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A commercial EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a formal inspection and test of the fixed electrical wiring in a business premises. Carried out by a qualified electrician to BS 7671 standards (the IET Wiring Regulations, now in their 18th Edition), it confirms whether the installation is safe for continued use – or flags exactly what needs fixing. For offices, shops, warehouses, factories, and other commercial properties in the UK, the EICR is the standard way to demonstrate electrical safety compliance.
If you’re an electrician doing commercial work, EICRs are bread and butter. But if you’re a business owner or property manager trying to understand what you actually need – and what it’ll cost – the whole thing can feel a bit murky.
Here’s the no-nonsense version.
The electrician carries out two things during a commercial EICR.
First, a visual inspection. They’re looking for the obvious stuff – damaged cables, signs of overheating, water ingress, dodgy modifications, and anything that doesn’t meet current standards.
Second, a series of electrical tests. These include insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, polarity checks, and RCD operation times. Every circuit gets tested individually.
The inspection covers the full fixed installation: cables behind walls and ceilings, distribution boards, circuit breakers, fuses, sockets, switches, lighting circuits, earthing, bonding, and any hardwired equipment like hand dryers or electric heating.
What the EICR doesn’t cover: portable appliances (that’s PAT testing – a separate job), emergency lighting, and fire alarm systems, which each have their own testing requirements.
Once everything’s been inspected and tested, the electrician produces a written report with a clear verdict – satisfactory or unsatisfactory – along with coded observations for anything they’ve found.
It depends on the size and complexity of the installation. A small retail unit with a single consumer unit and around ten circuits might take two to three hours. A multi-storey office with several distribution boards and dozens of circuits? Could easily be a full day. Industrial premises with three-phase supply and heavy machinery will take longer again.
The number of circuits and distribution boards is what really drives the time – not just the floor area. That’s why most reputable electricians will want to assess the premises before giving you a firm quote.
The short answer: not by name. The practical answer: yes.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require anyone who owns, operates, or controls an electrical system in a workplace to keep it safe. There’s good reason for that – in 2024/25, RIDDOR data recorded 7 worker fatalities and 150 non-fatal injuries from contact with electricity or electrical discharge across Great Britain.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 backs this up with a general duty on employers to protect the health and safety of employees and visitors – a duty that matters, given the HSE estimates work-related ill health and injuries cost UK businesses £22.9 billion in 2023/24.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 also expects electrical risks to be identified and managed as part of your fire risk assessment. In 2024/25, electrical distribution faults were the single largest identifiable ignition source in workplace fires across England, responsible for around 18% of the 6,665 fires recorded in non-residential buildings.
None of these regulations specifically mention “EICR.” But periodic inspection and testing to BS 7671 – which is exactly what an EICR provides – is the accepted standard for demonstrating compliance. It’s the document the HSE, your insurer, and any solicitor will ask for if something goes wrong.
Responsibility sits with the “dutyholder” – the person or organisation in control of the electrical installation. In most commercial settings, that’s the employer, building owner, or landlord.
If you lease a commercial property, the lease agreement usually specifies who handles electrical maintenance. Typically, the landlord is responsible for the building’s fixed installation, while the tenant covers any modifications or additions they’ve made.
If you’re a facilities manager, property manager, or business owner – the buck stops with you.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces the Electricity at Work Regulations and can bring criminal prosecutions. With around 1,000 electricity-related workplace accidents reported each year – approximately 30 of which are fatal – the enforcement risk is real. Penalties can include unlimited fines and, in serious cases, imprisonment.
Beyond enforcement, there are some very practical consequences:
Insurance. Most commercial insurers want to see a valid EICR as a condition of your buildings or liability cover. If your EICR is out of date and there’s an electrical incident, your insurer may dispute or reduce the claim.
Property transactions. Mortgage lenders, solicitors, and prospective tenants increasingly ask for a current EICR during lease negotiations, sales, and refinancing.
Civil liability. If someone is injured on your premises because of a faulty installation, and you can’t show that you maintained the system properly, you’re in a difficult position legally.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The frequency depends on the type of property, how it’s used, and the risk level of the electrical installation.
BS 7671 gives recommended maximum intervals, but they’re starting points. Your electrician may recommend more frequent testing based on what they find, and your insurer may have their own requirements too.
Here’s a general guide:
| Property Type | Recommended Interval |
| Offices and retail units | Every 5 years |
| Restaurants, hotels, and public-facing premises | Every 3–5 years |
| Industrial sites and factories | Every 3 years |
| Hospitals, schools, and public buildings | Every 1–3 years |
| Wet environments (swimming pools, laundries, commercial kitchens) | Every 1–3 years |
| Temporary installations (construction sites, outdoor events) | Every 6–12 months |
A few important things to bear in mind:
The inspector sets the next date. When the EICR is completed, the electrician will specify a recommended retest date based on the condition of the installation. If the wiring is old or showing signs of wear, they may recommend a shorter interval than the standard guidance.
Certain events override the schedule. You should arrange a new EICR after any major electrical modification, following an electrical fault or incident, when changing tenants or use of the building, or once remedial work from a previous unsatisfactory report has been completed.
Check your insurance policy. Some insurers mandate three-yearly inspections for commercial properties regardless of the BS 7671 guidance.
Commercial EICR pricing varies a fair bit – more than domestic inspections – because the variables are bigger. Most electricians will quote after an initial assessment rather than giving a flat price over the phone.
Here are typical 2026 price ranges across the UK:
| Premises Type | Typical Cost Range |
| Small office or retail unit (up to 10 circuits) | £250–£450 |
| Medium commercial premises (10–30 circuits) | £400–£800 |
| Large office or multi-floor building (30+ circuits) | £800–£2,000+ |
| Industrial unit or factory | £500–£2,500+ |
| Warehouse with basic electrical systems | £300–£600 |
Number of circuits and distribution boards. This is the big one. Each circuit gets tested individually, so more circuits = more time = higher cost. Properties with multiple distribution boards across several floors cost significantly more than a single-board setup.
Three-phase supply. Industrial and larger commercial properties often run on three-phase power, which adds complexity and testing time.
Accessibility. If distribution boards are tucked behind locked doors, buried in storerooms, or hidden in ceiling voids, the electrician needs more time. Similarly, occupied buildings may need out-of-hours testing to avoid disrupting business – expect a premium for that.
Age and condition. Older installations take longer to inspect and are more likely to throw up issues that need investigating.
Location. London and major city prices tend to run 20–40% above the national average, reflecting higher operating costs, congestion charges, and parking.
Urgency. Same-day or emergency inspections cost more. Book ahead and provide good access, and you’ll get a better rate.
The EICR quote covers the inspection and the report. If faults are found – and in older commercial buildings, they often are – remedial work is quoted and charged separately. Common fixes include consumer unit upgrades (typically £500–£800), earthing improvements (£200–£400), and individual circuit repairs (£300–£600 per circuit).
Always ask upfront whether the quote includes VAT and whether there are additional charges for travel, parking, or out-of-hours access.
When the inspection is done, the electrician classifies every finding using a standard coding system. These codes determine whether the overall report gets a satisfactory or unsatisfactory result – and they dictate what you need to do next.
C1 – Danger present. An immediate risk. The affected circuit or equipment needs to be isolated or made safe before the inspection can continue. Think: exposed live conductors, missing protective covers, or live parts accessible to touch.
C2 – Potentially dangerous. Not immediately dangerous, but could become so without prompt attention. Remedial work is needed as soon as reasonably possible. Examples include overloaded circuits without adequate protection, missing or faulty RCDs, or wiring that’s deteriorated to the point where it could fail.
C3 – Improvement recommended. The installation is safe for continued use, but it falls short of current standards or could be improved. There’s no legal obligation to act on C3 items, but they’re worth considering – especially if you’re planning other electrical work. A consumer unit that works but lacks modern surge protection, for example, would typically get a C3.
FI – Further investigation. The electrician found something they couldn’t fully assess. Maybe they couldn’t access part of the installation, test results were inconclusive, or specialist investigation is needed. FI items need to be followed up without delay.
The key thing to know: any report with C1, C2, or FI codes is classified as unsatisfactory. Only reports with no observations, or C3 observations only, get a satisfactory result.
If your report is unsatisfactory, you’ll need to arrange remedial work to address the C1, C2, and FI items. Once the work is done, the electrician issues an updated report or certificate confirming the issues have been resolved.
A bit of preparation makes the whole process smoother – and can help keep costs down.
Clear access to all distribution boards and consumer units. This sounds obvious, but in commercial buildings, boards are often behind locked doors, in packed storerooms, or in ceiling voids that need ladders. Sort access out before the electrician arrives.
Dig out any previous reports. If you’ve got old EICR reports, electrical installation certificates, or records of remedial work, have them ready. They give the inspector a baseline and help them work more efficiently.
Give your building occupants a heads-up. The inspection will involve brief power interruptions to individual circuits. Let tenants, staff, and anyone running critical systems (servers, refrigeration, security) know in advance.
Think about timing. If your business runs standard hours, scheduling the inspection for early morning, evening, or a weekend minimises disruption – though you’ll likely pay a bit more for out-of-hours work.
Check the electrician’s credentials. They should hold the City & Guilds 2391-52 (or equivalent) qualification and be registered with a competent person scheme like NICEIC or NAPIT. You can verify an electrician’s registration through the NICEIC Find a Contractor directory. An inspection done by someone who’s not registered may not be accepted by insurers or local authorities.
If you’re an electrical contractor, you already know how to do an EICR. The inspection itself isn’t the headache – it’s everything around it.
Scheduling inspections across multiple commercial properties. Remembering which sites are due for re-testing. Quoting remedial work. Getting invoices out the door. Making sure nothing slips through the cracks when you’re juggling 20 jobs at once.
That’s the kind of problem Fergus is built to solve.
Fergus is job management software made specifically for trade businesses – electricians, plumbers, builders, HVAC. It’s not a compliance tool or an EICR report generator (you’ve got your own systems for that). What it does is handle all the scheduling, quoting, job tracking, and invoicing that wraps around your EICR work.
Here’s how it fits into a typical EICR workflow:
Schedule inspections and set up recurring jobs. Fergus has a drag-and-drop calendar where you can book EICR inspections, assign them to your team, and see your whole week at a glance. For properties on a regular inspection cycle, you can set up recurring jobs – so when a three-year or five-year retest comes around, it’s already in the schedule. No spreadsheet reminders, no sticky notes.
Store everything on the job card. Every job in Fergus gets its own digital job card – photos, notes, site hazards, customer details, and a full job history. When you go back to a property in three or five years for the next inspection, all the context from the previous visit is right there. No digging through filing cabinets.
Quote remedial work from site. If your inspection turns up C1 or C2 issues that need fixing, you can build and send a professional quote straight from the Fergus app while you’re still on site. When the customer approves, it becomes a new job in a couple of clicks.
Invoice without the double-handling. Once the work’s done, Fergus pre-populates your invoice from the job card – labour, materials, everything you’ve logged. Send it immediately. And with Fergus Pay, your customer can pay there and then via card or QR code, right from the invoice.
Keep the team connected. The Fergus Go mobile app gives your electricians access to their schedule, job details, customer info, and site notes – all from their phone. They can upload photos and timesheets from site, so the office always knows where things are at.
UK electrical contractors like Waterlip Electrical Contracting – a 13-person commercial, industrial, and domestic outfit – have used Fergus to cut their admin time in half. Less time on paperwork, more time on the tools.
Want to see how it works for your business? Start a free 14-day trial – no credit card needed.
Not by name, but effectively yes. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require employers and building controllers to maintain safe electrical systems. An EICR to BS 7671 is the accepted way to demonstrate compliance. Most insurers also require a valid EICR as a condition of commercial buildings or liability cover.
It depends on the property type and risk level. Offices and retail units typically need an EICR every five years. Industrial sites and factories should be inspected every three years. High-risk environments like swimming pools, commercial kitchens, or hospitals may require inspections every one to three years. The electrician will recommend a specific retest date based on the condition of the installation.
For a small office or retail unit with up to 10 circuits, expect to pay £250–£450. Medium-sized commercial premises with 10–30 circuits typically cost £400–£800. Larger multi-floor buildings or industrial sites can range from £800 to £2,500 or more. Pricing is driven primarily by the number of circuits and distribution boards, not just floor area. Remedial work, if needed, is quoted separately.
The dutyholder – the person or organisation in control of the electrical installation. In practice, this is usually the employer, building owner, or landlord. Lease agreements typically specify whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for electrical maintenance. If you own or manage the building, the responsibility falls on you.
An unsatisfactory result means the report contains C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), or FI (further investigation) codes. You’ll need to arrange remedial work to address these items. Once the work is complete, the electrician issues an updated report or certificate confirming the installation is now safe. Only reports with no observations, or C3 (improvement recommended) observations only, are classified as satisfactory.
An EICR inspects the fixed electrical installation – the permanent wiring, distribution boards, sockets, switches, and circuits built into the building. PAT testing checks portable electrical appliances like kettles, computers, and power tools. They’re separate processes, and commercial premises typically need both to be fully compliant.
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