Learn how to check an electrical inspector’s competence, registration, insurance and scope before commissioning a landlord EICR in England. This guide is written for practical decision-making and links to the sources used for verification.
An EICR needs competence in inspection and testing
Electrical safety law for rented homes in England requires the installation to be inspected and tested by a qualified person—meaning a person competent to undertake that inspection and testing. This is more specific than asking whether someone has ever worked as an electrician. Periodic inspection requires the knowledge and practical skill to select tests, interpret results, recognise danger and produce a defensible Electrical Installation Condition Report.
The current government guidance covers private and social rented sectors. Landlords must obtain the report, meet the applicable inspection interval and act on required investigative or remedial work. Choosing the person is therefore part of compliance, not merely a purchasing decision.
Use a register that includes electrical safety reports
The Registered Competent Person Electrical search facility distinguishes between contractors registered for installation or remedial work and electrical inspectors registered to undertake electrical safety reports in homes in England and Wales. Use the safety-report option when searching by postcode, or check the business name before accepting the quotation.
Scheme membership provides useful independent oversight, but confirm the scope shown on the register and the individual who will actually attend. A company may employ several people with different authorisations and experience. Ask for the certification body's name, registration details and a route for checking them independently.
- Search for the electrical safety report work category
- Check the exact business name and current registration
- Confirm who will inspect, test and sign the report
- Verify the details independently rather than through a supplied screenshot
Check qualifications, experience and insurance
The Electrical Safety Roundtable's landlord checklist highlights certification, qualifications, insurance and experience. Its 2025 guidance says a competent EICR inspector should be registered with a full-scope electrical competent-person scheme or registration body that monitors and assesses competence, and should hold public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
Ask whether the inspector holds a relevant periodic inspection and testing qualification and has recent experience with the property type. A small flat, HMO, large house, commercial installation or building with several consumer units can involve different complexity. NICEIC reported in 2026 that revised industry assessment requirements clarify qualifications, experience and continuing professional development for people undertaking or taking responsibility for periodic inspection and testing.
- Relevant periodic inspection and testing qualification
- Current scheme or certification-body registration
- Experience appropriate to the building and installation
- Public liability and professional indemnity insurance
- Suitable calibrated test instruments and report process
Agree a clear scope before comparing prices
An EICR quotation should describe the premises and the installation to be covered. Tell the provider about consumer units, outbuildings, communal areas, commercial zones, solar or battery systems and any inaccessible or safety-critical equipment. Ask how limitations will be agreed and recorded. A report with extensive unexplained limitations may not answer the landlord's compliance question.
Price comparisons are only meaningful when the scope is comparable. Establish whether the quotation includes the inspection, testing, complete schedules, digital report and any revisit. Remedial work is normally separate. Keeping inspection and repair pricing distinct makes it easier to see what was found and what later work is proposed.
- Property type, occupancy and number of bedrooms
- Number and location of consumer units
- Outbuildings, landlord supplies and communal circuits
- Known faults, previous reports and recent alterations
- Access, parking and expected periods of power isolation
Know what a complete report should contain
The completed EICR should identify the client and property, describe the extent and limitations, record supply and earthing details, include inspection and test schedules, state the overall outcome and give the recommended date for the next inspection. Observations should be tied to clear classification codes and signed by the person responsible for the report.
C1 indicates danger present, C2 a potentially dangerous condition, FI further investigation required without delay and C3 improvement recommended. Government guidance explains that C1, C2 or FI findings require action. C3 alone does not make the report unsatisfactory. Ask for unclear observations to be explained without allowing technical findings to be rewritten simply to obtain a preferred result.
After an unsatisfactory EICR
Arrange required work or investigation through an appropriately qualified person and retain written confirmation. Depending on the work, appropriate evidence can include an Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate. The government guidance explains the deadlines and information that must be provided to tenants and local authorities in applicable cases.
A new full EICR is not automatically the only way to evidence every remedial action, and the original report should not be silently altered to erase genuine findings. Keep the EICR and remedial certification together. CertifyEPC can coordinate a properly scoped London EICR and provide the report through the secure case record.
Research and verification
Authoritative sources
Use these primary and specialist sources to check the current rule and read further.
Requirements can change and unusual properties may need specialist advice. Check the latest official source and the facts of the property before relying on a compliance conclusion.
