How much does an EICR cost?

Why there is no single price

An electrical installation condition report is paid for mostly in time: time to test every circuit, inspect the installation and write up what was found. A one-bedroom flat with a modern board and a handful of circuits is a very different amount of work from a large house with two consumer units, an outbuilding and wiring from several decades. A fixed headline price has to assume one of those, and the property in front of you rarely matches the assumption.

This guide is about what moves the cost. For what the inspection itself involves, see the EICR service page.

What decides the price

The number of circuits

Circuits are the clearest guide to how long the testing takes. Each one is isolated, tested and recorded, so a board with twelve circuits takes longer than a board with six, whatever the floor area. A second consumer unit, a separate board in a garage, and dedicated circuits for a shower, cooker, heating or car charger all add to the count.

Size and layout

More rooms usually means more sockets, switches and fittings to inspect, and longer circuits between the board and the furthest point. Houses on three floors, loft conversions and extensions tend to take longer than their floor area suggests.

Access

Testing needs the consumer unit, accessories in every room and, ideally, the loft and any under-stair cupboards. A tenanted home where access has to be arranged, rooms that are locked or full of stored belongings, or a board buried in a packed cupboard all add time. So does a block of flats where the supply equipment is in a locked meter room.

Age and history of the installation

An installation added to piecemeal over the years takes longer to understand than one wired in a single job. Missing circuit charts, unlabelled breakers and circuits that do not go where they appear to must be traced before the report can say anything useful about them.

Homes and commercial premises

Shops, offices and other commercial premises are priced differently from homes. They often have three-phase supplies, several distribution boards and emergency lighting, and the testing may have to be done around trading hours.

What an inspection price does not include

An EICR is a report on condition, not a repair visit. If it records observations that need remedial work, that work is a separate job with its own price, and the fee for the inspection does not change because of what was found.

Two points are worth confirming when you compare quotes:

• How further investigation is charged. Sometimes a problem cannot be resolved during the inspection and the report records it as needing further investigation. Ask what that would cost.
• Whether small repairs on the day are offered. Replacing a cracked socket front during the visit may be included, priced as an extra, or not offered at all. None of these is wrong, but you should know which before the day.

Why a very cheap headline price can mislead

A low advertised price usually rests on assumptions: a small property, a set number of circuits and nothing else. If the property turns out to be larger, the price changes on the day. The more useful comparison is what each quote actually covers: how many circuits, which buildings, what happens if further investigation is needed, and whether someone will explain the findings or simply send the document.

It is also fair to ask how long the inspection will take. Testing a whole installation properly cannot be rushed, and a price that only works for a very short visit deserves a question about what will be tested.

Landlords: budget for the findings as well

For rented homes in England an inspection is a legal requirement at least every five years, and any remedial work the report requires has a deadline counted from the day of the inspection. When budgeting, allow for putting findings right as well as for the report itself. How often do landlords need an EICR? sets out the rules.

What helps an electrician give a firm quote

None of this is needed just to ask, but if you know it, a quote can be firm rather than a starting figure:

• the type of property and roughly how many bedrooms
• whether it is your home, a rental or a business premises
• how many consumer units there are, including any in a garage or outbuilding
• whether it is occupied, and how access will be arranged
• when it was last inspected, if you know

How Firefly prices an inspection

I price each inspection from the details of the property rather than publishing a headline figure. The quote is free, carries no obligation, and is agreed before any testing starts. If the report finds work that needs doing, that is priced separately, so you can see exactly what the inspection cost and what any repairs would cost. For properties in the city, the Southampton inspection page covers the local side.