EICR Explained: When Does Your Home Need an Electrical Check?

Most of us never think about the wiring behind our walls until something trips, flickers or smells hot. An Electrical Installation Condition Report, usually called an EICR, is a proper health check of your home’s fixed electrics by a registered electrician. Electrical Safety First recommends owner-occupiers have one every ten years. Here’s what an EICR covers, when it’s worth booking one, what the codes on the report mean, and the simple checks you can safely do yourself in the meantime.

What an EICR actually checks

An EICR looks at the fixed electrical installation: the consumer unit (fusebox), the circuits, the wiring you can reach, sockets, switches, light fittings and earthing and bonding. The electrician inspects it visually and tests the circuits with specialist instruments to see whether anything has deteriorated, been damaged, overloaded or doesn’t give enough protection, such as missing RCD protection.

It doesn’t test plug-in appliances like kettles or fridges, and it isn’t a repair visit. The electrician writes up what they find, and any work needed is quoted and arranged separately.

Age alone doesn’t mean you need a rewire

People often assume older wiring has to be ripped out. That isn’t necessarily true. Electrical Safety First says whether a home needs rewiring depends on its condition rather than its age: a 1980s installation that tests well may need nothing more than extra RCD protection. Equally, much newer wiring can be damaged by DIY, rodents, water or overloading. Its guidance is that electrics more than 50 years old should be checked and updated. An EICR tells you what you actually need, instead of guessing.

When it’s a good time to book an EICR

1. It’s been around ten years since the last one, or you have no idea when the electrics were last tested. Look for a label in or on the consumer unit that gives the date of the last inspection.
2. You’re buying a home. A standard home survey does not cover electrical safety. Ask the seller or estate agent for a recent EICR, and if there isn’t one, consider getting one before you agree a price.
3. You’ve just moved in and don’t know the history of the electrics.
4. You’re planning a big job such as a new kitchen, bathroom, extension or loft conversion, so you know the existing circuits can cope.
5. There’s been water damage, such as a burst pipe or leak through a ceiling, near sockets, lights or the consumer unit.
6. You’re noticing warning signs like the ones below.
7. You let the property. Private landlords in England must have the electrics inspected and tested at least every five years and give tenants a copy of the report.

Warning signs to look out for

• Burn marks, scorching or discolouration on sockets, plugs, switches or light fittings.
• Crackling or buzzing from switches, sockets or lights.
• Sockets or plugs that feel hot.
• Fuses blowing or breakers tripping often.
• Sockets mounted in skirting boards, old round-pin sockets, or a fusebox with old rewireable fuses and no RCD.
• Lights that flicker or dim when appliances switch on.

If you notice a burning smell, scorching or heat, stop using that socket or switch now and follow our burning smell or hot socket guide. Don’t wait for an EICR.

Simple checks you can safely do yourself

1. Find your consumer unit and see whether it has RCD protection. Look for a switch with a “Test” or “T” button.
2. Test the RCD by pressing the test button, if the manufacturer recommends it. The RCD should switch off. Switch it back on with dry hands. Warn everyone first, and expect clocks to need resetting.
3. Look for an inspection label on the consumer unit showing when the electrics were last tested and when the next test is due.
4. Walk round with your eyes only. Check sockets, plugs, switches and light fittings for cracks, burn marks or damage. Don’t unscrew faceplates or open the consumer unit.
5. Test your smoke alarms. Our smoke and heat alarm guide explains how.

If the RCD or a breaker trips on its own, you may reset it once only, with dry hands and a dry floor. If it trips again, leave it off and call a registered electrician. Our RCD or trip switch guide has the steps. Anything beyond that, including repairs, new sockets, changes to circuits and any work in a bathroom, is electrical work for a registered electrician working to Part P of the Building Regulations.

What the codes on an EICR mean

• C1, danger present. There’s a risk of injury now, and it should be made safe straight away.
• C2, potentially dangerous. Something needs fixing urgently.
• FI, further investigation. The electrician needs to look into something further, without delay.
• C3, improvement recommended. It doesn’t meet the current standard but isn’t classed as dangerous.

Any C1, C2 or FI means the overall report is “unsatisfactory”. C3 items on their own still allow a “satisfactory” result. Ask your electrician to explain anything you’re not sure about, and keep the report safe with your house documents.

Water near your electrics

Never touch a socket, switch, light or consumer unit that is wet or has water coming through it. Turn off the water at the inside stopcock first, which is usually under the kitchen sink, in a cupboard or under the stairs. Here’s how to find and turn off your stopcock. Only switch off the power if you can reach the consumer unit from a dry place. The outside or boundary stop tap is usually owned by the water company (Anglian Water or Essex & Suffolk Water). It may need a special key, so don’t dig it up or force it. If you think the leak is on their side, check whether neighbours are affected and contact your water company. Nothing here conflicts with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Our water leak near electrics guide has more detail, and for urgent leaks see our emergency plumbing service.

An EICR doesn’t cover gas

An electrical check says nothing about your boiler, gas fire or gas pipework. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, only a Gas Safe registered engineer may work on gas pipework or appliances. With your boiler, stick to the user-manual checks: the timer, thermostat and power, the reset button, repressurising with the filling loop as the manual describes, and thawing a frozen outside condensate pipe with warm (not boiling) water. Never remove the casing or touch gas valves, burners or the flue. Repeated lockouts or pressure loss need a Gas Safe engineer, and you can check one on the Gas Safe Register.

If you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, leave the property, open doors and windows if it’s safe, don’t use switches or flames, turn the gas off at the meter only if it’s safe, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Get medical advice if anyone has headaches, dizziness, nausea or breathlessness. Our guide to carbon monoxide warning signs explains what to look for.

When to stop and call us

• You can’t remember the last electrical check, or it was more than ten years ago.
• You’re buying, have just moved in, or are planning a kitchen, bathroom or extension.
• The RCD or a breaker trips again after one reset.
• You spot burn marks, crackling, buzzing or hot sockets or switches.
• There’s been a leak or water damage near electrics.
• You have an EICR with C1, C2 or FI items that need putting right.

Our electrical safety inspections (EICR) and domestic electrical services are carried out by registered electricians, including any remedial work your report recommends.

Sources

• Electrical Safety First: advice for home buyers and EICRs
• Electrical Safety First: older and vulnerable people
• GOV.UK: electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors
• Gas Safe Register

This is general safety guidance. If you’re unsure, stop and call a qualified engineer.