Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) in Windsor and Maidenhead

The private rented sector has a strong presence across the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Households that rented privately made up 20.6% in 2021, up from 16.2% in 2011, while 12.6% lived in socially rented housing and 66.2% owned their home outright or with a mortgage or loan. That pattern means a lot of mixed tenure blocks, converted houses and smaller HMOs sit alongside family homes, especially around Windsor Town Centre and the growing apartment stock in Maidenhead. We often inspect buildings that have seen several rounds of alteration, so the wiring history matters as much as the current decor.

The legal duties are straightforward, even if the building is not. Landlords need a valid EICR at least every 5 years, they must give tenants a copy within 28 days, and any C1 or C2 findings need remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Local authorities can enforce the rules, and penalties can reach £30,000 per breach. In a borough with 1,732 property sales recorded in the last 12 months, including 300 detached homes and 532 flats, buyers and tenants often ask for the electrical safety certificate before they commit. New build schemes such as Windsor Arch, Watermark, The Picture House and The Arbour still need periodic testing once they are let, because new paint does not replace a compliant inspection.

An unsatisfactory result does not mean the whole electrical installation has collapsed, but it does mean one or more findings need action. C1 items call for immediate attention because there is a direct risk, while C2 items show a potential danger that must be corrected before the installation can be treated as safe. FI codes mean we could not reach a final conclusion without more investigation, so the report stays open until that work is done. In practical terms, landlords should treat every C1 and C2 as urgent, especially in older terraces off Peascod Street or in converted flats around Maidenhead Town Centre.

Once repairs are complete, we can return for reinspection and confirm that the installation now meets the required standard. The local authority can ask for proof that remedial work has started and been completed, and tenants should not be left guessing about the condition of the wiring in their home. In conservation areas such as Windsor Town Centre, Inner Windsor and Bray Village, our electricians keep the repair work neat, but safety still comes first. If the original report included several concerns, we talk through the order of works so the next visit is efficient and the paperwork stays clear.

Our EICR prices start from £120, and that gives landlords a clear base for the inspection itself. The final quote depends on the size of the property, the number of circuits, the age of the installation and whether we need to test garages, extensions or separate outbuildings. A flat in a newer building around York Road may be quicker to test than a detached house near Windsor Arch, simply because there are fewer circuits and less fabric to review. If the board is outdated, labelled badly or hidden in a tight cupboard, that can add time too.

The inspection fee covers the visual check, the dead and live testing, and the written report with coded observations. If we find C1 or C2 items, remedial work is priced separately, because repairs vary from a simple accessory replacement to a more involved upgrade of the consumer unit or bonding. homedata.co.uk records show the borough's average house price at £573,000, which gives a sense of the value sitting behind these homes, but the electrical quote is based on the installation, not the market price. We issue the report after testing is complete, then explain the findings so landlords, sellers and homeowners know the next step without guesswork.