Residential EICR London Certified Domestic Electrical Testing from £85
Landlords, homeowners, and letting agents across London turn to Liviosiv when they need a fixed electrical system checked, tested, and properly certified. This page explains exactly what a Domestic EICR covers, what it costs, who legally needs one, and how our inspection process works from booking to certificate. If you manage a commercial unit rather than a residential property, our Commercial EICR page covers that separately.
What Does a Residential EICR Actually Involve?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is not a quick visual glance — it’s a structured technical assessment of everything permanently wired into your property, tested against the current national wiring standard.
The Scope of the Inspection: Our engineers examine the consumer unit, every circuit, all fixed wiring, sockets, switches, and the earthing and bonding arrangements protecting the property from electric shock. Portable items — kettles, lamps, appliances — fall outside an EICR entirely; those are covered separately under Portable Appliance Testing.
The Two Possible: OutcomesOnce testing concludes, your property is marked either Satisfactory, meaning it’s safe to keep using as-is, or Unsatisfactory, meaning specific remedial work is needed before it meets current standards. Either way, you receive a full written explanation, not just a pass/fail stamp.
Landlords
Property Agents
Letting Agents
Property Owner
Who Actually Needs a Domestic EICR?
The honest answer is: it depends whether you are renting the property out or living in it yourself, and the obligations differ sharply between the two.
Landlords Have a Legal Duty: Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, every rented residential property in England must have its fixed electrics inspected at least once every five years. The report needs to reach existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, go to new tenants before they move in, and be handed to the local authority on request. For a deeper breakdown of what this means in practice, see our Landlord Electrical Safety Certificate guide.
Homeowners Are not Obligated, But Should not Ignore It: There is no legal requirement if you own and live in the property yourself. That said, an inspection is genuinely worth arranging if the property is over a decade old, you’re mid-way through buying or selling, you’ve recently had renovation work done, or you’ve noticed warning signs like circuits tripping repeatedly or lights flickering for no obvious reason.
Letting Agents Carry Compliance Risk Too: If you manage properties on a landlord’s behalf, an expired or missing EICR is your liability as much as theirs. Keeping certificates current protects both parties if a dispute or incident ever arises.
Geographical Breakdown of London’s Districts
The Standards Behind Every Liviosiv Inspection
Every EICR we issue is tested against BS 7671, the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations the UK’s national standard covering how electrical installations should be designed, tested, and documented. This is published and maintained by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and it’s the benchmark councils, insurers, and mortgage lenders expect to see referenced on a valid certificate.
Alongside BS 7671, rental properties fall under the separate legal layer of the 2020 Regulations mentioned above the wiring standard tells us what safe looks like, and the regulations tell landlords how often they need to prove it.
What Happens During the Inspection
Understanding the process in advance tends to make the actual visit far less disruptive than people expect.
Visual Assessment First: We start by physically examining the installation for obvious problems — damage, overheating, signs of ageing components, or wiring alterations that were never properly signed off. This alone often catches issues before any technical testing even begins.
Testing the Consumer Unit: Next, we confirm the protective devices inside your consumer unit are correctly rated for the circuits they serve, that RCDs disconnect within the required time, and that everything is labelled accurately a surprisingly common defect in older properties.
Circuit-by-Circuit Testing: Each individual circuit is then tested for insulation resistance, correct polarity, and fault loop impedance, confirming that if something did go wrong, the protective devices would disconnect the power fast enough to prevent harm. For a standalone deep-dive test of your wiring outside a full certificate, our Fixed Wire Testing service covers this in isolation.
Earthing and Bonding Checks: Finally, we verify the main earthing conductor and bonding to incoming gas and water pipework this is one of the checks most often overlooked by less thorough inspections, and one of the more serious defects when it’s missing.
Reading Your Results — What the Codes Mean
Code | Meaning | What Happens Next |
C1 | Danger present | Action taken immediately, often on the spot |
C2 | Potentially dangerous | Repair required urgently |
C3 | Improvement recommended | Optional upgrade, not mandatory |
FI | Further investigation needed | Additional testing before a final result |
Any C1, C2, or FI finding means the report is marked Unsatisfactory. A C3 on its own doesn’t — it’s advisory rather than a compliance failure.
If Your Property Comes Back Unsatisfactory
An Unsatisfactory result rarely means the property needs rewiring from scratch. In most cases we see, it comes down to one or two specific, fixable issues — a faulty protective device, an outdated consumer unit, or a bonding connection that was never completed correctly. We provide an itemised quote for whatever’s needed, and once it’s done, we issue written confirmation and an updated Satisfactory certificate. Full detail on how this works is on our EICR Remedial Work page — and if the defect turns out to be a wider fault rather than a straightforward fix, our Electrical Fault Finding team can diagnose it properly first.
Domestic EICR Inspection Process
You can get an Residential EICR inspection done at any time of the year. A lot of landlords have Domestic EICR tests done before new tenants move in.
Book inspection
Inspection and testing
Report issued
EICR Coverage Across London
Liviosiv inspects residential properties across every part of London — find your specific area below for local availability and any region-specific guidance.
Central London Coverage
Start with our Central London EICR hub, or go directly to your neighbourhood: Westminster, Bayswater, Bloomsbury, Holborn & Fitzrovia, Chelsea, Kensington, Marylebone, Paddington, Pimlico, Belgravia, City of London & Mayfair, Covent Garden, St James’s & Soho, and Victoria, South Bank & Knightsbridge.
North, South, East And West London
Why Choose Liviosiv for Domestic EICR?
7+ years of experience
Clear, easy-to-read reports
Fair and transparent pricing
Live support 7 days a week
Reports are clear, structured, and compliant
Inspections are carried out by qualified electricians
Book Your Residential EICR in London Today
Do not wait for a fault, enforcement notice, or insurance issue.A professional Domestic EICR from Liviosiv provides:
- Legal compliance
- Clear documentation
- Reduced fire risk
- Protection for tenants and occupants
Confidence for insurers and agents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will I need to move furniture before the inspection?
Usually not but clear access to sockets and the consumer unit is essential, so anything blocking those needs shifting slightly beforehand.
Can an EICR be carried out in a furnished, occupied home?
Yes. Furnished lets, occupied family homes, and tenanted properties are all inspected exactly the same way.
Do new-build properties still need an EICR?
New builds typically come with their own initial electrical certification, but a fresh EICR can still be worth arranging later for resale, insurance, or general peace of mind.
If my tenant changes, do I need a brand-new EICR?
Not if your existing certificate is still within its five-year validity though many landlords choose to renew anyway around a tenancy change for extra reassurance.
Will councils and insurers accept a Liviosiv EICR?
Yes a valid EICR from a qualified, accredited electrician is accepted by local authorities, letting agents, and insurance providers as standard proof of compliance.
Does old wiring automatically mean my property fails?
No. Age alone is not a fail condition; a property only becomes Unsatisfactory if the installation is genuinely unsafe or falls short of the minimum current standard.
Is PAT testing part of a Domestic EICR?
No, they are separate services. An EICR only covers the fixed installation; portable appliances are tested independently under PAT Testing.
Can Liviosiv carry out the repair work if my EICR comes back Unsatisfactory?
Yes we can quote and complete any necessary remedial work, then issue an updated Satisfactory certificate once it’s done.
Accrediations
Book Your Residential EICR
Don’t wait for a fault, an enforcement notice, or an awkward insurance claim to find out your electrics aren’t compliant. A Liviosiv Domestic EICR gives you a clear, honest record of where your property stands from £85, backed by fully accredited, DBS-checked engineers across London.
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