EICR certificate cost: what you should pay, and why quotes vary

An EICR certificate costs roughly £79 to £150 for most flats and houses, more for larger installations. The price is really a price for time — and the number of circuits sets the time. Below: what a fair price looks like by property size, what it does and does not include, how to read the codes, and the legal rules for landlords in England and Wales.

EICR cost by property size

These bands reflect fixed prices published by UK electrical testing firms, checked in September 2026. They are a market reference, not a quote — and most published price lists are set in London, where labour costs more than in West Essex.

Two things move a property out of its band. A second consumer unit — common where a garage, garden office or annexe has its own supply — roughly doubles the testing work at that location. And access: a board behind fitted furniture, or sockets buried behind kitchen units, adds time that a fixed price list does not always absorb.

Why EICR quotes vary so much

Every circuit on the board has to be tested — continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation — and each result recorded on the schedule. That is per-circuit work, which is why circuit count, not floor area, is the honest driver of the price. A three-bedroom house with eight circuits and a four-bedroom house with eight circuits are close to the same job; a two-bedroom flat with a second board is not a small one.

What the price includes — and what it does not

The line that matters most is the first in the right-hand column. Get a second remedial quote from someone other than the inspector. The engineer who codes the observations has an obvious interest in doing the repairs, and nobody else in this market will tell you that — it is not an accusation, it is just a reason to compare.

The codes, and what they cost you

That last row is the one that catches people. An FI is not a pass. A report can come back unsatisfactory with no C1 or C2 on it at all, simply because something could not be determined on the day — which is exactly why the re-attendance question above is worth asking before you book, not after.

How long it takes, and how long it lasts

On site, a flat is usually a couple of hours and a family house a few; the written report follows, often the same or next working day. How long the certificate lasts depends on who you are:

• Private landlords in England or Wales — at most five years, or sooner if the report recommends it.
• Owner-occupiers — no legal interval; ten years is the usual recommendation, and at any change of occupancy.
• Commercial premises — the interval is set by the installation and how it is used; see commercial electrical work.

Landlord duties in England

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force on 1 June 2020, applied to new tenancies from 1 July 2020, and to all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021. In outline the landlord must:

• have the fixed installation inspected and tested at least every five years;
• supply the tenant with a copy of the report;
• where the report requires remedial or further investigative work, complete it within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies;
• supply written confirmation of completion to the tenant, and to the local authority on request.

Landlord duties in Wales

Wales runs its own regime, and the consequence of non-compliance is sharper. Under the Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 the landlord must hold a valid electrical condition report for each period of occupation. A report is valid for up to five years, or less if the report itself says so, and where an inspection happens during an occupation the contract-holder must receive a copy within 14 days. A landlord who does not comply is treated as letting a dwelling that is unfit for human habitation. The requirement applied to new occupation contracts from 1 December 2022, and to contracts that already existed by 1 December 2023.

Before you book

1. Count the circuits on your board, or photograph it — the quote depends on it.
2. Ask whether every circuit is tested, and whether FI re-attendance is included.
3. Check the engineer is registered on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register.
4. If the report finds work, get a second remedial quote before you agree to any.

If the report comes back with widespread C2 observations on an older installation, read fault finding and rewiring before you price items one by one — a common root cause is sometimes cheaper to fix once.