Key Point
EICR stands for Electrical Installation Condition Report. It is the standard health check for your property's fixed wiring - the circuits, consumer unit, earthing, and bonding hidden inside the walls. Whether you need one, and how urgently, depends on whether you are a homeowner, a landlord, or a business operator.
We get asked about EICRs more than almost anything else. Usually it is one of three questions: what does the inspection actually involve, do I have to have one, or what do the observation codes on a report mean. All three are answered below.
What An EICR Actually Involves
The MOT comparison gets used a lot. An EICR is a systematic inspection of the fixed electrical installation: the consumer unit, circuit wiring, earthing conductors, bonding arrangements, and every socket, switch, and fitting connected to them. Unlike an MOT, every finding is coded according to its severity and documented in a written report.
Every accessible part of the installation examined - consumer unit, visible cable runs, accessories, earthing and bonding connections - for deterioration, non-compliant materials, or signs of heat damage. Rubber-insulated cables, wooden-backed fuse boards, and plastic consumer unit enclosures are all flagged here.
With the installation safely isolated - insulation resistance on every circuit, earth continuity, and correct polarity throughout. An insulation resistance reading below the BS 7671 minimum indicates cable degradation often found in properties with ageing rubber insulation showing no external symptoms.
With power restored - every RCD and RCBO tested for correct operation within the required disconnection time. We record actual measured disconnection times, not just pass/fail results.
Every finding coded and documented. A Satisfactory result means no C1 or C2 codes were found. An Unsatisfactory result means remediation is required. Certificate delivered by PDF the same day in most cases.
How Long Does It Take?
A typical two-bedroom flat in Bournemouth is usually two to three hours. A four-bedroom house with an older installation can run to a full day. Anyone quoting a fixed one-hour EICR for a standard house should be questioned on how they intend to complete all four phases in that time.
What The Observation Codes Mean
| Code | Meaning | What It Requires |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | DANGER PRESENT - an immediate risk of injury, electric shock, or fire. | Immediate action. The affected circuit should be isolated before the property continues in use. For landlords, a C1 makes the installation potentially unsafe to occupy. |
| C2 | POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS - not immediately dangerous, but could become so under foreseeable circumstances. | Remediation within 28 days for landlords under the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020. The report is Unsatisfactory until all C2 findings are resolved. |
| FI | FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED - something identified that cannot be fully assessed within the inspection scope. | Further testing or opening up the installation to investigate. An FI does not automatically make a report Unsatisfactory, but must be resolved before a clean Satisfactory certificate can be issued. |
The most common C2 finding in Bournemouth's older housing stock is inadequate supplementary bonding in bathrooms - typically in properties rewired before the 2008 amendment to BS 7671 that changed bonding requirements for wet zones. It looks perfectly normal to a homeowner. The insulation test passes. But the bonding arrangement creates a shock risk in the event of a simultaneous earth fault. Remediable in most cases within a few hours.
Do You Need An EICR? - Depends Who You Are
Private Landlords - Legal Requirement
Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, private landlords must hold a valid EICR on every rental property - inspected at least every five years. Copy to existing tenants within 28 days. Copy to prospective tenants before move-in. BCP Council must receive it within seven days of a written request. C1 or C2 findings trigger the 28-day remediation clock immediately.
Owner-Occupiers - Strongly Recommended
No legal requirement. Electrical Safety First recommends every ten years as a maximum. In practice, treat ten years as a ceiling, not a target - particularly for older Bournemouth properties with rubber-insulated wiring still in service.
Most valuable for homeowners: before buying (confirms what you are inheriting before exchange of contracts) and before selling (removes buyer objections and prevents last-minute price renegotiation).
We inspected a property in Southbourne for a buyer told the electrics were "fully updated" after a kitchen refit. The EICR found the original rubber-insulated cable from the 1960s still feeding the new circuit. Two C2 codes. The buyer renegotiated the price to cover a full rewire.
Business Owners and Commercial Landlords - Required for Compliance
Commercial properties are subject to the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. An EICR every five years is the accepted method of discharging the duty holder's obligation for most commercial premises. Higher-risk environments warrant more frequent inspection. Most commercial insurance policies require evidence of a current and satisfactory EICR.
Maximum recommended interval between EICRs for owner-occupied homes, per Electrical Safety First guidance. For coastal Bournemouth properties or any property with rubber-insulated wiring, a shorter interval is the more appropriate baseline.
A Note on Inspection Quality
An EICR is only as useful as the person who carried it out. A report issued on an unsafe installation provides no protection to the landlord or occupant. When we carry out an EICR at SC Electric, we follow the full methodology as specified in IET Guidance Note 3. We record actual measured values. We flag what we find regardless of whether the client wants to hear it.
- NAPIT-registered, full scope: Certificate self-certified under Part P and accepted by BCP Council.
- Plain-English explanation of every finding: What the risk is, what is required to resolve it, what a realistic remediation looks like.
- Written quote before any remedial work begins: The price on the quote is the price on the invoice.
- Certificate delivered by PDF the same day: No administrative delays for landlords working to 28-day deadlines.
NAPIT-accredited electrical contractor covering BH1-BH14. Full rewires, consumer unit replacements, EICR inspections, EV charger installations. Written quotations with explicit inclusions and exclusions before any work begins.
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