EICR Some Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Who should undertake an EICR?

An EICR must be carried out by an approved electrical inspector or electrical engineer who holds a City and Guilds 2391 in Inspection, Testing, and Verification of electrical installations. The inspector must have significant experience, hold the correct insurance, and must be a member of a governing body such as NAPIT or NICEIC. It is usual for the company that the inspector works for to hold these accreditations and insurances, but the inspector must hold the correct qualifications and have the right experience.

At Hexo Electrical testing we hold accreditation with NAPIT and have £5 Million of public liability insurance. All our inspectors and engineers have at least 10 years’ experience.

What happens during an EICR?

Our electrical inspector will carry out visual checks as well as dead and live electrical testing. This will enable evaluation of the electrical installation against BS7671 – Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring Regulations) – as amended to the 18th edition. The EICR will check the installations’ compliance level and whether it is Unsatisfactory or Satisfactory.

Here are some examples of items that are inspected:

• Adequacy of earthing and bonding in terms of presence, size, and location.
• Suitability and condition of the switchgear; fuse boxes and consumer units.
• Condition of the switches, socket-outlets and light fittings.
• Type of wiring system and its condition; single insulated cables in steel conduit or PVC sheated cables clipped direct, for example.
• Provision of RCDs (Residual Current Devices) for socket circuits and other required circuits.
• Presence of adequate identification and notices such as circuit charts and schedules

Will the power be turned off?

The power will need to be turned off for a short period of time. However, if a circuit is critical and cannot be isolated, like some security and communication systems, then instead a limitation can be agreed with the client which is recorded on the EICR certificate.

Is electrical testing a requirement of my insurance?

This depends on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy, but usually in most commercial settings a Satisfactory EICR is required by the insurance company as a condition of cover. 

For domestic properties more and more insurance companies are requiring a Satisfactory EICR as a condition of cover, but you would need to check directly with your insurance company.

I rent my business premises, is testing my landlord’s responsibility or mine?

You are responsible for ensuring that your workplace complies with the Electricity at Work Regulations. However, it is usually dependant on the terms of your lease as to whether it’s you or your landlord that pays for EICR testing.

Usually, if you are on a full repairing lease then the cost will fall to you, but this must be checked in your tenancy agreement and confirmed with your landlord.

What will happen if I don’t have EICR testing carried out?

Until an accident or dangerous event occurs then probably nothing will happen, unless you’re a landlord in the private rental sector. Landlords in the private rental sector can be fined up to £30,000 if they do not comply with the private rental EICR laws. However, remember that maintenance of a safe electrical system at work is a legal requirement. Therefore, a preventable accident could lead to prosecution.

You may also find that an insurance company loss adjuster could make much of the fact that you may not have maintained your electrical system adequately. This could lead to an unsuccessful claim and a costly experience.

How will I know when my next inspection and test is due?

An EICR next inspection label will be applied to each of your mains board indicating the next test date and the next test date is shown on page 1 of the EICR document. We hold records on our database of all our clients installations, and we send reminders when the next EICR is due.

What services do you offer and how do I make a Booking?

We offer Domestic EICR and Commercial EICR services in London and the surrounding areas. You can request a quote here and we offer online booking for our Domestic EICR service, you call us on 0207 315 4151.