Buyer guide
Good practiceDo I need an EICR?
For commercial premises the law does not say "every five years". It says keep the wiring safe and an EICR is how you prove it. For rented homes in England it is a statutory five year requirement. What the C1 and C2 and C3 and FI codes oblige you to do. What a fair price looks like. And the remedial works you should not be talked into.
Applies to: Great Britain under the Electricity at Work Regulations. Rented homes have their own statutory rules in England and Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has the equivalent 1991 Regulations.
Looking for the technical detail? Read the version for professionals → BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 Chapter 65 and the Appendix 6 model report. Observation coding under Electrical Safety First Best Practice Guide 4.
Do I need one? Yes, unless the installation is brand new. Every commercial premises needs its fixed wiring inspected periodically. An EICR is the report that comes out of it.
Does the law say every five years? For commercial premises it does not. It says keep the wiring safe. Five years is the recommended maximum for most premises and it is the inspector's job to set the interval on the report. For rented homes in England five years is statute.
Do I have to fix everything on the report? No. That is the whole point of this page. C1 and C2 are yours to fix. C3 is a recommendation. Knowing the difference is worth more than any other single thing you will learn about electrical compliance.
What the law actually requires
Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 says all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable. It applies to every employer and to anyone in control of non domestic premises in Great Britain.
That is the duty. It does not name the EICR and it does not set a five year interval. The EICR is the recognised way of showing that the installation has been inspected by a competent person and that anything dangerous has been dealt with.
England: the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have the installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. The report goes to tenants within 28 days and to the council within 7 days of a request. Remedial work must be done within 28 days or sooner if the report says so. Civil penalties run up to £30,000.
Scotland: an EICR at least every five years for private rented homes under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 repairing standard. Wales: an EICR every five years under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 fitness requirements. HMOs everywhere: every five years as a licensing condition.
BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations) and IET Guidance Note 3 recommend maximum intervals between inspections. Five years for offices and shops and most commercial premises. Three years for industrial. One year for some higher risk environments such as swimming pools and more often where conditions are harsh. These are recommendations that a competent inspector adjusts to the actual condition of the installation. The interval goes on the report.
Most commercial insurers require a satisfactory EICR within the last five years as a condition. Commercial leases often require the tenant to hold one for their part and the landlord for common parts. Licensing authorities ask for it for pubs and venues and HMOs. Meet the wording of your policy or lease and not the version of it the contractor describes.
Northern Ireland: the same duty to maintain applies under the Electricity at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991.
What this means for your premises
Ordinary commercial premises such as an office or shop or café. One EICR every five years or whatever shorter interval the last report specified. Plus remedial work on any C1 or C2 or FI.
Industrial or wet or dusty or heavy use premises such as workshops and kitchens and garages. Three years or as the report says.
Rented homes and HMOs: five years by statute, with the 28 day remedial rule in England.
New installations: no EICR until the interval on the Electrical Installation Certificate runs out. Typically five years from installation.
Reading the report: what each code obliges you to do
This is the section to bookmark.
Risk of injury exists now. The inspector should make the circuit safe or isolate it before leaving and tell you in writing. You must act immediately. Not next week. A C1 makes the report unsatisfactory.
Not dangerous today but could become so. You must have it put right, urgently. In rented homes in England that means within 28 days. In commercial premises it means without unreasonable delay and you should be able to show you acted. A C2 makes the report unsatisfactory.
The inspector found something they could not resolve on the day. You must have it investigated. The outcome will be a C1 or a C2 or a C3 or nothing. An FI makes the report unsatisfactory until it is resolved.
The installation does not meet the current edition of the Wiring Regulations in this respect, but it is not dangerous. Almost every installation more than a few years old will attract C3s. The Regulations move on and existing installations do not have to. You are not required to do anything. A report with only C3s is satisfactory.
Your options on C3 items
The report says "improvement recommended". Here is how a buyer decides.
Option A: leave it and monitor. Legitimate for most C3s. Note it and check it is still a C3 at the next inspection. Cost: nothing.
Option B: schedule it into the next planned works. If you are refitting or having an electrician in anyway then add the C3 items and pay for one visit instead of two. Cost: the extra labour.
Option C: fix it now. Right where the C3 sits in a high use area or is a nuisance you already know about. Right where there is no RCD protection on a circuit the public uses. Right where your insurer has asked. Cost: the quote. Get it itemised and compared.
The test: ask the electrician which C3s they would fix in their own building and why. A good one will tell you two or three matter and the rest do not. One who wants to fix all of them is quoting and not advising.
What it should cost
A small commercial premises with a single distribution board: £290. An office or shop with 5 to 19 people: £410. Above about 12 circuits expect £15 a circuit. Rented homes: £180. Get the number of circuits and the price per circuit in writing before the visit. Ask whether the price includes minor remedial work on the day. Some contractors fix simple C2s while they are there and that is worth having.
Two things that legitimately raise the price. A large installation with many circuits. Old or poorly documented wiring that takes longer to trace. One thing that does not: the size of the contractor's brand.
Figures are typical prices taken from published commercial price guides and checked October 2026. Same method on every page. Larger or more complex premises sit above them.
What you shouldn’t be sold
- All the C3s as if they were mandatory. They are not. Ask for the report before the quote and separate the two.
- A "fail" on a satisfactory report. If the only codes are C3 the report is satisfactory. Read the box on the front page and not the contractor's summary.
- An automatic annual EICR for a low risk premises. The recommended maximum for an office or shop is five years. Annual is for specific high risk environments or where the last report said so.
- A consumer unit replacement because of Amendment 4. A new edition of the Wiring Regulations does not oblige you to upgrade an existing safe installation. That is a C3 conversation at most.
- Remedial works quoted by the inspector on the same visit, unitemised. Get the report and the codes. Then get two quotes for the C1 and C2 items. The inspector can be one of them.
- An EICR with no circuit schedule or test results. The report must include the schedule of inspections and the schedule of test results and the observations with codes. A one page certificate is not an EICR.
- A five year "EICR contract". You need one inspection every five years. There is nothing to put on a contract.
Check what else your business needs
The EICR covers the fixed wiring. The things you plug into it are covered by PAT testing. Your fire risk assessment will reference both. Run the Compliance Check to see the full picture for your premises.
Quick answers
- Is an EICR a legal requirement?
- For rented homes in England, yes. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020 require one at least every five years. For commercial premises there is no statutory interval. The law requires the installation to be maintained so it does not cause danger. An EICR is the accepted way of proving that.
- How often do I need an EICR?
- The IET Wiring Regulations recommend a maximum of five years for most commercial premises and three years for industrial. Shorter for wet or dusty or high risk environments. Rented homes in England: every five years by law. The interval is set by the inspector on the report itself. It should follow the condition of the installation and not the contractor's renewal calendar.
- What do the C1 and C2 and C3 and FI codes mean?
- C1 means danger present and immediate action. C2 means potentially dangerous and urgent remedial action required. C3 means improvement recommended and not required. FI means further investigation required. A report with any C1 or C2 or FI is "unsatisfactory". A report with only C3 observations is "satisfactory".
- Do I have to fix C3 items?
- No. A C3 is a recommendation that the installation does not meet the current edition of the Wiring Regulations. That is normal for any installation more than a few years old. It does not make the report unsatisfactory. You can fix C3 items or leave them or schedule them into the next planned works. Being quoted for all C3 items as if they were mandatory is the single most common oversell in electrical compliance.
- How much does an EICR cost?
- A small commercial premises with one distribution board is £290 and £410 for an office or shop with 5 to 19 people. Above about 12 circuits expect £15 a circuit. Rented homes £180. Get the price per circuit and the number of circuits in writing before the visit.
- What is the difference between an EICR and PAT testing?
- An EICR covers the fixed wiring. The consumer unit or distribution board and the circuits and the sockets and the earthing. PAT testing covers the things you plug in. They are separate jobs and most businesses need both.
- Who can carry out an EICR?
- A competent person. In practice that means an electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT or ELECSA, with inspection and testing qualifications. City & Guilds 2391 or equivalent. Ask which and check the register.
- What happens if an EICR is unsatisfactory?
- You must have the C1 and C2 and FI items put right and get written confirmation that they have been done. For rented homes in England that must happen within 28 days or any shorter period the report states. For commercial premises the duty is to act without delay. A C1 means the circuit should not be used until fixed.
- Does a new building need an EICR?
- No. A new installation comes with an Electrical Installation Certificate from the installer. The first EICR is typically due at the interval the installer recommends on that certificate. Usually five years.
- What is the Amendment 4 change in 2026?
- BS 7671:2018 Amendment 4 was published on 15 April 2026 and becomes the sole standard for new work from 15 October 2026. It does not require you to upgrade an existing installation. Any contractor telling you that your wiring now "fails" because a new amendment has been published is describing a C3 at most. Not a fault.
Find and check
Who can I use for this?
We do not recommend suppliers. Here is the official register and what to check before you book.
The register
- Registered Competent Person Electrical Searches every government approved scheme at once.
- NICEIC find a contractor
- NAPIT find an installer
Check
- Registration with a competent person scheme.
- City and Guilds 2391 or equivalent for inspection and testing.
- Experience of commercial installations. Ask for one like yours.
Ask
- How many circuits do I have and what is the price per circuit?
- Will you give me the report before any quote for remedial work?
- Which C3 items would you fix in your own building and why?
Insist on
- The full report with the schedule of inspections and test results. Not a one page certificate.
- C1 and C2 work priced separately from C3 work.
- No annual EICR for an office or shop. Five years is the recommended maximum.
General information about UK compliance, written for the person paying the bill. Not legal advice. If your situation is unusual, get a professional to look at it. See our editorial standards.