EICR cost in 2026: prices by property size
What an EICR costs by property size and region in 2026, what the price covers, landlord and homeowner costs in each UK nation, and what repairs cost after an unsatisfactory report.
An EICR costs £100 to £300 for most UK homes in 2026, and the number of circuits sets most of that price. It pays for an electrician to inspect and test the wiring and write a report on its condition; repairs the report calls for cost extra. We give prices by property size and region, what pushes a quote up, landlord and homeowner costs in each nation, and what the fixes cost.
EICR cost by property size
The size of the installation sets the price. A studio or 1-bed flat usually has 6 to 12 circuits, each extra circuit adds roughly 10 to 15 minutes of testing, and the bill climbs with the bedrooms. These are 2026 prices for a full EICR: the inspection, the testing and the written report.
| Property | Full EICR, inspection, testing and report |
|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bed flat | £100 – £180 |
| 2-bed flat | £120 – £220 |
| 3-bed flat | £180 – £210 |
| 1 or 2-bed house | £150 – £250 |
| 3-bed house | £200 – £300 |
| 4-bed house | £200 – £350 |
| 5-bed house or larger | £300 – £500 |
London prices sit at the top of each range. Every range assumes one consumer unit and the usual number of circuits for a home that size, so a second board or a large extension moves a quote up its band.
A flat costs a little less than a house with the same number of bedrooms: £180 to £210 for a 3-bed flat, against £200 to £300 for a 3-bed house. The average EICR costs £159 to £199. The communal areas of a block of flats, such as the stair and landing lighting, are priced as a separate job from the flats themselves.
EICR prices by region
Where you live moves the price too. These ranges cover a full EICR on a standard flat or house, split by the number of bedrooms.
| Region | 1 or 2 bedrooms | 3 or 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| London | £120 – £250+ | £220 – £400+ |
| South East | £130 – £230 | £180 – £350 |
| South West | £120 – £210 | £160 – £330 |
| Midlands | £110 – £190 | £150 – £300 |
| North West | £110 – £180 | £150 – £290 |
| North East | £100 – £170 | £130 – £270 |
| Scotland | £120 – £220 | £160 – £330 |
| Wales | £110 – £190 | £140 – £290 |
| Northern Ireland | £100 – £180 | £130 – £280 |
An EICR on a 3 or 4-bed home in London runs £220 to £400 or more, and a property in Zones 1 and 2 typically costs £30 to £50 more than the same job in an outer borough. Areas with few local electricians can also sit high, whatever the region.
The North East and Northern Ireland are the cheapest, from £100 for a 1 or 2-bed home and £130 for a 3 or 4-bed one. Scotland runs £160 to £330 for the larger homes and Wales £140 to £290, both below the South East at £180 to £350.
What an EICR price includes
An EICR, often called an electrical safety certificate, pays for the electrician's time on site, the inspection and testing of the installation, and the written report. The report codes each fault, records the installation as satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and sets the date of the next inspection. What an EICR actually checks runs from the earthing and bonding to the condition of every socket, switch and light fitting.
Repairs are never part of it. Anything the report codes C1, C2 or FI is quoted as a separate job once the report is written. The report itself usually arrives by email within 24 to 48 hours of the visit.
Keep the report once you have it. A landlord in England has to hold on to it until the next inspection is due or done, and an owner needs it for a sale, a renovation or the next electrician who works on the house.
A price under £100 is possible for a studio or a small flat. Before booking one, confirm that it covers testing every circuit rather than a visual look round, and that the written report is included rather than charged on top.
What pushes an EICR price up
Two homes with the same number of bedrooms can be quoted £100 apart. The gap usually traces to one of these:
- More circuits. Each circuit is tested on its own and adds roughly 10 to 15 minutes, so a house with separate circuits for a cooker, a shower, a garage and a garden costs more than one with the basics.
- A second consumer unit. Each board needs its own testing, so a home with 2 boards costs more than one with a single board.
- An old fuse board. A board with rewireable fuses adds £50 to £100 to the price of the inspection.
- Extensions and conversions. A loft conversion, a conservatory or an annexe adds circuits and moves the quote towards the top of its band.
- Location. London and the South East are the dearest regions, and in London parking or the congestion charge can be added to the bill.
- Access. A locked room, a blocked consumer unit or a loft that cannot be reached can mean a second, charged visit.
- Timing. Weekend appointments are priced differently from weekday ones.
How to compare EICR quotes
A home is normally quoted at a fixed price for its size, and commercial premises can be quoted per circuit. A fixed price is easy to compare, but only when both quotes cover the same number of circuits and boards. A per-circuit price shows what each part of the job costs, and the total is only known once the circuits are counted.
Put the quotes side by side on the same lines: the inspection, the report, VAT and every extra. The lowest headline figure is not the cheapest EICR if the report, a second board or the parking gets added on the day.
The repairs do not have to go to the electrician who did the inspection. The coded items on the report are a job list, and any competent electrician can price them.
How long an EICR takes
Most homes need a single visit of a few hours, with the power off for parts of it. The bigger the home, the more circuits there are to test.
| Property | Time taken |
|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bed flat | 1.5 – 2 hours |
| 2-bed flat | 1 – 3 hours |
| 3-bed house | 3 – 4 hours |
| 4-bed house or larger | 4 – 6 hours |
Part of that can be paperwork done after the electrician leaves. On an average 3-bed house, 1 to 2 hours of inspection and testing can be followed by 1 to 2 hours writing up the results.
EICR cost for landlords and homeowners
An EICR is priced on the property, not on who owns it. What differs is how often you pay. Landlords in all four UK nations need the installation inspected at least every 5 years, and Electrical Safety First recommends an inspection every 10 years for an owner-occupied home.
Spread over the years, a 3-bed house at £200 to £300 costs a landlord £40 to £60 for each year of cover, and an owner £20 to £30. Each nation then adds its own deadlines to a landlord's bill, and Scotland adds a second test.
| Nation | Inspection | What else the landlord pays for or must do |
|---|---|---|
| England | At least every 5 years | Remedial work within 28 days; fines up to £40,000 |
| Wales | Every 5 years, or sooner if the last report says so | A copy of the report to the contract-holder within 14 days, or the home counts as unfit for human habitation |
| Scotland | No more than 5 years apart | A portable appliance test on every appliance the landlord supplies |
| Northern Ireland | At least every 5 years | Cookers, washing machines and other appliances supplied with the tenancy kept safe |
England
In England, the electrical safety standards for rented homes give the landlord 28 days, or less if the report says so, to finish remedial work. A council can fine a landlord up to £40,000 for a breach, and it can arrange the work itself and recover the cost.
Social landlords are covered too. Social tenancies granted before 1 December 2025 came into the rules on 1 May 2026, and their inspections have to be done by 1 November 2026. Letting your own home for the first time counts as well: a new tenant has to receive the report before moving in, so the EICR is part of the cost of getting a property ready to let.
Wales
Welsh landlords pay £110 to £190 for a 1 or 2-bed home and £140 to £290 for a 3 or 4-bed one. The rules add a deadline rather than a cost: a copy of the report has to reach the contract-holder within 14 days of the occupation date and of each inspection. Miss it and the home counts as unfit for human habitation.
Scotland
In Scotland the landlord's check goes beyond the EICR. The Scottish guidance for private landlords adds a portable appliance test on everything the landlord supplies, from the washing machine to the kettle, while the tenant's own appliances are left out. The EICR itself runs £120 to £220 for a 1 or 2-bed home and £160 to £330 for a 3 or 4-bed one, so ask for both tests on the same visit.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has some of the lowest prices in the UK, at £100 to £180 for a 1 or 2-bed home and £130 to £280 for a 3 or 4-bed one. Private landlords must have the installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years, and keep any cooker, washing machine or immersion heater supplied with the tenancy safe.
EICR cost for HMOs and commercial premises
A house in multiple occupation costs 40 to 80% more to inspect than a standard home of the same size, because there are more circuits, communal areas and fire safety systems to test.
Commercial premises can be priced per circuit rather than per room, at £15 to £20 for each circuit tested, before VAT. A small office or shop starts at around £300, and bigger commercial sites are quoted after a look at the installation.
Remedial work costs after C1, C2 or FI codes
An EICR comes back unsatisfactory if it records a single C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or FI (further investigation required). A C3 is a recommended improvement and does not fail the report. Each C1, C2 and FI item becomes a separate job with its own price.
The common findings are damaged sockets, poor earthing, missing RCD protection and an outdated consumer unit. Where the report finds old rubber, lead or fabric cable throughout, the list turns into a full rewire, at £4,500 to £8,000 for a 3-bed house.
Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable under Part P in England. Under Approved Document P, a registered electrician gives you an Electrical Installation Certificate for the work, and within 30 days of finishing, the electrician or their scheme issues a Building Regulations compliance certificate.
New wiring also moves the next EICR back. In England a landlord with a new Electrical Installation Certificate, such as the one issued after a full rewire, needs no further inspection for 5 years after it was issued.
Keep the electrician's written confirmation for every item fixed. A landlord in England has to send it to the tenant and the council within 28 days of finishing the work.
Who can carry out an EICR
The rules ask for a qualified person competent to inspect and test an installation, and a registered electrician who carries out periodic inspection and testing is the usual choice. Ask whether inspection and testing is part of the electrician's registration before you book.
Scotland spells out who counts: members of SELECT, NICEIC or NAPIT, or any electrician who can show assessed training on the current BS 7671 in the last 5 years, insurance and calibrated test equipment.
Is an EICR worth it if you own your home?
No law requires an owner-occupier to have an EICR, but £200 to £300 on a 3-bed house is small next to what old wiring can cost later. Book one before the 10-year mark if you see burn marks on plugs or sockets, hear buzzing or crackling, or have fuses that blow and breakers that trip.
You do not need an EICR to sell a home. It is worth having one before you buy a home that has been lived in, while a coded fault can still be priced into your offer.
When you are budgeting for a renovation of an older house, put the EICR first. A report that ends in a rewire has to be priced and done before any wall is plastered, so it changes both the budget and the order of the trades.
Common questions
How much should an EICR cost in the UK?
A full EICR costs £100 to £300 for most UK homes in 2026, and the average sits at £159 to £199. A studio or 1-bed flat costs £100 to £180 and a 3-bed house £200 to £300, while a house with 5 or more bedrooms can reach £500. London prices sit at the top of each range, and repairs are always extra.
How much is an EICR for a 3-bedroom house?
An EICR on a 3-bed house costs £200 to £300 in 2026 and takes 3 to 4 hours. In London a 3 or 4-bed home runs £220 to £400 or more, and in the North East £130 to £270. An old fuse board with rewireable fuses can add £50 to £100, and a second consumer unit adds its own testing time.
How much does an EICR cost for a 1-bedroom flat?
An EICR on a studio or 1-bed flat costs £100 to £180 in 2026. A flat this size usually has 6 to 12 circuits and takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to test. Prices under £100 exist for small flats, so check that they cover every circuit and the written report.
How much is an electrical safety certificate for a landlord?
A landlord's EICR costs the same as any other, £100 to £300 for most homes, but it falls due at least every 5 years. An HMO costs 40 to 80% more than a standard home of the same size. In Scotland the landlord also pays for a portable appliance test on the appliances supplied with the let.
Can any electrician do an EICR?
Only a qualified person competent to inspect and test an installation can carry out an EICR under the landlord rules. A registered electrician who does periodic inspection and testing is the usual choice. Scotland names members of SELECT, NICEIC or NAPIT, or an electrician with assessed BS 7671 training from the last 5 years, insurance and calibrated test equipment.
How long is an EICR certificate valid for?
An EICR is valid until the next-inspection date the electrician writes on it: at most 5 years for a rented home and up to 10 years for an owner-occupied one. An older installation can be given a shorter date. In England a landlord with a new Electrical Installation Certificate needs no further inspection for 5 years after it was issued.
Can I sell my house without an electrical safety certificate?
You can sell a house without an EICR, because no law requires one for a sale. Electrical Safety First still recommends an inspection before selling or before buying a home that has been lived in. At £200 to £300 for a 3-bed house, it turns a worry about old wiring into a priced list of faults.
How long does an EICR take?
An EICR takes 1.5 to 2 hours for a studio or 1-bed flat, 3 to 4 hours for a 3-bed house and 4 to 6 hours for a house with 4 or more bedrooms. Each extra circuit adds roughly 10 to 15 minutes. The written report usually follows by email within 24 to 48 hours.
Does the EICR price include repairs?
The EICR price covers the inspection, the testing and the written report, never the repairs. Every C1, C2 or FI item is quoted separately, from £200 to £600 for extra earthing or bonding to £1,000 to £2,570 for a new consumer unit. Old cable throughout ends in a rewire at £4,500 to £8,000 for a 3-bed house.
How much does a commercial EICR cost?
A commercial EICR costs from around £300 for a small office or shop. Larger premises can be priced at £15 to £20 per circuit tested, before VAT, so the number of circuits and distribution boards sets the total. Ask for a quote after the electrician has seen the installation.