How Long Does an EICR Take? London Landlord's Guide

As a general guide for London properties:

• **Studio/1-bedroom flat:** 2–3 hours
• **2–3 bedroom flat or house:** 3–4 hours
• **4 bedroom property:** 4–5 hours
• **5+ bedrooms or HMO:** 5–8 hours (or split across two visits)

These are typical times for a property with modern wiring in reasonable condition. Older wiring (pre-1970s rewires are common in London Victorian and Edwardian properties) can take longer, as the electrician needs to test more carefully and document more observations.

An EICR isn't just a quick visual check. The electrician must:

1. **Visually inspect** all accessible parts of the installation — consumer unit, wiring at sockets, switches, fixtures, and any exposed trunking 2. **Dead testing** — with the power off, measure insulation resistance on every circuit to identify breakdown or deterioration 3. **Live testing** — with power on, check earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation times, and polarity at a representative sample of points 4. **Document every circuit** — the report lists every circuit individually with the test results and any fault codes

The most time-consuming part is testing circuits one by one. A typical London flat has 6–10 circuits; a large HMO might have 20–30.

Yes — for part of the inspection. The dead-testing phase requires the power to be switched off at the consumer unit, typically for 30–60 minutes for a standard flat. Tenants should be given advance notice of this.

We coordinate directly with you and your tenant to arrange a time that minimises disruption — the power-off phase is usually planned for a time when the tenant is out or it causes least inconvenience.

Your EICR report is emailed to you the same day the inspection is completed. It will show one of two outcomes:

Satisfactory — the installation meets the standard and no remedial work is required. The report will state when the next inspection is due (typically in 5 years).

Unsatisfactory — the report lists C1 (immediate danger) and/or C2 (potentially dangerous) faults. You have 28 days to complete all remedial work and obtain written confirmation from the electrician that the work has been done. Until then, the installation is not legally compliant.

At Landlord Compliance London, all our EICR reports are issued the same day by NICEIC/NAPIT certified electricians, across all 32 London boroughs and the M25 corridor. Inspections start from £77.99 for a studio.

Yes — many landlords prefer to be present, especially for a first inspection at a new property. It gives you a chance to ask the electrician about the condition of the wiring, note anything that may need attention at the next scheduled renewal, and make sure you understand any faults flagged.

If you can't attend, the inspection can be carried out with the tenant present, provided they can give access to all parts of the property including any communal cupboards or loft spaces where wiring may be accessible.