Most homeowners only think about getting an Electrical Installation Condition Report when they have to, usually because they’re selling the place, renting it out, or God forbid, your consumer unit is tripping more often than it should be.
And then it’s like the whole confusion hits, why is one electrician saying £140 and another £500 for the same house?
So to cut through the dodgy “it depends” answers, here’s what you should actually expect to pay for a normal EICR in the UK, why the prices are all over the shop, and how to make sure the inspection you’re shelling out for is actually worth your money.
What An EICR Actually Covers (It's Way More Than Just A Cursory Glance)
An EICR isn’t just a quick once-over or some ten-minute test with a flashing gadget.
It’s a really thorough check of the entire electrical installation, the wiring that’s hidden in walls, the consumer unit, earthing arrangements, protective devices, every single circuit that feeds your lights, sockets, and all the other fixed appliances.
The engineers are looking for signs of wear and tear, poor connections, overheating risks, any previous DIY disasters that people are too proud to admit to, and all the other things that could give you a nasty shock or set the whole place ablaze.
But what most homeowners don’t see is all the legwork that goes on behind the scenes. Testing out the insulation resistance, checking the polarity is right, and making sure the RCD trip times are spot on, each circuit has its own routine.
So, no surprise that a flat with six circuits gets sorted way quicker than a three-story semi with a right old mess of a fuse board.
The final result is all coded up:
- C1 - Danger present
- C2 - Potentially dangerous
- C3 - Improvement reccomended
- FI - Further investigation required
Average EICR Costs Across The UK
People love a single number, but EICRs don’t work that way. They scale with property size, wiring complexity, and region. Still, most standard UK homes fall into predictable bands.
Here’s a realistic breakdown:
Typical UK EICR Price Ranges
| Property Type | Expected Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 1-bed flat | £120–£180 |
| 2-bed flat | £150–£220 |
| 3-bed house | £180–£260 |
| 4-bed house | £220–£320 |
| Large, old, or extended house | £300–£500+ |
Homes in London and the South East frequently sit at the top of each range. Properties with old fuse boards or troublesome access points (loft circuits buried under insulation, for example) can climb as well.
The unusually cheap quotes, the £80 “full EICR” kind, usually skip half the testing and produce a two-page report that wouldn’t pass serious scrutiny. A credible electrician will often take up to a day, depending on circuit count, not 25 minutes.
What Makes The Price Go Up Or Down
The EICR costs quote isn’t some sort of lottery jackpot. There are all sorts of factors at play here, and if you can wrap your head around them, you’ll be able to spot when a price is fair and when someone is taking you for a ride.
Circuit Count
The biggest factor by far is the number of circuits involved. The more there are, the more testing time is needed.
Now, if you’re dealing with a nice modern consumer unit, then testing is going to be a breeze.
But try and figure out what’s going on with some old clunky consumer unit with unclear labeling, that’s going to be a whole different story.
Age of Installation
And then there’s the age of the electrical work. Properties that were rewired years ago tend to be a mess.
Property Layout
And don’t even get me started on the layout of the property. Three-storey houses and loft conversions are a nightmare to get around.
And it’s not just the stairs you need to worry about, it’s getting into those hard-to-reach places. And then there’s the time it takes to get from one end of the house to the other.
Local Demand
And finally, there’s the simple fact of supply and demand. Places with lots of rental properties or strict landlord regulations can drive up prices just because everyone wants a piece of the action.
Complexity & Previous Work
And then there’s the issue of complexity. Places with partial rewires, extensions, conservatories, or garages all fed from ancient wiring tend to be a real pain to get to grips with.
When you start to see all these factors in play, the pricing variation doesn’t seem so random after all.
How To Tell If You're Being Ripped Off (Or Undersold)
Now there’s a sweet spot when it comes to EICRs. Too cheap, and it raises questions. Too expensive, and it raises eyebrows.
What you want is a quote that’s fair and comes with a clear explanation of what you’re getting for your money and how long the test will take.
Red flags you should be wary of:
- Any quote under £200 for a full property inspection.
- Being charged per circuit once the job's already started.
- Being told there's a "report fee" on top of the quote you already got.
- Being refused a time estimate.
- No questions about the type of installation.
- Taking an hour to do a full EICR.
- Keeping all the power on while the EICR is being carried out.
- Offering an EICR without being registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, or STROMA.
Equally, some quotes shoot way above the market for no special reason, usually relying on the homeowner not knowing the going rate. Good electricians explain costs transparently and don’t avoid questions.
What Happens After The EICR (And The Costs Nobody Warns You About)
An EICR won’t put anything right, it’ll just tell you what needs fixing. And how much remedial work you’ll need to do depends entirely on the state of the wiring, it can be anything from a simple job that won’t break the bank to a more involved affair that’ll leave a serious dent in your wallet.
C1 and C2 faults are an absolute must to sort out before any “satisfactory” certificate is issued, so the electrician can say the test has been passed with flying colours.
And you’ll often find things like old sockets that are a bit worse for wear, wiring that’s been installed back to front, missing earths, or sockets with burnt terminals are all pretty common in older homes.
Small fixes are unlikely to cost more than £150, but more in-depth problems, like needing to replace the consumer unit, can run anywhere from £400 – £800, all depending on what spec you go for.
If the test comes back with a FI (Further Investigation), that’s not a pass or fail as such, it just means the electrician needs a bit more time to track down the fault, and that’s going to add to the overall cost.
Landlords, remember, you’ve got a 28-day deadline for getting remedial work done once you get the report, and believe me, you don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you’ve got multiple assessments coming in, and you’re not sure who to trust.
A lot of people find it easiest to use the same electrician who did the EICR in the first place, just to avoid having different engineers saying different things.
DIY Vs Professionals: How Not To Go About An EICR Yourself
An EICR needs the right kit and a lot of experience to do it properly.
Homeowners can spot the obvious defects like cracked socket fronts or loose faceplates, but that’s about as far as it goes.
Checking the continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD performance, and earth fault paths involves tools and knowledge that are way out of the average DIYer’s league.
And if you do attempt to do it yourself, don’t be surprised if insurance and mortgage providers completely ignore the results.
So, on the face of it, the only sensible option is to get a qualified electrician to do the job – not some handyman or DIY enthusiast who thinks they know what they’re doing, and not a mate who fancies a go.
Choosing The Right Electrician For Your EICR
A good electrician won’t just give you a price without asking some questions first, like how many bedrooms are there, what type of consumer unit the place has, how old the wiring is, and if the property has any extensions or outbuildings. Look for someone who’s going to ask questions like that.
Others to look out for include:
- Someone who is a member of NICEIC, NAPIT, or STROMA.
- Someone happy to explain what the inspection will cover in detail.
- Someone who shows you sample reports that show what you can expect, not two pages of generic results.
- Someone who gives you a fixed quote based on the size of the property or the number of circuits.
- Someone who takes the time to walk you through the whole thing afterwards, so you know what's going on.
- Someone who actually leaves their van to do the inspection!
The right electrician doesn’t just rush the job and tick boxes, they diagnose the faults too.
Are EICRs Really Worth It? The Value In The Long Term
Even if it stings a bit upfront, an EICR is going to save you a lot of money in the long run.
Issues like loose connections, old RCDs, hidden junction boxes, and overheating cables are the kind of problems that will quietly cause you grief over years and years. And they can cost a small fortune to put right.
For landlords, it’s a legal requirement to get an EICR done, and for homeowners, it’s about peace of mind and being able to have a bit of leverage when buying or selling a house.
One of those things you don’t really appreciate until disaster strikes, then it becomes absolutely priceless.
Using Tradefox To Build Electrical Confidence
If you’re an electrician, an apprentice, or a tradesperson looking to get some experience at fault-finding and understand how real electrical systems work, then the Tradefox app is a great tool to have in your toolkit.
It lets you walk through testing scenarios, diagnose faults, and build your decision-making skills in a completely safe and controlled environment, a much safer and smarter way to learn and reinforce your knowledge before tackling real-world inspections or even real electrical systems.
Final Thoughts
EICR costs vary, but once you understand what’s actually involved and what factors change the price, the market starts to make sense.
A fair inspection is thorough, transparent, and carried out by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Whether your goal is safety, compliance, or simply peace of mind, choosing the right electrician makes all the difference.
