduit is intact. Modern PVC-sheathed twin-and-earth is the current standard. Aluminium conductors (unusual in UK domestic but present in some 70s stock) need particular attention at terminations.
Remedial route after an unsatisfactory report
Prioritise C1 first (same-day fix), then C2 (within 28 days for landlords). C3 items can be planned or handled at next major electrical works. A properly written report makes this obvious; a rubber-stamp report doesn't.
Frequently asked questions.
How much does an EICR cost?+
Domestic EICRs start from £250. Larger properties, properties with multiple consumer units, or properties with limited circuit documentation are priced from survey. We give you a fixed price up-front.
How long does it take?+
Most homes take 2–4 hours on site depending on the circuit count and access. The written report is issued within 48 hours in most cases.
How often do landlords need one?+
Every 5 years, or before any new tenancy — whichever comes first. This is a legal requirement in England.
What's the difference between an EICR and a PAT test?+
An EICR covers the fixed installation — the wiring, sockets, switches and consumer unit. PAT testing covers portable appliances (things plugged into sockets). Different job, different report.
Will I get a certificate if the property fails?+
You'll get an EICR either way — the report itself is the deliverable, marked satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Unsatisfactory reports come with a clear list of remedial items.
Can you do the remedials?+
Yes — we quote remedial work separately and honestly. You're free to use anyone qualified; we're not trying to lock you into follow-up work.
Do you cover Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and further afield?+
Yes. We routinely test properties across Staffordshire, Shropshire, the West Midlands, Cheshire and Derbyshire.
Is an EICR the same as a Landlord Safety Certificate?+
In effect, yes — the EICR is the document that satisfies landlord electrical safety obligations under the 2020 regulations.
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See our full service overview, browse service areas we cover, or head to the contact page to book a survey.
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