Price range – £89 to £300
Average cost – £200
Best/Cheapest price – £89
EICR stands for Electrical Installation Condition Report, and it is an important document for any property owner. Whether you are a homeowner renting your house or commercial property owner, you must conduct an EICR regularly for tenants’ safety and insurance.
The UK government’s legislation requires all private rental properties to record Electrical Installation Condition Reports by a competent and experienced electrical contractor. For this, you have to seek the assistance of approved contractors, and you can search for them in the electrical safety register.
What is an EICR?
Your EICR is a formal document compiled by a registered electrical contractor or electrician. This document contains a detailed evaluation of your property’s electrical installations. The contractor will mention all his findings, the good, the bad, and the ugly, of your property’s current electrical infrastructure.
Typically EICR will require the electrician or contractor to carry out periodic inspections and tests of all things electrical on your domestic or commercial premises. The report may also contain recommendations to fill the identified gaps.
Why EICR?
While there are various reasons why you may request an EICR, the most significant one is that it is a highly effective and credible document to prove the safety of your property’s electrical installations. Other reasons or benefits of using an EICR are as follows.
- It helps you meet all the safety requirements and stay compliant with the law
- You will require an ECIR to validate your commercial property insurance
- You will save money in the long run
- An EICR can help identify ways to reduce your premise’s carbon footprint.
Pricing Of Domestic EICR Report
As a homeowner, you may wonder how much an EICR report will cost you. Well, there are several ways you can estimate the price of your property’s electrical inspection. While some electrical companies may charge you a flat rate based on your property’s size, others use different parameters to determine the price, these include.
- Initial paperwork set up
- Additional costs per circuit etc.
For example, you might pay £100 for the initial setup or inspection, and then pay an additional amount for each circuit inspection. However, this type of pricing is most applicable when it comes to getting an EICR for commercial works.
You may be eligible to get a discount when requesting several reports simultaneously. So, if you are a landlord with multiple properties, it is a good idea to have all the properties inspected together for a cost-effective EICR package. That said; let us have a quick look at some of the estimated costs involved with EICR for domestic residences.
Price Guide for Domestic EICR
The price for domestic EICR may vary depending on the size of your property as well as where you live. However, the prices mentioned in the chart below are all estimated prices and may differ from the rates applicable in your location, or by your EICR evaluation company.
The chart provided below is to give you a rough idea about how much an Electrical Installation Condition Report might cost you.
Domestic Property Type | Estimated Cost for Consumer Unit/Distribution board up to 10 units + Cost per Additional Circuit |
Studio Apartment/1 Bedroom flat | The approximate cost starts at £130 + £14 for additional circuits. |
2 Bedroom Flat | Approximate costs start at £145 + £14 for an additional circuit. |
3 Bedroom Flat | The approximate cost starts at £160 + £14 for additional circuits. |
4 Bedroom Flat | The approximate cost starts at £175 + £14 for additional circuits. |
2 Bedroom House | The approximate cost starts at £175 + £14 for additional circuits. |
3 Bedroom House | The approximate cost starts at £190 + £14 for additional circuits. |
4 Bedroom House | The approximate cost starts at £205 + £14 for additional circuits. |
5 Bedroom House | The approximate cost starts at £220 + £14 for additional circuits. |
You can expect to pay anything between £100 and £250 for a detailed EICR report depending on the factors listed above. However, if you have properties larger than above, the price will increase accordingly.
Therefore, it is always a good idea to get an electrician or contractor to visit your house and get an estimated price in writing. This visit from the electrician will help you determine the cost and also avoid any last-minute billing surprises.
Pricing for Commercial EICR Report
If you are a commercial property landlord then expect to pay a higher price compared to domestic reports. However, the price may depend on the size of your commercial premises and the area of your property.
While some commercial buildings may have hundreds of electrical circuits, smaller cafes or shops may have a couple of consumer units. This is important because the number of circuits your property has will determine how much an EICR will cost you.
Price Guide for Domestic EICR
Here is a quick estimation of EICR for various commercial setups.
Commercial Property Type | Estimated Cost for Consumer Unit/Distribution board up to 10 units + Cost per Additional Circuit |
Apartment block | The approximate cost starts at £175+ £14 for additional circuits |
Commercial units | The approximate cost starts at £220 + £14 for additional circuits |
Offices | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Industrial units | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Laboratories | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Shops | The approximate cost starts at £175 + £14 for additional circuits |
Medical clinics/hospitals | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Cinemas | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Nurseries | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Education schools | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Hotels | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Restaurants | The approximate cost starts at £175 + £14 for additional circuits |
Bars | The approximate cost starts at £175 + £14 for additional circuits |
Theatres | The approximate cost starts at £200 + £14 for additional circuits |
Construction sites | The approximate cost starts at £150 + £14 for additional circuits |
A similar rule applies here; if you have a larger commercial property, it may cost you more than the estimated prices in the chart above. The best way to know the exact cost is to ask the electrician or EICR producing contractor to identify all circuits they will have to test. This identification can help you determine the exact cost before making any commitments.
How You Can Bring Down Your EICR Cost?
If you are a landlord of a domestic or commercial property wondering how you can reduce the cost of an EICR report, here are some aspects that do you a favour.
- A newly constructed home or commercial premises
- New electrical installations
- Up to date EICR records and a good previous ECIR report
All of these factors can help you lower the per circuit price of your EICR report. However, you must always be wary as many contractors and electricians only quote the bottom-end price. So, ask for an itemised quotation with pricing for each item they are charging for.
Additionally, be due diligent when choosing an electrician and make sure that they are not taking any unqualified labour or using shortcuts to reduce the cost. You can always look for recommendations within your circle, such as family, friends, and colleagues, or look for online reviews before hiring an electrician or EICR contractor.
Things to Consider Before an EICR
Generally, you do not need to make any prior arrangements or preparations before an EICR inspection. Allowing the property to be seen as it is, is important because the EICR inspector or electrician needs to see the building’s electrical installations in a day-to-day working setup and conditions.
However, there are certain aspects that you can take care of in order to make the entire exercise a smooth affair.
- You must make sure that no parts of your home or commercial property are difficult to access. There should be no obstacle or blockage that prevents an electrician or contractor from reaching the electrical installations.
- You must ensure that the electrician or contractor gets clear access to your building’s main electrical rooms as well as water and gas supplies.
- You must remove any possessions and objects that may obstruct the EICR inspector’s view of electrical accessories and equipment.
- In case you are using a prepaid meter, make sure that you load up enough credit on it. This will ensure that the low balance on your meter does not stop the EICR evaluations. Make sure there is enough credit to last the entire testing phase.
Remember, the cleaner the pathway or access to your electrical installation and circuits, the quicker the EICR inspection team will be out of your way. Clearing pathways to the electrics are more vital for businesses who wish to avoid any downtime, interruptions, or distraction for their employees, tenants, and visitors.
Conclusion
Whatever your EICR needs are, always make sure that you only hire one of the approved electricians or contractors to produce your Electrical Installation Condition Report. This way you will have peace of mind that the evaluator of your electrical installations is a certified and verified technician or service provider.
You must also make sure to check the reviews of the EICR service provider. You do not have to do anything. The electrician or inspector from an electrical contractor will enter your property, carry out all necessary inspections and leave with their findings. A few days later, you will receive a comprehensive EICR report with findings, ratings, and any recommendations.
