EICR for property buyers in London

A survey can flag concerns about the electrics, but it does not normally include the inspection and testing of an EICR. Ask the seller for any existing electrical reports and certificates. If the paperwork is missing, outdated or unclear, an EICR can give you a better picture of the fixed installation before you buy.

The report records the condition found on the inspection date, within the agreed extent and access limitations. It helps you understand what needs attention; it is not a guarantee that every hidden defect will be found or that nothing will change after you move in.

• Survey raised an electrical concern

  Get the fixed installation inspected and tested rather than relying on a visual comment alone.

• No recent report from the seller

  Establish the condition of the installation you are buying, not just the age of the fuse board.

• Renovation or repair budget

  Use the findings to decide which repairs to price and what to discuss with your own electrician.

If the findings may affect your purchase decision, arrange the inspection before exchange where possible. Tell us your proposed deadline before booking. The office checks availability and confirms the visit; an online request does not reserve a guaranteed appointment or report deadline.

Allow time for the visit, payment, reading the report and any further investigation or repair quotation. We email the invoice with the result after the visit, and routine report delivery follows cleared payment. Urgent safety findings are communicated promptly. Your conveyancer advises you on exchange and the purchase contract.

You do not need to own the home to request an inspection, but the seller or authorised occupier must agree access and testing. Agree this with them or the estate agent before the visit. Provide one reliable access contact and explain that the power will be switched off for parts of testing.

The electrician needs access to the consumer unit, relevant rooms and accessories within the agreed scope. Tell us about tenants, locked meter cupboards, alarms, sensitive equipment, parking and any rooms that cannot be accessed. Restrictions are recorded; an inaccessible circuit cannot be treated as fully checked.

Your EICR gives the overall outcome, observations, classification codes and recorded limitations. If work is needed, we review the report and provide one quote for the agreed repair scope. You can ask for the work needed to address the unsatisfactory findings, or include recommended improvements. Further investigation may be needed before a reliable repair price can be given.

The report and a separate repair quote can help you discuss the property's condition and your budget with the seller or conveyancer. They do not guarantee a price reduction, make the seller responsible for payment or decide whether you should proceed. The inspecting electrician's findings remain independent of any sale or repair quotation.

Repairs are separate from the inspection price and always optional. You are free to use another qualified electrician. Work at a property you do not yet own requires the appropriate permission, and nothing starts until the scope, price and access are agreed.

Already have an EICR? Send the report for a repair quote. Please share only a report you are authorised to provide.

Confirm which consumer unit and circuits serve the flat. Mention any garage, loft, garden room or outbuilding you want included. A report for the flat does not automatically cover communal wiring, shared risers or a landlord's installation elsewhere in the building.

Ask the seller or managing agent about separate communal-area reports and access to shared electrical cupboards. The agreed extent and any exclusions matter as much as the result on the front page.

• The full existing EICR, including its inspection date, extent, limitations and recommended next inspection date.
• Evidence of any work or investigation recommended by that report, not just an assurance that it was done.
• Electrical Installation Certificates or Minor Works Certificates for relevant alterations. These cover the stated work, not automatically the whole home.
• Details of alterations, recurring faults, inaccessible areas and any separate communal installation.

Residential EICRs start from £142.80 including VAT. Use the calculator for the property's fixed price. Parking and any agreed out-of-hours work are additional where applicable; we agree those charges before confirmation. Commercial premises, blocks and unusual scope are quoted separately.

No payment is taken by the booking form. Tell us that you are buying the property and give the seller or agent's agreed access arrangements. The office confirms the appointment before the visit.

Electrical Safety First's home-buyer guidance explains why an electrical check is separate from a standard home survey. GOV.UK's guidance on making an offer explains the role of exchange in England and Wales. Take advice from your own conveyancer about the contract and any negotiation.