HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire an EICR electrician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

An EICR inspects existing wiring; private landlords in every nation need one at least every five years. The rules, the checks and what the codes mean.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an EICR electrician in five steps

  1. Know why you need itA landlord's five-yearly report, a purchase, or peace about old wiring: the reason sets the scope.
  2. Look them up firstThe Registered Competent Person Electrical register covers England and Wales; check the name there before agreeing the electrical inspection.
  3. Agree the scope and the priceHow many circuits, what share is tested, and what happens to any faults found.
  4. Read the codesC1 and C2 mean danger or potential danger and an unsatisfactory report; C3 is a recommendation.
  5. Keep the report and the datesNext inspection date, remedial work and written confirmation, filed and given to tenants on time.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, the electrical inspection itself is not notifiable work, but any remedial work it leads to, such as a new consumer unit, may be. For the notifiable parts of the electrical inspection, an electrician registered with a government-authorised scheme (NICEIC or NAPIT, say) signs off compliance with the Building Regulations; without one, building control must be notified before work starts and inspects for a fee. A trader quoting for the electrical inspection should have public liability insurance and tell you who provides it. That trader status is what gives you rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and for a home or online booking a 14-day cancellation window under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — which does not cover goods made to your specification, and leaves you paying for work you asked to start early.

Look up the business name on the register; it takes a minute and should come before the electrical inspection. Ask for proof of insurance for the electrical inspection; the trader and ID-checked badges are on the Locufy profile. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Landlord electrical safety report

Private landlords must have the installation inspected and tested at least every 5 years: in England under the 2020 Regulations and in Northern Ireland under the 2024 Regulations (in force 1 April 2025), each requiring a copy for existing tenants within 28 days; in Wales, a valid electrical condition report given to the contract-holder within 7 days; in Scotland, an inspection by a registered electrician no less often than every 5 years.

Ask the electrician which nation's rules the report is written for, and put the next inspection date in your diary. legislation.gov.uk →

Remedial work deadlines

Under the 2020 Regulations in England and the 2024 Regulations in Northern Ireland, where the report shows further investigation or remedial work is needed the landlord must have it done by a qualified person within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and obtain written confirmation.

Ask for the remedial work to be priced separately, and for written confirmation when it is done. legislation.gov.uk →

Scotland: the repairing standard

Landlords in Scotland must keep the electrical system safe and in reasonable condition, with RCD protection, have it checked by a registered electrician no less often than every 5 years, and have appliances they supply regularly inspected, as part of the repairing standard.

For a Scottish let, ask for the electrical inspection and an appliance test on the same visit. mygov.scot →

VAT

Expect 20% VAT, the standard rate, on an electrical installation condition report: a business above the £90,000 registration threshold is required to charge it and to show it separately from the labour and materials.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the EICR price and any remedial quote. gov.uk →

“What will the electrical inspection cover, and how much of it will be tested?”

A good answer: Every circuit on the board inspected, with a stated sample tested in full; for an older installation, more. Limitations — a board boxed in, a loft not entered — written on the report.

“Are you registered, and qualified for inspection and testing?”

A good answer: A competent person scheme named and a register entry you can check, plus inspection and testing experience. The rules require a qualified person.

“How will faults be coded?”

A good answer: C1 for danger present, C2 for potentially dangerous, FI for further investigation, C3 for improvement recommended — with a plain explanation of each.

“Will you quote the remedial work separately?”

A good answer: Yes. You are free to get another quote for the repairs; an inspector who will only pass the installation if they do the repairs is a warning.

“How long will the power be off?”

A good answer: Each circuit goes off in turn during testing; a few hours for a flat, most of a day for a large house.

“When will I get the report?”

A good answer: On the day or within a few days, as a full report with the schedule of test results, not a one-page summary.

“Which date goes on the report for the next inspection?”

A good answer: Five years at most for a rental; sooner if the condition of the wiring calls for it.

Getting the quote right

  • The number of circuits and the size of the property the price assumes
  • The share of circuits tested in full, and any limitations expected
  • A fixed price for the report, separate from any remedial work
  • The price for fixing C1 and C2 faults quoted only after the report
  • Who actually attends — the inspector who tests and signs the report, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • A report delivered after twenty minutes on a whole house
  • Every finding coded C2 with a quote for a full rewire attached
  • No schedule of test results with the report
  • Will only sign off if they do the remedial work
  • Cannot show inspection and testing experience or a register entry in England or Wales
LOW
£120
TYPICAL
£280
HIGH
£400

What an EICR electrician costs: £120–£400 per report

An EICR is priced per report, mainly by the size of the property and the number of circuits; remedial work is quoted on its own afterwards. Electrical Safety Inspection (EICR) price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

EICR electricians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Agree the scopeThe electrician confirms the circuits, the sample to be tested and any areas they cannot reach.
  2. Visual inspectionThe board, accessories, cables and bonding are checked for damage, wear and wrong parts.
  3. Dead and live testingEach circuit in the sample is isolated and tested — continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation.
  4. Code the observationsFindings are coded C1, C2, C3 or FI, and the overall result marked satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
  5. ReportYou receive the full report with the schedule of results and a recommended date for the next inspection.

EICR
Electrical Installation Condition Report: the inspection of an existing installation.
C1
Danger present; immediate action needed.
C2
Potentially dangerous; urgent remedial action needed.
C3
Improvement recommended; does not make the report unsatisfactory on its own.
FI
Further investigation needed without delay.
Schedule of test results
The page of readings for each circuit tested.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the report and the confirmationThe full report, the schedule of test results and written confirmation of any remedial work; landlords keep them until the next inspection is due.
Give tenants their copies on timeWithin 28 days in England and Northern Ireland for existing tenants; within 7 days of the inspection or occupation in Wales.
Diary the next dateThe date on the report, not five years from whenever you remember.
Write the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the electrical inspection falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Start with the electrician, in writingSend the electrician a short, dated account of the problem with the electrical inspection and the fix you want. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies reasonable care and skill into the contract, and section 54 gives you repeat performance or a price reduction when it is missing.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the electrical inspection under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3A report you doubt, or a landlord without oneIf the electrical inspection looks wrong, a second qualified electrician can inspect and report. In England and Northern Ireland a landlord must give the council a copy of the report within 7 days of a written request, which is how tenants' concerns are usually taken up. For a trading dispute over the electrical inspection, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the electrical inspection is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an EICR electrician: questions people ask

Yes in every nation: at least every five years in England (2020 Regulations), Wales (an electrical condition report under the 2022 fitness rules), Scotland (the repairing standard) and Northern Ireland (2024 Regulations, from 1 April 2025).

A qualified person, in the rules' words. In England and Wales a sensible check is a competent person scheme registration and inspection and testing experience; in Scotland, mygov.scot says a registered electrician.

£120–£400 a report, typically around £280. Property size and the number of circuits are the main drivers; remedial work is priced separately. There is a line-by-line breakdown in the Electrical Safety Inspection (EICR) price guide, and the postcode box above brings up EICR electricians in your area.

C1, C2 or FI findings make it unsatisfactory. In England and Northern Ireland a landlord must have the work done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says, and get written confirmation.

There is no legal duty for an owner-occupier, but buyers, lenders and insurers often ask about the wiring, and it is a sensible check on an older home.

No. It reports on the condition of what is there; new work gets an Electrical Installation or Minor Works Certificate.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: PAT TestingHow to hire: Consumer Unit / Fuse Board UpgradeHow to hire: Partial RewiringHow to hire: Full RewiringHow to hire: Smoke & Heat Alarm InstallationHow to hire: Electrical Fault FindingHow to hire: Carbon Monoxide AlarmAll 701 hiring guides →

EICR electricians near you

EICR electricians in LondonEICR electricians in ManchesterEICR electricians in BirminghamEICR electricians in GlasgowEICR electricians in BelfastAll eicr electricians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  2. Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
  3. Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024
  4. Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 6 — electrical safety
  5. mygov.scot — repairs and maintenance as a private landlord
  6. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  7. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  13. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  14. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  15. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  16. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  17. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register