EICR certificates in Hither Green, SE13

In Hither Green, which is also the census neighbourhood used here, 64% of homes are flats, against 54% across London. Council tax records show two clear groups: most homes were built before 1919, while 23% have gone up since 2000. The decades between account for little, with 5% between the wars and 5% from 1945 to 1972. So an EICR here is usually one of two different jobs. In an older house or conversion, expect wiring renewed in stages, with RCD protection, earthing and bonding checked closely. In a flat built since 2000, the work is mainly testing, though a flat fitted out before 2008 may have RCD protection on its sockets only.

Conversions and electric heating stand out together. 28% of homes are flats in converted houses, well above London's 11%, and 18% are heated by electricity alone, against 13% across London. Electric heating in a converted flat often means storage heaters, which usually run on a separate off-peak circuit, sometimes from a second consumer unit fed through a dual-rate meter. They draw heavy current for hours at a time, so the electrician checks cable sizes, connections and the condition of each heater's supply point.

Where the meters and boards sit decides how the visit starts. In a converted house they are often in the shared hall or under the stairs, sometimes behind a door that only the freeholder can unlock. Mention any separate board for storage heaters, because it is inspected and tested with the rest. In a flat built since 2000, the consumer unit is usually inside the flat, often in a hall cupboard, while the meter may be in a cupboard on the landing.