How long does an EICR take in London?

Codeex does not publish a guaranteed inspection duration. A small flat with one accessible board is a different visit from a house with several boards, limited access or a commercial installation. Ask for the visit to be scoped from the property, not from a bedroom count.

The time on site depends on whether the engineer can enter the relevant areas, locate the consumer unit and meter, isolate circuits and test without stopping for sensitive equipment. Two homes with the same number of bedrooms can have very different circuit arrangements.

A morning appointment window of 09:00 to 12:00, or an afternoon window of 12:00 to 16:00, is when the engineer may arrive. It is not a promise that the inspection lasts three or four hours. Tell the engineer about access limits before the day so the visit is not compressed to meet a guessed finish time.

Planning an inspection? See the price for your property and tell us about any access or installation details that may affect the visit.

For the inspection price alongside your access planning, see the current residential EICR price bands.

An EICR appointment is not a quick visual walk-through. The engineer first confirms the agreed extent of the installation and any limitations, then considers the supply, earthing and bonding arrangements. The consumer unit or distribution boards, protective devices, accessible fixed wiring and accessories are inspected in line with the planned inspection.

Electrical tests require instruments, safe isolation and access to circuits. Depending on the installation and agreed extent, work can include continuity, insulation-resistance, polarity, earth-fault-loop and RCD testing. The engineer must identify circuits, disconnect or control equipment where necessary, record results and restore supplies safely.

Observations also need evidence and context. An unusual result may be checked before it is classified; an unlabelled circuit may need tracing; a loose accessory may reveal a broader concern. Time spent recording findings is part of a defensible inspection, even though some report administration may continue after leaving the property.

A compact flat with one accessible consumer unit is still a full inspection of the supply, earthing, protective devices and test sequence. It is not a token visit, and a converted building can add complexity that the floor area does not show.

A larger or older flat often takes longer because of a meter in a communal riser, a concierge-held key, sockets behind fitted furniture, more than one consumer unit, or circuits for heating and air conditioning. Those are reasons to scope the visit, not a published duration.

Responsibility boundaries matter in blocks. The EICR for the flat does not automatically include the communal installation, but the engineer may need to see the origin of the flat's supply. Confirm access with the managing agent before the visit. Waiting for a caretaker or discovering that the intake cupboard cannot be opened wastes the appointment and may create a limitation.

A house is not timed from its bedroom count. Extra floors, a garage, a loft conversion, a garden office, an electric vehicle charge point or a second board add circuits and access. The contractor should say what has to be available on the day rather than quote a fixed length.

Bedroom count is only a booking proxy. A small period house divided and reunited over time may have more complex wiring than a modern four-bedroom property. Extensions often create mixed cable ages and protective arrangements. If previous owners added kitchens, bathrooms or outbuildings at different times, the engineer may need longer to establish what each device supplies.

Large houses and HMOs should be discussed in advance. Multiple kitchens, locked bedrooms, fire-safety equipment, landlord supplies and occupancy constraints can extend the visit, including staged attendance. The engineer needs enough information to allocate realistic time rather than discovering the scope on arrival.

A shop, office, restaurant, clinic or warehouse should not be timed as if it were a flat. Commercial premises may have three-phase supplies, several distribution boards, emergency systems, machinery and circuits that cannot be interrupted while trading. Floor area alone does not reveal that complexity. Commercial inspection prices are quoted separately and are not taken from the residential rate card.

A useful commercial enquiry states the business type, operating hours, approximate floor area, number and location of boards, known circuit counts and any previous report available. Photographs of board schedules can help initial scoping, although they do not replace attendance. The contractor can then propose a testing window, phasing and any out-of-hours work.

Some commercial inspections are deliberately completed in stages to preserve operations. That does not mean each stage is a separate EICR purpose; it is a way to manage safe isolation and business continuity. The commercial EICR pathway is the appropriate place to request this scope.

• Number of circuits, consumer units and distribution boards, rather than bedrooms alone
• Property layout, floor count, extensions, outbuildings and external supplies
• Age, condition and alteration history of the fixed electrical installation
• Accuracy of circuit charts, labels and previous inspection or installation records
• Access to every room, accessory, meter position and landlord-controlled cupboard
• Occupants working from home, sleeping, caring for children or using medical equipment
• Equipment that needs controlled shutdown before insulation-resistance or other testing
• Unexpected results that must be checked, traced and recorded before classification

The engineer needs more than the front-door key. Bedrooms, cupboards, basement areas, loft rooms, garages and external buildings within scope must be available. In tenanted homes, the landlord or agent should arrange lawful access and communicate what the visit involves; an engineer arriving with a key does not cure inadequate notice or a tenant's refusal.

Clear the consumer unit and meter area so covers can be approached safely. Move reasonable obstructions from representative accessories without dismantling fitted furniture. Find keys for risers, electric cupboards and outbuildings. In blocks with permits or loading restrictions, provide parking or access instructions before arrival.

If one room is inaccessible, the engineer may need to record a limitation. If the missing area is significant, completing the intended inspection may require a return visit. It is usually faster and more useful to rearrange proper access than to pressure an inspector to issue a report based on an artificially restricted visit.

Some tests require circuits or the whole installation to be switched off briefly. Routers, desktop computers, ovens, heating controls, alarms, refrigeration and chargers can lose power. The exact pattern depends on the board and test method, so occupants should save work and prepare equipment rather than expecting uninterrupted electricity.

Working around video calls, sleeping night workers or a child who cannot leave a room can add repeated pauses. Medical equipment, servers, aquariums, security systems and other sensitive loads must be disclosed before isolation. The engineer can assess whether a controlled shutdown is possible, whether a limitation is justified or whether a different appointment is needed.

Do not hide essential equipment to keep the appointment short. Safety and continuity need planning, not improvisation. Where occupants cannot tolerate planned interruptions, discuss an alternative time or staged approach before booking.

Age alone does not determine whether an installation is satisfactory, and a modern-looking consumer unit does not prove that every circuit is straightforward. Older London properties may contain concealed junctions, mixed wiring methods, borrowed neutrals, unclear bonding routes or circuits extended during several refurbishments. These features can take time to understand.

Unexpected test readings should not be rushed into a classification. The engineer may repeat a test, divide a circuit, disconnect equipment or trace part of the route to distinguish a wiring concern from a connected load. That process can lengthen the visit while producing a more reliable report.

If the agreed inspection cannot be completed safely or reasonably on the day, the report may record a limitation or a need for further investigation. A second attendance is not automatically evidence that the first was inefficient; it can be the responsible response to inaccessible areas or findings that require a different scope.

The appointment ends when the physical inspection, testing, reinstatement and necessary on-site recording are complete. The finished report may be compiled, checked and issued afterwards. Time on site and the date the report is issued are separate questions.

Ask the provider about expected report delivery when booking if you have a tenancy, sale, licence or works deadline. Do not assume immediate issue, and do not ask for a satisfactory outcome before results have been reviewed. The primary subject of this page remains how long access is required; report turnaround depends on the provider and complexity of the findings.

Locate previous EICRs, installation certificates and consumer-unit schedules. Tell the engineer about extensions, rewires, solar equipment, battery storage, electric heating, EV charging and known faults. This background can reduce tracing time, but an old report should not be altered or presented as proof of conditions that have changed.

Before arrival, ensure an adult can provide access, clear the areas around boards and meters, unlock rooms and advise occupants about power interruptions. Save computer work, arrange care for pets and avoid running washing machines or ovens that cannot be stopped. Leave fixed wiring, covers and protective devices untouched.

Do not remove the consumer-unit cover, open accessories, bridge a tripping device or attempt electrical tests yourself. Preparation means improving access and information, not exposing live parts. Report burning smells, heat damage, exposed conductors or repeated tripping in advance because those symptoms may require urgent attention rather than waiting for a routine slot.

Before comparing appointments, read what the EICR inspection service covers and tell the office about access constraints.

“It is only a studio, so it should take twenty minutes” ignores the fixed stages needed to assess the supply and circuits. “A new consumer unit means the inspection will be quick” overlooks the wiring it protects. “No power cut is necessary” is also unrealistic for many forms of periodic testing.

Another misconception is that a longer visit guarantees a better report. Quality depends on appropriate scope, competent work and reliable evidence, not simply elapsed time. Equally, a suspiciously short visit cannot be judged from the clock alone without knowing the installation and agreed extent.

Time on site has no direct relationship with how long the report remains current. A longer visit does not extend the next inspection date. Questions about when another inspection is due belong in the landlord interval guidance, not in a guess about the length of the visit.

Example one: a one-bedroom flat has one labelled board and an accessible meter. If the communal intake key is missing, the same address can end with a limitation or a return visit. The difference is access, not a published hour count.

Example two: a Victorian house with an extension, a loft room and a garage supply has more circuits and more people to coordinate. An unlabelled second board is a reason to allow more time, not a fixed estimate.

Example three: a restaurant with refrigeration that must stay controlled, and several boards, cannot be planned as a domestic visit. It needs commercial scoping and a shutdown plan.

For a flat or house, check the residential price and book once access is confirmed. Include the property type, board locations and known constraints. The person on site needs to be able to give access for the whole visit, not for a guessed finish time.

For commercial, mixed-use or multi-board premises, use the commercial route so the visit is scoped from the installation. If the question is when the next inspection is due, that is the report date and the landlord interval, not the length of this visit.

This article was editorially reviewed on 2026-08-01. It provides general operational guidance for London property decision-makers and is not personalised legal advice.

Electrical classification on an EICR depends on the installation, the observations recorded and competent professional judgement. Always read your own report and seek competent advice for your property.