EICR Testing & Certificates in Manchester
Electrical Installation Condition Reports for landlords, HMOs, homeowners, buyers and businesses across Manchester, Tameside and Stockport — carried out by a City & Guilds 2391 qualified inspector.
Why Choose Us?
- City & Guilds 2391 qualified inspector
- Report the same day, once the invoice is settled
- Every job quoted individually
- Remedial work quoted separately
- Digital and physical certificates
Who carries out your EICR in Manchester
An EICR is a formal inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation in a building — the consumer unit, the circuits, the wiring and the accessories — written up as a report that says whether it is safe to keep using. Inspection and testing is a qualification in its own right, separate from being able to install electrics: City & Guilds 2391. Joe holds it, alongside his 18th Edition (BS 7671) qualification, and has been in the trade for over 15 years.
We are based in Denton and carry out EICRs across Manchester, Tameside, Stockport, Oldham and Salford — for landlords and HMOs, homeowners, people buying a property, and businesses. Each of those needs something slightly different from the report, and the sections below explain what.
What's Included in Your EICR Certificate
Our comprehensive EICR inspection covers all aspects of your electrical installation
Visual Inspection
Thorough visual examination of all electrical installations, wiring, and accessories.
Testing & Verification
Comprehensive electrical testing including continuity, insulation resistance, and polarity.
Detailed Report
Complete EICR certificate with observations, recommendations, and compliance status.
Fault Identification
Detection of potential hazards and electrical defects with priority classification.
EICR codes explained: C1, C2, C3 and FI
Every problem the inspection finds is given a code. The codes decide whether the report comes back satisfactory or unsatisfactory, so they are worth understanding before the inspection happens.
Danger present
There is a risk of injury right now — exposed live parts, for example. It needs immediate action, and the danger has to be dealt with before the installation is left in use.
Potentially dangerous
Not dangerous this minute, but it could become so — a missing or inadequate earth connection is a common one. It needs urgent remedial work.
Improvement recommended
The installation doesn’t meet the current edition of BS 7671, but it isn’t unsafe. Very common on older properties. A C3 on its own does not make the report unsatisfactory.
Further investigation
The inspector couldn’t reach a conclusion from the testing and something needs looking into without delay. An FI makes the report unsatisfactory until it’s resolved.
The rule that matters: any C1, C2 or FI means an overall unsatisfactory report. C3s on their own still give a satisfactory one. There is more on how inspectors decide between them in our guide to the difference between C1, C2 and C3.
What happens if your EICR is unsatisfactory
An unsatisfactory report is not a verdict you are stuck with — it is a list of what needs putting right. Once the report is with you, we quote the remedial work separately. You are never obliged to use us for it, and you will see the cost before anything is agreed.
Typical remedial work includes replacing an old fuse box with a modern consumer unit, adding RCD protection, and correcting earthing and bonding. Where older wiring is the problem, a partial rewire of the affected circuits is often enough rather than a whole house.
Landlords have a deadline: remedial work for any C1, C2 or FI item has to be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, followed by written confirmation to your tenants and the council. Our landlord safety certificates page covers those duties in full, and what happens if an EICR fails walks through the process step by step.
Who needs an EICR certificate in Manchester — and how often
The inspection is the same whoever asks for it. What changes is whether the law requires it and how often it should be repeated.
Homeowners
Recommended every 10 years, and when you move in. Not a legal requirement, but the only way to know what state the wiring is really in.
Landlords
A legal requirement at least every 5 years, with a copy to your tenants.
Landlord duties in full →HMOs
The same five-yearly rule, and licensed HMOs need a current report for the council.
EICRs for HMOs →Buyers
Not required, but a pre-purchase EICR tells you the condition of the wiring before you commit.
Businesses
Typically every 5 years for shops and offices, as part of the duty to keep the installation safe.
Commercial EICRs →Commercial EICRs for Manchester shops, offices and business premises
If you run a business, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 put a duty on you to keep the electrical installation in a safe condition. The law does not name a specific certificate, but a current EICR is the standard way to show you have done it — and insurers, landlords and licensing officers commonly ask to see one.
We carry out commercial EICRs for premises such as shops, offices, salons, cafés and small business units across Manchester. Commercial installations are priced differently from homes — by the number of distribution boards and circuits rather than the size of the building — so we will quote once we know what is there.
Testing means switching circuits off one at a time, so we will agree the timings with you before we start. If you need your portable appliances checked too, that is a separate test — see PAT testing.
EICRs for HMOs and shared houses in Manchester
Houses in multiple occupation fall under the same five-yearly rule as any rented home, but there is more to inspect: more circuits, shared kitchens, and the supply to hallways, stairs and other shared areas. It all goes on one report.
If your HMO is licensed, the council will want a current EICR with the application and at renewal, and licence conditions vary between boroughs. Where the property has emergency lighting, we test that as well.
One thing we do not do is certify fire alarm systems. That needs a fire alarm specialist, and we would rather tell you so than leave a gap in your paperwork. For how often inspections are due, see how often landlords need an EICR.
How it works, start to finish
We come out on the agreed day and carry out the inspection and testing. The invoice goes out the same day, and the certificate follows as soon as that invoice is settled — in practice that means you normally have the report the same day, provided payment has gone through.
If the inspection turns up anything that needs putting right, we quote the remedial work separately rather than folding it into the inspection price. You are never committed to having us do it, and you will always see what it costs before anything is agreed.
What affects the cost of an EICR in Manchester
We quote every job rather than working from a fixed price list, because the honest answer is that two properties of the same size can be very different jobs. What actually moves the number:
- The number of circuits, which matters far more than the number of bedrooms — a small flat with a shower, a hob and an outbuilding supply can take longer than a larger house without them.
- Access to the consumer unit and the accessories. A board boxed in behind a cupboard, or sockets behind heavy furniture, adds time before any testing starts.
- The age and condition of the installation. Older wiring produces more investigation, and anything unexpected behind the plaster has to be traced rather than guessed at.
- Whether the property is occupied, since testing means turning the power off circuit by circuit and working around people.
- How many properties you have. We do rates for landlords with several, because the travelling and the paperwork scale better across a portfolio.
EICR and PAT testing guides
Longer answers to the questions we get asked most.
- What’s the difference between C1, C2 and C3 on an EICR? →
- What happens if an EICR fails? →
- How much does an EICR cost in Manchester? →
- How often do landlords need an EICR? →
- Is an EICR a legal requirement for landlords? →
- What certificates do you get after a rewire? →
- Is PAT testing a legal requirement? →
- How much does PAT testing cost per item? →
- How often should office equipment be PAT tested? →
Frequently Asked Questions
Areas We Cover
We provide eicr certificates across Denton, Tameside, Stockport and the wider Greater Manchester area — find your local team below.