EICR testing for landlords in Greater Manchester.

An EICR in Manchester is the electrical safety certificate every landlord in England is legally required to hold. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, you must have the fixed electrical installation in your rental property inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified and competent person, give a copy of the report to your tenants, and provide it to the local authority on request.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation — the wiring, consumer unit (fuse board), sockets, switches, light fittings, earthing and bonding. A qualified electrician carries it out and produces a written report that classifies the condition of the installation and records any defects found. It covers:

• Consumer unit / fuse board — type, condition and RCD protection.
• Wiring and circuits — condition, suitability and signs of damage, overheating or unsafe DIY work.
• Sockets, switches and accessories — a representative sample tested.
• Earthing and bonding — the safety systems that protect against electric shock.
• RCD operation — tested to confirm protective devices trip correctly.

An EICR assesses the fixed installation, not portable appliances — kettles, fridges and the like are covered by separate PAT testing.

Every defect on an EICR is given a classification code. Understanding them tells you immediately whether your report passes or fails:

A report is marked satisfactory only if it contains no C1, C2 or FI items. A report with C3 codes alone still passes — those are recommendations, not failures.

If you let a property in England, you need a valid EICR. The duty comes from the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, which apply to private landlords and, from 2025, to the social rented sector as well. The key requirements:

• Inspect and test at least every five years — or sooner if the previous report specifies.
• Give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days, and to new tenants before they move in.
• Supply it to the local authority within 7 days of a request.
• Remedy any C1, C2 or FI items within 28 days (or sooner if the report says so) and confirm in writing to the tenant and council.

You should also arrange a new EICR after a rewire, a consumer unit replacement or major electrical work, as the installation has materially changed.

We keep the inspection efficient and work around your tenants. A typical EICR runs like this:

1. 1Access and setup — we confirm access, locate the consumer unit and identify the circuits.
2. 2Visual inspection — checking for damage, overheating, unsafe modifications and obvious defects.
3. 3Dead testing — circuits are safely isolated (power off in stages) to test continuity, insulation resistance and polarity.
4. 4Live testing — RCD trip times, earth fault loop impedance and correct operation of protective devices.
5. 5The report — we classify every finding with its code, mark the report satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and talk you through it in plain English.

For an average home the inspection takes two to four hours. The power will be off in stages while individual circuits are tested, but not for the whole visit. Tenants do not need to be present for the full inspection, but we do need access to the property and to every room with electrical points.

If your report comes back unsatisfactory — meaning it has one or more C1, C2 or FI items — the 2020 Regulations give you 28 days (or sooner if the report specifies) to put the defects right and confirm it in writing to your tenant and council.

We do not leave you to sort that out alone. We issue the report first, with every defect documented clearly, photographed and explained in plain English, so you can see exactly what was found and why it matters.

For all other findings (C2, C3 and FI) we provide a clear quote — we do not carry out this work on the day of the inspection, and nothing goes ahead without your approval. As a NICEIC registered firm we can complete the remedials ourselves once you give the go-ahead, so one firm takes you from inspection to a satisfactory certificate.

We are a family-run, Greater Manchester based electrical and fire-safety compliance firm. EICRs and landlord compliance are core to what we do.

• NICEIC registered.
• IFSM — Institution of Fire Safety Managers membership.
• NFRAR — National Fire Risk Assessors Register.
• FPA — Fire Protection Association membership.
• Qualified, competent inspection — to BS 7671 (18th Edition).
• Public liability insurance.
• Over 20 years in the rental market — working with Greater Manchester landlords, letting agents and HMO operators.
• Fixed-price EICRs — you know the cost before we attend.
• We never leave danger behind — any C1 is made safe before we leave the property.
• One provider, end to end — we report, quote and rectify — once you approve it.