Electrical & PAT testing

EICR stands for an Electrical Installation Conditioning Report.

Yes - an EICR is now a legal requirement, and you’ll need to have one carried out every 5 years. The report needs to be provided to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, to new tenants before they move in and to the local authorities within 7 days if they request to see it. You’ll also need to set a date for your next inspection once you receive the current report.

An EICR – or Electrical Installation Condition Report – is an official document produced following a full inspection of the electrical systems and installations in your home or workplace. As part of the periodic inspection process, qualified electricians will check whether your electrics are well-maintained and, more importantly, safe. Once your premises have passed all the checks and any urgent remedial work has been carried out, you’ll receive a certificate of safety.

EICRs are for any buildings or premises which have electrical systems. They are used by business owners, homeowners, landlords and authorities which manage public buildings like schools, churches and leisure centres and more. There’s many reasons why a business or property owner might request an EICR, and there are many benefits to having one, but what it often boils down to is documented proof that the on-site electrics are safe.

It depends on the type of property. Here are some examples for you:

- Private homeowner – Every 10 years
- Rented home – Every 5 years
- Caravan – Every 3 years
- Swimming Pool – Every year

There will be a minor power outage on the circuit when the test is being run, but most of the testing is done when the system is still live. We can plan the minor outages around your day to make sure it doesn’t interrupt you.

Testing times always depend on the size of the system we’re testing so it's hard to give you a number - but we try to make it’s completed as quickly as possible for you.

The report will show every electrical installation that was tested, whether it passed or not as, well as details of any remedial work required (and their fault codes).

Fault codes are used to indicate the level of fault with an electrical system.

• C1 means ‘Danger is present’, risk of injury is likely and IMMEDIATE action is required.
• C2 is the classification for POTENTIALLY dangerous and remedial action is needed urgently.
• C3 is the last classification code, and the only one that can appear on a report and have it still pass the EICR test. C3 means improvement to your electrical system is recommended but not required.

As of June 1st 2020 - yes! Private landlords now have a legal responsibility to have the electrical installations in their property inspected and tested by a qualified engineer every 5 years.