EICR in Gants Hill IG2

Ilford Electrical Services covers Gants Hill for EICRs, and this page walks through a typical inspection from start to finish. It is written for homeowners, landlords and businesses who want to know what to expect before they book.

A little preparation helps an electrical inspection run smoothly. Start by deciding who needs to be there. Someone must be able to let the electrician in and give access to every room, the garage, any outbuildings and the place where the fuse box or consumer unit is kept. If the property is tenanted, give your tenants plenty of notice and explain that the power will be switched off for short periods.

Clear the area around the consumer unit so it can be opened easily. Move stored items away from sockets and light fittings where you can. If you have a previous installation condition report, or paperwork for recent electrical work, keep it to hand. It gives the person inspecting useful background on the wiring.

When you send an enquiry, say what type of property it is, roughly how many rooms it has and why you need the report. A landlord, a buyer or seller and a business owner each have different reasons, and the reason can affect how the report is used.

The inspection usually begins with a look at the installation before any testing. The electrician will open the consumer unit and check its condition. They look for signs of overheating, damage, loose fixings, missing blanks and anything that does not look right. They also check that circuits are labelled clearly, because a board with no labels makes any later work harder.

They then move through the property, looking at a representative selection of sockets, switches, light fittings and visible wiring. Cracked accessories, scorch marks, signs of DIY work and cables that are not properly protected are all things they note. They will also look at earthing and bonding, which are the connections that help prevent a fault from leaving metalwork live.

Testing is the part that tells the electrician what the eye cannot. Some tests are done with the circuit dead, which is why the power goes off. These include checking that the protective conductors are continuous and measuring insulation resistance, which shows whether the insulation around the wiring is holding up.

Other tests are done with the supply live. These check earth fault loop impedance, which relates to how quickly a protective device will react to a fault, and they confirm that RCDs trip as they should. The electrician works through the circuits in turn, usually lighting, sockets, cooker, shower and any other dedicated circuits, and records the results as they go.

Expect the power to be off for periods while this happens. Switch off and unplug sensitive equipment first, and save any work on computers. Tell the electrician about anything that must stay on, such as a freezer, a medical device or business equipment. They can often plan the order of the work around it, though some circuits will need to be isolated for a time.

The time an EICR takes depends on the size of the property and the number of circuits. A small flat is quicker than a large family house, and a commercial unit with several distribution boards takes longer again. If access is difficult or the wiring is poorly labelled, it can take longer still. Ask when you enquire so you can plan your day.

During the visit you will notice the electrician moving between rooms, taking off cover plates and plugging in test equipment. Sockets and light fittings may be opened to check the connections behind them. A careful inspector will put everything back as found, but if you want to know how much will be opened up, ask before the day. Let them know about any fragile finishes, such as fresh decoration.

After the testing, the findings go into the electrical installation condition report. It records what was inspected, what was tested and the results. Any problems are given a code. C1 means danger is present and urgent action is needed. C2 means potentially dangerous. C3 means improvement is recommended. FI means further investigation is required. The overall result is then given as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

An unsatisfactory result is not unusual on an older installation, and it is not the end of the story. It means certain items need attention. Common examples include an outdated consumer unit, missing RCD protection or poor earthing. Ask the electrician to explain each observation in plain terms and to tell you which are most urgent, so you can plan the repair work sensibly.

Landlords should keep the report safe and be ready to share it with tenants and others who may ask for it. Rules about how often reports are needed and who must receive them can change, so check GOV.UK for the current position. If you are buying or selling, pass the report to your solicitor or agent so any issues can be dealt with as part of the deal.