For privately rented houses & flats in Bristol, you should have an EICR every 5 years. A landlords EICR is much more than just a legal requirement, it is an important way to ensure your tenants remain safe and your property remains compliant.
However, the Electrician carrying out the inspection should inform you when your next recommended retest should be, as this will depend on the overall condition of the electrical installation.
How much does a Landlord EICR in Bristol cost?
Here at Allied Electrical Services, our Electrical Installation Condition Report includes up to five circuits for £260 plus VAT.
Any additional circuits are £35 plus VAT per circuit.
We recently visited a 3 bed Victorian mid terrace property in Leighton Road, Southville, Bristol to complete an EICR on behalf of the landlord. As we must check every room, we normally work around children, pets and furniture. During the 4-hour inspection, we discovered some C2 coded issues, a damaged socket in one of the children’s bedrooms and a broken light switch in the kitchen. Due to the very old electrical installation in the house and the fact the tenant had 2 young children, I recommended to the landlord to have an EICR every 3 years instead of every 5. As the property has 10 circuits, the charge for the EICR was £435 + VAT.
What is an EICR?
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is an inspection of the safety and condition of a property’s fixed electrical installation. The electrician will inspect & assess the electrical system to ensure it is safe for continued use and identify any damage, defects or potential hazards.
Checking the Electrical Installation includes all the wiring, circuits, fuseboards, sockets, switches and lighting circuits for the property.
What happens during an EICR?
There are several things your electrician will do to complete the EICR.
They will turn off your power supply to look for damage or wear and tear.
They will ensure that everything meets the IET wiring regulations.
Check for issues that could cause electric shocks or high temperatures.
Recommend any work that might be needed from rewiring to replacing a fuseboard.
Record the results of the inspection, detailing any observations.
Understanding EICR Codes
At the end of an EICR, we will assign codes to any issues we’ve identified during the inspection. These codes will indicate the level of the problem and what work is required.
C1 – Danger Present - There is an immediate risk of injury, electric shock or fire and requires urgent action.
C2 – Potentially Dangerous – There is a potentially dangerous defect that could become a safety risk if left unsolved.
FI – Further Investigation Required – There is something that requires additional investigation.
C3 – Improvement Required – There is an aspect of the installation that does not meet current standards but is not considered unsafe.
An EICR will be class as unsatisfactory if it contains C1’s, C2’s & FI’s.
A report containing only C3 codes will generally be considered satisfactory.
The property we visited in Leighton Road had C2 & C3 codes so received an unsatisfactory until we returned to fix the issues. For landlords, any C1, C2 or FI observations should be fixed promptly to ensure the property remains complaint & safe.
What does an EICR mean for landlords?
Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations, Landlords must ensure that the electrical installation in their property is inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years. If you don’t, you could face a fine of up to £40,000 & your property insurance would be invalidated!
You will need to provide a copy of the EICR to any existing / new tenants. (You do not need a new EICR for new tenants)
By organising to have inspections on time and addressing any issues promptly, you can reduce risk and provide safe rental accommodation.
Keeping inspections up to date is the simplest way to comply with your legal requirements and ensure your property is electrically safe for your tenants.
If your current Landlords EICR in Bristol is approaching its expiry date, contact us here to get booked in!
