If you have been told you need an Electrical Installation Condition Report — either as a landlord meeting your legal obligations or as a homeowner buying or selling a property — you may be wondering what the inspection actually involves, how long it takes, and what happens afterwards. This guide walks through the process from start to finish.
What Is an EICR?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal assessment of the fixed electrical installation in a property — the wiring, consumer unit, sockets, switches, and earthing arrangements. It is carried out by a qualified engineer and results in a written report that grades any observations made and gives the installation an overall Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory outcome.
For landlords in England, an EICR is a legal requirement every five years or at every change of tenancy. For homeowners, it is recommended every ten years or when purchasing a property.
Before the Inspection
Before the engineer arrives, it helps to ensure that:
- Access is available to all rooms in the property
- The consumer unit (fuse board) is accessible — typically in a cupboard, hallway, or utility room
- The engineer can reach sockets, switches, and light fittings throughout the property
- Anyone in the property is aware that the power will need to be turned off for part of the inspection
For most domestic properties, you should expect the inspection to take between two and four hours. Larger properties or those with older or more complex wiring may take longer. Your engineer will give you a realistic estimate when you book.
The Inspection Itself
The EICR has two main stages: a visual inspection and an electrical test.
Stage 1: Visual Inspection
The engineer carries out a thorough visual inspection of the installation, looking for signs of damage, deterioration, or non-compliance. This includes:
- The condition of the consumer unit — checking for signs of overheating, correct labelling, and appropriate protection
- Visible wiring — checking for damage, incorrect routing, or inadequate protection
- Sockets, switches, and light fittings — checking for signs of damage, overheating, or incorrect installation
- Earthing and bonding arrangements — verifying that metallic pipework and other services are correctly bonded
- Any previous electrical work — assessing whether it has been carried out to an acceptable standard
Stage 2: Electrical Testing
Once the visual inspection is complete, the engineer conducts a series of electrical tests on the circuits in the property. This requires the power to be turned off to each circuit in turn. The tests include:
- Earth continuity — confirming that the earth connection is intact throughout each circuit
- Insulation resistance — checking that the insulation on the wiring has not deteriorated
- Polarity — verifying that live, neutral, and earth conductors are correctly connected throughout
- RCD testing — confirming that residual current devices operate correctly within the required time
- Prospective fault current — measuring the likely fault current at the consumer unit
The full test sequence for a typical domestic property covers all circuits in the installation and, as noted above, typically takes two to four hours in total.
The Report and Outcome Codes
On completion of the inspection and testing, the engineer produces a written report. Each observation is assigned one of four codes:
C1 — Danger present. Immediate risk of injury. The installation should not be used until remedial work is carried out.
C2 — Potentially dangerous. A significant risk is present. Remedial work is required as a priority.
C3 — Improvement recommended. Not dangerous, but the installation would benefit from improvement.
FI — Further investigation required. Something has been identified that requires further investigation before a full assessment can be made.
The overall outcome of the EICR is either Satisfactory — meaning no C1 or C2 observations were recorded — or Unsatisfactory. An Unsatisfactory result does not mean the property is immediately dangerous, but it does mean that remedial work is required before the next inspection, and in some cases urgently.
After the Inspection
ATO Solutions issues your EICR certificate and written report within three to five days of the inspection as standard, or within two days with our express service. The report is sent by email and is the document you will need to provide to your tenants, letting agent, or solicitor.
If remedial work is required, we provide a separate, itemised quote. There is no obligation to use ATO Solutions to carry out the work, though many clients choose to do so for continuity.
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