EICR cost in London: what changes the price

What you are paying for

An EICR is an Electrical Installation Condition Report. An electrician inspects the fixed wiring in the home (consumer unit, circuits, sockets, switches, light fittings, earthing) and tests it with instruments. They then write a report that lists anything wrong and gives each item a code. For landlords in England it is a legal requirement at least every 5 years, under the rules set out in the government guidance for private and social landlords.

We do not publish a set price, because the work varies a lot between homes. The price is confirmed after we know the property. Here is what moves it.

The things that change the price

Factor	Why it matters
Number of circuits	Each circuit is tested on its own. A flat might have six, a large house with a garden office far more.
Size of the home	More sockets and lights to inspect, more rooms to move through.
Access	Sockets behind fitted wardrobes, a consumer unit in a locked meter cupboard, a loft with no boards. All add time.
Age and labelling	An old board with unlabelled fuses means each circuit has to be traced before it can be tested.
Outbuildings	Garages, sheds and garden rooms have their own cable runs and often their own boards.
Occupied or empty	Testing means switching circuits off. In an occupied home that has to be planned around the tenant.
Report format	Full schedule of test results for every circuit, to the current standard.

The current standard matters. Since 15 October 2026 BS 7671 Amendment 4 is the only version of the wiring regulations in force, and EICRs must be done against it. A report written to the old version can still be valid for the 5 years it states, but new reports should name Amendment 4.

Why older wiring takes longer

Wiring that has been altered many times over the decades usually has more to trace and more to record. Electrical Safety First notes that cables coated in black rubber were phased out in the 1960s, and that lead or fabric coated cable is older still. Where any of that is found, the inspector has to record it carefully and often test more points to be sure of its condition.

This is the case in much of Sutton. According to the VOA Council Tax stock of properties 2025, 40.6% of homes in the borough were built between 1919 and 1939. That includes the St Helier estate and many of the semis and terraces in Carshalton, Wallington and Cheam. Most have been rewired since they were built, some more than once, and a few still have old sections under floors or in lofts. Our Sutton page has more on the local housing.

Why repairs are priced separately

The inspection and the repair are two different jobs. Until the inspection is done, nobody knows what the repairs are. A fair quote prices the report first and then gives you a separate written price for any work the report needs.

How the report codes problems:

• C1: danger present, immediate action needed. The inspector will usually make it safe on the spot, for example by switching off a circuit.
• C2: potentially dangerous, urgent action needed.
• C3: improvement recommended. Not a fail.
• FI: further investigation advised.

Under Amendment 4, only C1 and C2 items make the overall result “unsatisfactory”. An FI no longer fails the report by itself, a change explained on the NICEIC Amendment 4 page. Our post on EICR codes C1, C2, C3 and FI goes through real examples.

If you are a landlord and the report is unsatisfactory, the remedial or further investigation work has to be done within 28 days, or a shorter time if the report says so. That deadline is why it helps to have the repair priced quickly.

How to compare quotes

Ask each electrician:

1. Will every circuit be tested, or a sample?
2. Will I get a full schedule of test results with the report?
3. Is the report to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026?
4. How will repairs be priced, and will that price be in writing?
5. Are you registered with a competent person scheme? Check the answer on the scheme’s online register.

A report that is much quicker and cheaper than the others may have tested less. For a landlord, a weak report is a risk, because councils can fine landlords up to £40,000 for breaking the duties in the regulations.

What you can do to keep the cost down

• Clear access to the consumer unit and loft hatch before the visit.
• Tell the tenant in good time that the power will be off for spells.
• Have the previous EICR and any certificates for recent work to hand. They save time tracing circuits.
• Get keys for meter cupboards and outbuildings ready.

Owner occupiers

If you live in your own home there is no legal deadline, but an EICR is a useful health check before buying, after a long time without one, or before a big project like a kitchen refit. The same price factors apply. See our EICR for landlords and homeowners page for how the visit works.