If you’ve been quoted a price for an EICR and you’re not sure whether it’s fair, or you’re trying to budget for one before you book, this guide is for you. EICR pricing varies quite a bit from one property to the next, but understanding what drives the cost makes it much easier to assess whether a quote stacks up.
Rather than quoting specific figures that can quickly go out of date, this guide focuses on the things that actually affect what you’ll pay. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be in a much better position to request quotes, compare them properly, and understand why two seemingly similar properties can produce very different prices.
What Does an EICR Price Include?
Before looking at what affects the cost, it’s important to understand what you’re actually paying for. An EICR is not a quick visual check. It involves a qualified electrician spending several hours at your property carrying out both a thorough visual inspection and a series of physical electrical tests on every circuit, in line with BS 7671 and the methodology set out in IET Guidance Note 3. They then produce a formal written report classifying every observation found.
The cost covers the electrician’s time on site, the use of specialist test equipment, the production of the report, and their professional indemnity and public liability insurance. It does not include any remedial work. If the inspection identifies faults that need fixing, that work is quoted and priced separately.
This distinction matters. If you receive a very low quote that appears to include repairs, be cautious. It may indicate a rushed or superficial inspection rather than a thorough one.
The Main Factor: Number of Circuits
The single biggest driver of EICR pricing is the number of circuits in the property. Each circuit must be individually tested, covering continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, and RCD operation. The more circuits there are, the longer the inspection takes, and therefore the more it costs.
Most electricians quote a fixed price that covers a standard number of circuits, with additional circuits charged at a set rate beyond that allowance. It’s always worth asking how many circuits are included in a fixed quote, and what the rate is for any additional ones, so there are no surprises on the day.
A straightforward one or two-bedroom flat with a modern consumer unit and a modest number of sockets and lighting circuits will naturally cost less than a larger or more complex property. What increases that circuit count, and therefore the cost, is worth understanding in detail.
What Adds to the Cost of an EICR?
Outbuildings and Garden Structures
This is one of the most commonly overlooked factors. If your property has a garage, shed, garden office, or any other outbuilding with an electrical supply running to it, that supply forms part of the fixed electrical installation and must be included in the EICR. Each circuit feeding an outbuilding, plus any sockets, lighting, or fixed equipment inside it, adds to the inspection time.
A detached garage with power, lighting, and perhaps an EV charger or workshop equipment is a meaningful addition to the scope of an inspection. A garden office with its own consumer unit even more so. If you’re getting quotes, make sure you mention every outbuilding that has electricity to it. An electrician who doesn’t know about the shed with three sockets and a lighting circuit will either need to revisit or revise the quote when they arrive.
Loft Conversions and Extensions
Any addition to the property that has electrical circuits, such as a loft conversion, a single or double-storey extension, or a converted garage, adds circuits to the inspection. A loft conversion typically adds at least a lighting circuit and one or more socket circuits, and may have its own heating circuits too. A large extension could add considerably more.
If your property has been extended since it was built, particularly if the electrical work was done in several phases over different years, there may also be older and newer wiring methods sitting side by side. This can require more careful investigation during the inspection and can add time.
Multiple Consumer Units
Some properties, particularly those that have been extended or converted over the years, end up with more than one consumer unit. This might be a main board in the hallway and a secondary board in the garage, a sub-board in a loft conversion, or a separate consumer unit serving an annexe or outbuilding.
Every consumer unit on the property must be inspected and tested as part of a complete EICR. A second consumer unit doesn’t just mean a few extra circuits. It means an additional board to inspect, additional protective devices to test, and more documentation. This is a significant addition to the scope and cost of the inspection.
Age and Condition of the Wiring
Older installations take longer to inspect. Wiring from the 1970s or 1980s, particularly if it hasn’t been professionally inspected for many years, is more likely to have defects, non-standard wiring methods, and outdated components that require more careful investigation.
Properties with old rubber-sheathed wiring, lead-covered cables, or installations that pre-date modern colour coding standards need particularly thorough assessment. If the installation appears to be in a poor condition or there are obvious signs of previous DIY work, the electrician may need to test more extensively than a standard inspection would require.
Number of Sockets, Lights and Fixed Equipment
Beyond circuits, the number of individual outlets on each circuit also affects inspection time. Each socket, light fitting, and piece of fixed electrical equipment forms part of the inspection checklist. A property with an unusually high number of socket outlets, or with a lot of fixed equipment such as electric underfloor heating, electric heating panels, or a complex kitchen with multiple fixed appliances, will take longer to inspect than one with a more typical complement of outlets.
Economy 7 and Night Storage Heating Systems
Older properties heated by Economy 7 night storage heaters often have an additional consumer unit or a separate metered circuit specifically for the off-peak supply. This is a second electrical system, distinct from the standard daytime supply, and it requires its own inspection and testing as part of a complete EICR.
In practice this means more circuits to test, a second consumer unit or distribution board to inspect, and potentially older wiring associated with the off-peak system that may not have been looked at for many years. Night storage heater wiring in particular can date back to the 1970s and 1980s, and the cables used in that era are worth careful scrutiny. If you have Economy 7 or a separate off-peak supply, make sure you mention it when requesting a quote. Many homeowners and landlords don’t realise it needs to be included and are surprised when the electrician identifies it on arrival.
Solar PV, Battery Storage, EV Chargers and Other Modern Technology
This is an area that catches a lot of people out. The standard scope of a domestic EICR covers the fixed electrical installation supplied through your main meter. Systems like solar photovoltaic panels, battery storage units, EV charge points, and heat pump electrical supplies involve additional equipment, additional wiring, and in some cases a secondary source of electrical energy that can be present even when the main supply is switched off.
Inspecting and testing these systems properly requires specific knowledge and in some cases additional qualifications beyond those needed for a standard EICR. As a result, they are often outside the agreed scope of a routine inspection and need to be assessed separately.
Solar PV installations, for example, generate electricity even in low light conditions. The DC wiring between the panels and the inverter operates at potentially dangerous voltages and requires a qualified inspector who understands photovoltaic systems. Battery storage systems add another layer of complexity, as they can power circuits even with the grid supply disconnected. EV chargers, particularly those connected to a PME earthing arrangement, have specific requirements under BS 7671 Regulation 722.411.4.1 that go beyond the standard inspection checklist.
This doesn’t mean these systems can’t be inspected. It means they should be discussed at the point of booking so that the right scope is agreed, the right qualifications are confirmed, and the cost reflects the full picture. If you have solar panels, a battery, a home EV charger, or any other generation or storage equipment on your property, tell your electrician before they quote. An inspection that doesn’t account for these systems is an incomplete picture of your property’s electrical safety.
HMOs and Rental Properties with Added Safety Systems
Houses in Multiple Occupation and larger rental properties often have additional electrical systems that a standard domestic property doesn’t, including fire alarm systems, emergency lighting in communal areas, and additional consumer units serving different parts of the building. All of these fall within the scope of an EICR.
The government guidance on electrical safety in the private rented sector makes clear that the inspection must cover the full fixed electrical installation. For an HMO with multiple floors, communal areas, and several separate tenant spaces, that is a considerably more involved inspection than a straightforward single-let property.
Accessibility
If the consumer unit is in an awkward or difficult-to-reach location, or if circuits are hard to identify or trace, this adds time to the inspection. Properties where previous work has been done without proper labelling on the consumer unit can be particularly time-consuming, as the electrician needs to identify each circuit before testing can begin.
Commercial Properties
For business premises, EICR pricing works rather differently to domestic. Commercial inspections are often priced on a per-circuit basis rather than as a fixed property price, reflecting the wide variation in the size and complexity of commercial installations. Smaller premises such as a small retail unit or office will cost considerably less than a large industrial unit or a building with a three-phase electrical supply and complex distribution boards.
The Health and Safety Executive is clear that businesses must maintain their electrical installations safely under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, and a commercial EICR is the standard way to evidence compliance with that duty. Out-of-hours access is often required for commercial properties to avoid business disruption, which can also add to the overall cost.
What About Remedial Work and Retesting?
If the EICR comes back Unsatisfactory, remedial work will be needed before the installation can be certified as compliant. That work is priced separately from the original inspection. Once it’s complete, a retest or verification is required to confirm the faults have been resolved. This retest is typically less expensive than the original inspection, as only the affected circuits or components need to be checked.
The cost of remedial work itself varies enormously depending on what was found. Replacing a damaged socket is a minor job. A full consumer unit upgrade, which is one of the most common outcomes from an EICR on an older property, is a more substantial piece of work. We’ll always give you a clear, itemised quote before any remedial work begins.
Should You Just Go With the Cheapest Quote?
This is worth thinking about carefully. The EICR market has a range of operators. A very low price can sometimes indicate a shorter or less thorough inspection, inadequate test equipment, or an electrician who isn’t properly qualified for inspection and testing work.
For landlords in particular, an EICR that isn’t carried out properly doesn’t just give false reassurance. It may also be legally invalid, leaving you non-compliant with the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 regardless of the paperwork you hold. The penalties for non-compliance under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which came fully into force in May 2026, now reach up to £40,000 per breach.
NAPIT is a government-approved competent person scheme whose registered electricians are assessed against the qualifications and standards required for inspection and testing work. Using a NAPIT-registered contractor is the most straightforward way to ensure your EICR is valid, thorough, and will be accepted by tenants, local authorities, and insurers without question.
Get a Quote From Flodman Electrical
Flodman Electrical are NAPIT-approved electricians based in Farnborough, carrying out EICRs across Hampshire, Surrey, and Berkshire. When you contact us for a quote, we’ll ask the right questions about your property upfront, including outbuildings, extensions, and the number of consumer units, so there are no surprises on the day and no revisions to the price once we arrive.
Contact Flodman Electrical for a no-obligation EICR quote
Flodman Electrical Ltd, NAPIT Approved Contractor. Serving Farnborough, Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.
