Electrical Installation Condition Report in London

London's housing stock is unlike any other city in England. The capital grew explosively between 1850 and 1914, and that Victorian and Edwardian building boom produced hundreds of thousands of terraced houses across inner and suburban London - from the two-up two-downs of south-east London to the stucco-fronted mid-terrace properties of west London. Properties built in this era were wired, if at all, using systems that have been superseded multiple times since. Rubber-insulated cables were standard in the 1920s and 1930s; lead-sheathed wiring was used earlier still. Both materials perish with age, and their insulation can become brittle, cracked, or entirely absent in properties that have not been rewired in decades.

Our inspectors regularly encounter original or near-original wiring in London properties during EICR work. Signs include round-pin sockets still in use, Bakelite switches, fuse boards with rewireable fuses rather than modern circuit breakers, and cables with cloth or rubber outer sheaths rather than modern PVC. None of these features are automatically safe or unsafe - the condition and installation quality matters - but they are all indicators that a thorough EICR is overdue.

Post-war London added another layer of complexity. The social housing programme of the 1950s to 1970s produced large numbers of concrete-frame tower blocks and low-rise estates, many of which were wired with aluminium conductors rather than copper. Aluminium wiring requires specific consideration during an EICR because it behaves differently under load and can cause connections to fail over time if not properly maintained.

• Pre-1919 properties: high probability of original or first-generation wiring requiring replacement
• 1919-1945 inter-war properties: rubber-insulated cables approaching or exceeding their safe lifespan
• 1945-1980 social housing stock: aluminium conductors common, consumer units often lacking RCD protection
• Victorian conversion flats: shared services and subsequent subdivision can create complex and non-compliant circuits
• Properties near large trees: London Clay soil movement can disturb foundations and shift conduit runs

Since 1 July 2020, all new tenancies in England have required a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report. Since 1 April 2021, this requirement extended to all existing tenancies as well. As a London landlord, you must have your rental property inspected by a qualified person, receive a satisfactory report, and give a copy of that report to your tenant within 28 days of the inspection. You must also provide a copy to your local authority within seven days if they request one. Failure to comply can result in a local authority remediation notice and a financial penalty of up to £30,000.

London's rental sector is proportionally much larger than the national average. High property values, a transient workforce, and the concentration of universities and international employers mean that a very large share of London's 70,800 annual property transactions involve properties that are or will become rentals. We regularly carry out EICR work for portfolio landlords managing properties across multiple boroughs, as well as individual landlords with a single buy-to-let flat in areas like E16 - where 143 new-build sales were recorded in 2025 alone, indicating an area of active new landlord acquisition.

We can arrange EICRs for single properties or coordinate inspections across a portfolio. Reports are issued digitally the same day or next working day after inspection, giving you documentation you can pass immediately to your tenant or your managing agent. Where remedial work is identified as a C1 or C2 finding, you are required to have that work completed within 28 days (or within any shorter period specified in the report) and to provide written confirmation of completion to both your tenant and the local authority on request.

Our EICR inspections in London follow the requirements set out in BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. We do not conduct a superficial visual check - we carry out dead and live testing on circuits throughout the property, using calibrated test equipment to assess insulation resistance, earth continuity, and the correct operation of protective devices.

We begin with the consumer unit, checking that it is appropriately rated, that all protective devices are correctly sized for the circuits they serve, and that RCD protection is present and functional. In London properties, particularly pre-1980 stock, it is common to find split consumer units, older-style fuse boards with rewireable fuses, or consumer units that have been extended over time in ways that do not meet current standards. Each of these situations is documented and classified.

• Consumer unit and protective devices: type, rating, presence of RCD and surge protection
• All fixed wiring circuits: visual inspection and electrical testing of insulation resistance and continuity
• Earthing and bonding arrangements: main earth terminal, supplementary bonding in bathrooms and kitchens
• Socket outlets: polarity, earth connection, and condition throughout the property
• Fixed lighting: pendant and recessed fittings, switching, and associated wiring
• Smoke and heat detectors: presence and connection checked where part of the electrical installation
• Special locations: bathrooms assessed to confirm compliance with BS 7671 zone requirements
• Evidence of DIY or alterations: non-standard cable routes, uncertified connection points, and over-fusing

After our inspection, we produce a formal EICR report classifying all observations. A satisfactory report means the installation is in a condition adequate for continued use. An unsatisfactory report means one or more C1 or C2 observations require remedial action. We explain every finding clearly in plain English alongside the technical classification, so you understand exactly what was found, where it is located, and what action is needed.

The EICR classification system uses four codes to describe the condition of each element of your electrical installation. Understanding what each code means helps you respond to your report with confidence.

• C1 - Danger present: Risk of injury. Immediate remedial action required before the installation is used again.
• C2 - Potentially dangerous: Not immediately dangerous but could become so. Remedial action required urgently.
• C3 - Improvement recommended: Not dangerous but does not meet the current edition of BS 7671. Remedial action recommended but not required for the EICR to be satisfactory.
• FI - Further investigation: An element could not be properly assessed during the inspection. Further investigation required before a classification can be given.

A report with only C3 observations can still be classified as satisfactory - meaning the installation is safe for continued use, even if upgrades would be beneficial. A report containing any C1 or C2 observation is classified as unsatisfactory. For landlords, an unsatisfactory report means you must carry out and document the required remedial work within 28 days. For buyers, it means you should factor the cost of remediation into your purchase negotiations or conditions.

Our inspectors write every observation in plain English alongside the technical code. We include the location of each finding - for example, 'consumer unit in under-stairs cupboard at hallway ground floor' or 'bathroom socket circuit: insufficient bonding to pipework' - so your electrician can act on the report without needing to carry out a repeat inspection first. This saves time and money on remedial works.

London's geology creates conditions that do not exist to the same degree elsewhere in England. The capital sits predominantly on London Clay, a highly expansive material that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. This shrink-swell behaviour causes foundation movement, and foundation movement affects the structure of a building. Our inspectors note evidence of structural movement as part of their broader site assessment, because cables fixed to walls or run in conduits can be pulled tight, kinked, or even severed by significant building movement. In areas with large mature trees - common across inner south London boroughs such as Wandsworth, Lambeth, and Lewisham - this risk is elevated because root systems draw water from the clay, accelerating shrinkage beneath foundations during dry periods.

London also has a higher proportion of converted properties than most English cities. Large Victorian houses have been divided into flats across many inner London boroughs, and the electrical installations in converted buildings are often complex. Different flats may have been rewired at different times by different contractors. Communal supplies serving multiple tenants may date from the original conversion. Our inspectors are experienced in assessing the boundaries of individual flat installations and the shared elements of communal electrical systems, and we make clear in our reports exactly which elements fall within the scope of the inspection.

Listed buildings and conservation area properties require additional care. London has more listed buildings per square kilometre than anywhere else in England, particularly in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, and Islington. Running new cable routes in a listed building requires careful planning to avoid damaging historic fabric, and our inspectors note where the installation is in a listed or sensitive building so that any remedial electrician can engage with the relevant heritage restrictions before beginning work.