If you let a property in Manchester, a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report is a legal requirement, so the real question is what a fair price looks like. Most landlords here pay somewhere between £100 and £300, depending on the size and age of the property. Here is what drives that figure, and what to watch for in a cheap quote.
Electricians usually price an EICR by the number of circuits to be tested, which tends to track the size of the property. The ranges below are what landlords around Manchester can realistically expect for the inspection and report. They are a guide, not a fixed quote.
Prices at the lower end usually apply to modern flats with a single, clearly labelled consumer unit. Older houses with more circuits or more than one board sit towards the top of each range.
A lot of Manchester's rental stock is Victorian and Edwardian terracing in areas like Fallowfield, Levenshulme, Rusholme and Longsight. These houses have often been rewired in stages, extended into the loft or split into rooms, so there is more to trace and test than in a newer city centre flat in Ancoats or Castlefield.
Be cautious of very low fixed prices, such as £60 or £70 for any property. A proper inspection of a three bed house takes around two to four hours on site. A price that does not cover that time often means a rushed inspection, or one that relies on a long list of chargeable repairs afterwards.
The inspection fee is only part of the picture. The report grades each issue with a code. C1 means danger is present and C2 means potentially dangerous. Either of these, or an FI code for further investigation, makes the report unsatisfactory. C3 is a recommended improvement and does not fail the report.
If your report is unsatisfactory, you have 28 days to get the work done, or less if the report says so, and you need written confirmation once it is complete. Common fixes in older Manchester rentals include adding RCD protection, correcting missing earthing or bonding, and replacing damaged sockets or fittings. Small repairs may cost £50 to £200. Replacing an old fuse board with a modern consumer unit is usually in the region of £450 to £800, depending on what the electrician finds.
Ask for a written, itemised quote for any remedial work, with the code each item relates to. You are free to get a second price before going ahead.
Private landlords must have the fixed wiring inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified, competent person. You must give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, to new tenants before they move in, and to the council within seven days if they ask for it.
Enforcement sits with the local authority, which for most readers will be Manchester City Council, or neighbouring councils such as Salford, Trafford, Stockport or Tameside. Councils can issue financial penalties running into tens of thousands of pounds for landlords who do not comply. If your property is a licensed HMO or falls within a selective licensing area, a current satisfactory report will normally be a condition of the licence too.
A little preparation makes the visit quicker and the quote more accurate.
A one or two bed flat usually takes one to two hours, and a typical three bed house two to four hours. Larger HMOs can take most of a day, and the power will be off for parts of the visit.
At least every five years, unless the report itself recommends a shorter interval. You do not need a new one for every change of tenant as long as the current report is still valid.
No. C3 is a recommendation for improvement and the report can still be satisfactory. Only C1, C2 or FI codes make it unsatisfactory and trigger the 28 day deadline for remedial work.
A quick call with Gary is usually enough to establish scope. For anything more involved, we’ll come out to measure up at a time that suits you.