How much does an EICR cost in the UK in 2026?

A typical EICR ranges from £150 for a small 1-bed flat up to £400+ for a 4-bed house or HMO. Prices vary by region (London is roughly 30–40% more), property type, age of wiring and number of circuits. Always get at least 2 quotes.

How often do landlords need an EICR?

Every 5 years for rented properties in England, or earlier if the inspector recommends. Scotland requires EICRs every 5 years too. Wales requires them every 5 years under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.

What is a C1, C2 or C3 code on an EICR?

C1 = danger present, risk of injury, immediate action required. C2 = potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action needed. C3 = improvement recommended, not legally required. FI = further investigation needed. An EICR is only 'satisfactory' if there are no C1, C2 or FI codes.

What happens if my EICR fails?

If the report finds C1 or C2 issues, you must carry out remedial work within 28 days (or sooner if specified) and obtain written confirmation from the electrician. You then provide proof to your tenant within 28 days. Local authorities can fine up to £30,000 for non-compliance.

Can I do an EICR myself?

No. An EICR must be carried out by a qualified electrician — typically registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or Stroma. The electrician must be 'competent' under the regulations and able to issue a valid EICR certificate. DIY inspections are not accepted.

Do I need an EICR between tenancies?

Not automatically — the EICR is valid for 5 years from the inspection date. But if there's any reason to believe the installation has been damaged or altered (e.g. extensive damage during a tenancy), a fresh inspection is sensible. Always check the certificate is still in date before a new tenancy starts.

EICR Costs for Landlords (2026): What to Pay, What to Avoid

📅 Updated May 2026 ⏱ 9 min read 🏷 Compliance

Since April 2021 every rented property in England has needed an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at least every 5 years. The certificate itself isn't expensive — but remedial work can be. This guide covers what an EICR is, what it should cost in 2026, the C1/C2/C3 codes you need to understand, and how to spot quotes designed to upsell you into work you don't need.

Quick summary: A typical EICR ranges from £150 (1-bed flat) to £350+ (4-bed house). It must be carried out by a qualified electrician every 5 years for rented properties. Failure can mean fines up to £30,000. C1 and C2 codes mean the property has failed and remedial work is needed within 28 days.

What is an EICR?

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal periodic inspection of a property's fixed electrical installation — the wiring, sockets, consumer unit, light fittings and earthing. The electrician inspects, tests with calibrated instruments, and produces a written report (typically 6–12 pages) with each circuit assessed and graded.

It is not:

A test of your appliances (that's PAT testing — separate, not legally required for residential landlords)
A guarantee for any specific period — it's a snapshot
A planning document for upgrades

It is:

The legally-required document confirming your installation is safe to use
Valid for 5 years (or less, if the electrician recommends)
A "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" determination, based on the codes assigned

The legal requirement

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords must:

Have a satisfactory EICR for every rented property in England
Renew at least every 5 years
Provide the tenant with a copy within 28 days of the inspection
Provide a copy to incoming tenants before they move in
Provide a copy to the local authority within 7 days if requested
Carry out any remedial work identified as C1/C2/FI within 28 days (or sooner where specified)

Scotland has its own broadly similar regulations under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, also requiring 5-yearly EICRs. Wales requires EICRs under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 — check the latest guidance from Welsh Government.

⚠ Penalty: Local authorities can impose civil penalties of up to £30,000 per breach. Repeated breaches stack. Failure to comply also invalidates your Section 21 notice — you cannot evict on no-fault grounds until you've remedied the breach.

How much should an EICR cost in 2026?

EICR pricing is mostly driven by property size (number of circuits, points and time on site), regional labour rates and the electrician's overhead. Typical 2026 ranges:

Property type	Typical UK range	London / South East
Studio / 1-bed flat	£150 – £200	£200 – £270
2-bed flat or house	£200 – £280	£260 – £350
3-bed house	£250 – £320	£300 – £400
4-bed house	£300 – £400	£380 – £500
5-bed HMO	£380 – £500+	£480 – £650+

These are inspection-only prices. They do not include any remedial work — which is where most of the actual cost lives if your installation has issues.

What makes an EICR more expensive?

Old wiring: properties with TT earthing, rewireable fuses or pre-1980s installations take longer to test thoroughly
Many circuits: more circuits = more individual tests required
HMO bedrooms: each bedroom is treated as a separate area and may have separate circuits
Accessibility: if the consumer unit is buried behind kitchen cabinets or in an awkward space, the time on site goes up
Boarded loft / inaccessible cables: the electrician may need to lift boards or recommend further investigation (FI codes)
Furnished property: moving furniture to access sockets adds time
Out-of-hours: some electricians charge a premium for evenings/weekends

The C1 / C2 / C3 / FI codes explained

Every observation on an EICR is assigned a code. The codes determine whether the report is "satisfactory" overall.

Code	Meaning	Action needed
C1	Danger present — risk of injury	Immediate action — electrician should make safe before leaving
C2	Potentially dangerous	Urgent remedial action — within 28 days (or sooner if specified)
C3	Improvement recommended	Not legally required — but worth considering
FI	Further investigation required	Treated like C2 — must investigate and remedy

An EICR is satisfactory only if there are no C1, C2 or FI codes. C3 codes alone do not fail the report. So when you see a "satisfactory" EICR with some C3 codes — that's normal and not a problem.

✓ OwnProperly tip: Get a copy of the EICR with the codes detail visible. Some electricians give a one-page summary only — but as a landlord you need the full schedule of test results, especially the C-code observations, in case the local authority asks.

How to spot a dodgy quote

EICRs are a known target for upsell scams — particularly in the months after the 2020/21 regulations came in. Here are the patterns to watch:

Headline price too cheap

A £79 EICR for a 3-bed house is almost always loss-leader pricing. The electrician makes their money on the remedial work they'll then "find". Genuine inspectors charge fair, transparent inspection rates.

Quote remedial work with no detail

"Failed — £1,200 of work needed" with no breakdown is a red flag. A legitimate report will identify specific observations with C-codes and the electrician should be able to itemise what each remedy costs.

Hard upsell on the day

If the electrician pressures you to authorise large remedial work on the spot, decline. Ask for a written report first, then get a second opinion. C2 work has 28 days — you have time to think.

Not registered with a competent person scheme

Verify the electrician is registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, Stroma, NAPIT, or similar. You can search for registered companies on each scheme's website. If they're not in any scheme, walk away.

Charges to "review" your existing EICR

A new EICR is a new inspection. There's no need to pay anyone to "review" a previous certificate.

Common findings that lead to remedial work

If you do get C1 or C2 codes, the most common causes are:

No RCD protection on socket circuits used outdoors or for fixed appliances (C2)
No earth bonding on water/gas pipes or no main equipotential bonding (C2)
Old plastic consumer units in domestic properties — flagged as C3 typically (recommended upgrade to metal)
Damaged sockets or switches with exposed conductors (C1 or C2)
No earth on lighting circuits (common in pre-1966 properties — C2)
Inadequate consumer unit labelling (usually C3)
Burnt or scorched fittings (C1 — danger present)

Typical remedial costs:

New metal consumer unit (16-way): £400 – £700
Add RCD to existing board: £150 – £250
Earth bonding to gas/water: £80 – £150
Replace single damaged socket: £40 – £80
Full rewire (3-bed): £3,500 – £6,000+

What happens if your EICR fails?

The electrician issues an "unsatisfactory" EICR with C1, C2 or FI codes
You have 28 days from the date of inspection to carry out the remedial work (or sooner if specified)
Once remedied, you must get written confirmation from the electrician — usually a Minor Works Certificate or a follow-up report
You then provide both documents (original EICR + confirmation of remedy) to the tenant within 28 days of the remedy
If the local authority requested the EICR, you also provide them with the remedy confirmation

It is the remediation evidence — not just the EICR — that confirms compliance. Don't lose it.

Do you need an EICR between tenancies?

The certificate is valid for 5 years, so no — not by default. But there are common scenarios where a new EICR is sensible mid-cycle:

You suspect tenant damage to the installation
You've had a major renovation (new kitchen, extension, rewire)
The current certificate is within 12 months of expiring and you're starting a new long tenancy — better to refresh now than mid-tenancy
You're buying a property — request the previous EICR and verify it's in date

EICR in HMOs

HMOs have additional requirements. Mandatory licensed HMOs (5+ unrelated tenants forming 2+ households) typically need:

EICR every 5 years (or as required by the local authority)
Emergency lighting test certificates in some HMO grades
Fire alarm system test certificates

Many HMO licensing schemes mandate EICR submission as part of licence renewal. For more, see our HMO licence application guide.

EICR record-keeping checklist

Original EICR PDF saved with property file
Date of inspection and expiry date logged (5 years on)
Electrician's competent person scheme registration recorded
Tenant confirmation of receipt (email is fine)
For any C1/C2/FI codes — remedy invoice and Minor Works Certificate saved
Calendar reminder 4 months before expiry

Never miss an EICR expiry again

OwnProperly's compliance tracker logs every EICR with automatic alerts at 90, 60 and 30 days before expiry. Same for gas, EPC, HMO licences and more.

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How OwnProperly Helps

OwnProperly's compliance tracker stores every EICR alongside its issue date, expiry, codes assigned and the electrician used. You get automatic email alerts before expiry, plus an "at-risk" dashboard view showing which properties need attention. If a property fails inspection, the remediation evidence is stored against the same record — so you have one place to show the local authority if challenged.

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