Commercial EICR for London business premises
A commercial EICR is the periodic inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation in a commercial property: distribution boards, circuits and fixed wiring, tested against BS 7671, with every circuit recorded and any departure classified. Most insurers and most commercial leases require a current report.
3–5 YEARS BY USE
C-EICR
A commercial EICR is the periodic inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation in a commercial property: distribution boards, circuits and fixed wiring, tested against BS 7671, with every circuit recorded and any departure classified. Most insurers and most commercial leases require a current report.
QUICK ANSWERS
How often does a commercial EICR need doing?
There is no single interval. Offices and shops are commonly five years, industrial premises three, and higher-risk environments such as swimming pools or petrol stations annually. The previous report should state its own recommended date.
How much does a commercial EICR cost?
From £139.99 for premises with up to 12 circuits. The price is set by the number of circuits in the installation, in bands rather than per individual circuit, and every band is shown in the price table on this page. More than 36 circuits is quoted rather than priced online.
Is it a legal requirement?
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require the installation to be maintained to prevent danger. Periodic inspection is the accepted way of demonstrating that you have.
Will it disrupt trading?
Testing requires the supply off for part of the visit, and can be done in stages by distribution board.
What a C-EICR actually records.
A commercial installation is rarely one board and one set of circuits. The inspection starts by agreeing scope: which boards, which circuits, and what sampling applies if testing everything would mean closing the premises.
The report is judged on its schedule of test results. A single-page summary with no circuit-level readings is not an EICR, whatever it is titled.
LEGAL BASIS
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Regulation 4(2) requires electrical systems to be maintained so far as reasonably practicable to prevent danger. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places the broader duty on the employer or occupier. BS 7671 sets the technical standard the inspection is carried out against.
Who this is for, and the properties it applies to.
SUITABLE PROPERTY TYPES
- Commercial property
CATEGORY
Electrical Safety Services
TYPICAL ATTENDANCE
half a day for a small retail unit
The inspection, in the order it happens.
Typical attendance: half a day for a small retail unit.
Scope agreed
Which distribution boards, which circuits, and what sampling if a full test is impractical.
Visual inspection
Accessible parts checked for damage, deterioration, overloading and unsuitable equipment.
Dead testing
Continuity, insulation resistance and polarity with the supply isolated.
Live testing
Earth fault loop impedance and RCD operating times.
Circuit schedule
Every circuit recorded with its results, not a summary.
Classification
Any departure coded C1, C2, C3 or FI, and the overall result declared.
Commercial EICR tiers, with the unit of sale on every line.
Tiers are priced by what is actually being inspected. Every line can be booked directly.
| TIER | UNIT OF SALE | PRICE | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 12 circuits | Up to 12 circuits | £139.99 | Book Commercial EICR, Up to 12 circuits |
| 13–36 circuits | 13–36 circuits | £239.99 | Book Commercial EICR, 13–36 circuits |
| 37+ circuits | 37+ circuits | Quoted on request | Quote Commercial EICR, 37+ circuits |
Commercial EICRs are priced by the number of circuits, in the bands shown above, and the price covers the inspection and the report. Any remedial work the report identifies is priced separately. Letting a home rather than business premises? Residential EICR is priced by bedroom.
How to read your EICR
Observations carry a classification code. The code, not the wording, decides whether the report is satisfactory and how fast you have to act.
Danger present
Danger is present and there is a risk of injury. Immediate remedial action is required to remove the danger.
Potentially dangerous
No immediate danger, but the fault could become dangerous. Urgent remedial action required.
Further investigation
Something could not be assessed and needs investigation without delay to establish whether it is a C1 or C2.
Improvement recommended
Not a breach and not a danger. Worth doing at the next opportunity, and it does not make the report unsatisfactory.
A single C1, C2 or FI makes the whole report unsatisfactory. C3 does not.
If the report is unsatisfactory
C1 means act now
A C1 observation means danger is present, and immediate remedial action is required to remove it.
Remedial work priced separately
Work the report identifies is not part of the inspection price, and can be discussed and confirmed with you before it is booked.
Check your policy
Insurers commonly require remedial work within a defined period. Check your policy wording, as it may be shorter than you expect.
Your choice of contractor
You are free to use any qualified contractor. Any further inspection after the work is agreed with you separately.
Asked about Commercial EICR.
A small retail unit is usually half a day. A multi-board building is scoped on site first; we quote before starting rather than after.
Live testing is only part of it. Dead testing needs isolation, and a report produced without it is not a full EICR.
Where testing every circuit is impractical, a proportion is tested and the sample size recorded on the report. It is legitimate, but it must be stated, and the sample is increased if faults are found.
The report covers the installation. If your lease makes you responsible for the demise beyond the meter, you need your own. Check the lease.
No. Fixed wiring only. Appliances are covered by PAT testing, which we can carry out on the same visit.
Commercial EICR in London.
Serving Central London and nearby postcodes. One engineer network and one renewal calendar. Where the qualifications overlap, several services can be covered in a single visit.
Usually booked in the same visit.
EICR
Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
Emergency Lighting Test
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, with BS 5266-1
PAT Testing
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, and the mandatory licence conditions in Schedule 4 to the Housing Act 2004
Book a C-EICR anywhere in London.
Weekday morning and afternoon appointments.