In a ideal world every electrical installation should have had some form of inspection to determine its suitability for continued use.

Commercial property owners for example, have a strict legal obligation to undertake an EICR to a minimum frequency of 5 years dependant on the nature of the business.

Landlords or Airbnb owners have a legal obligation to ensure their properties have a valid EICR completed to a minimum frequency of every 5 years.

Homeowners are recommended to have a EICR carried out every 10 years but do not have a legal obligation to do so. Having an EICR carried out on your home has its own advantages;

• Many homes have not been checked since commissioning the original electrical system. Having an EICR carried out gives you an insight into your electrical system and how it could be made safer.
• If you are planning to sell your home, having an up to date  EICR can give 
• reassurance to the potential buyers and help speed up the process.
• Much like a Gas Safety Certificate, not having a up to date EICR could invalidate your home insurance.

The first thing your assigned electrician will ask is if they can have permission to turn your power off. The time the power is off will vary depending on how big your electrical system is. For example; in a 3 bed property, power may be turned off for 2-3 hours in order for the electrician to carry out the necessary tests. Don't worry, we will always ask if you would like to make yourself a tea before we turn the power off!

They will then carry out a visual inspection of the electrical system, the purpose of this is to see if there is anything that doesn't look quite right. It is always helpful to let the electrician know if there is any outstanding issues or broken accessories that you have noticed, this can speed up the process.

The electrician will then carry out the necessary 'dead tests' on the property. This fundamental step allows the electrician to have a better understanding on how your electrical installation is functioning and if there are any potential areas that can be improved.

Once the electrician is satisfied with the dead testing they will carry out live tests on the electrical system. This includes checking the functionality of your sockets and switches whilst also checking your circuit breakers and any safety devices you have installed.

Once the electrician is satisfied all tests are complete they will do one final look around and clear any mess made from undertaking from the inspections. You will then receive a digital copy of the certificate called a Electrical Inspection Condition Report (a paper copy is available). In this report the electrician will describe in detail anything they have found and if there are any recommendations to improve safety. These items will have a code attached which is broken down as follows;

• C1- immediately dangerous (i.e. exposed live parts)
• C2 - potentially dangerous (improvement needed to bring it up to required standard)
• C3- recommendation- (a suggestion from the electrician to improve safety)
• FI- further investigation required

If you have any C1,C2 or FI codes on your report this would lead to a Unsatisfactory given on your report. Any C1 coding we ask permission to address on site to elimate the danger. Do not panic if you receive a unsatisfactory report, the main thing is it is being 

addressed. We issue quotations for repair and we do not charge for a whole retest if we carried out the initial EICR if the work is completed by us.