Landlords are usually quoted a single figure for an EICR, which makes the number look arbitrary. It is not. An inspection is priced on time, and a handful of practical factors decide how much time it takes.
The number of circuits
This is the big one. Testing is per-circuit work, so a one-bedroom flat with six circuits and a four-bedroom house with sixteen are not the same job. Bedroom count is only a proxy for this — a small but heavily extended property can carry more circuits than a larger simple one.
The age and type of the installation
An installation with an older board, mixed generations of cabling, or a history of undocumented alterations takes longer to inspect, because more of it has to be established rather than read off. It is also more likely to generate findings that need writing up properly.
Access
The inspector needs to reach the consumer unit, get to sockets and switches, and open things up. A cupboard packed to the door, a loft with no ladder, or a tenant who is out when the appointment was for two o’clock all turn a half-day into a return visit — and a return visit is the most expensive thing on this list.
What a price should include
- The inspection and testing itself.
- The full report with schedules and test results — not a summary page.
- Clear coding of every observation, so you know what is required and what is advisory.
What it should not include
Remedial work. An EICR identifies; it does not repair. Any quote that folds an unknown quantity of remedial work into the inspection price is guessing, and you are free to have any follow-up work done by whoever you choose.
Get the price confirmed in writing for your specific property before anything is booked. A fixed quote is only fixed if it is written down.
One more thing worth budgeting for: if the report comes back unsatisfactory, the remedial work carries its own timescale as well as its own cost. Knowing that in advance takes the sting out of it.
