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EICRs when a house is changing hands
The electrics are one of the last unknowns in a sale. One visit, one report, and both sides know where they stand instead of arguing about a line in a survey.
What a survey will not tell you
A homebuyer survey looks at the building. The surveyor walks the property, notes what can be seen, and writes it up. Surveyors are not there to test electrics, so the electrical section usually reads the same way every time: the installation was not tested, and a qualified electrician should be asked to inspect it.
That single line is where sales stall. The buyer reads it as a risk. The seller reads it as a bargaining tactic. Neither of you actually knows anything yet, because nobody has put an instrument on the circuits.
An EICR replaces the guesswork with a result. Every circuit tested, every fault coded, one verdict on the front page.
It settles it quickly
One visit tests the property. The PDF report follows by email, so you have something to send your agent, your buyer or your solicitor rather than a promise to sort it out later.
It protects the price
A vague warning invites a big reduction. A report that says satisfactory, or lists three small jobs with prices, keeps the conversation on facts.
It gives the solicitor something
The forms in a conveyancing pack ask what electrical work has been done and what paperwork exists. A dated report is a clear document to attach.
If you are selling
Book the EICR before the survey, not after. You get first sight of anything wrong, and you get to choose whether to fix it or price it into the deal. Either way you are answering questions rather than reacting to them.
- You control the timing. Nothing is being negotiated while the report is being done.
- Small faults stay small. A loose connection fixed for a modest sum is not a reason to knock thousands off.
- You have one document to hand over. Same PDF for the agent, the buyer and the solicitor.
If you are buying
An EICR before exchange tells you what you are taking on. If the fuseboard needs replacing, better to know now, when it is a number you can weigh against the offer, than in your first month in the house.
- You get the real condition, not an opinion formed from a doorway.
- Faults arrive with prices. We quote the remedials in writing, so you can put a figure on it.
- You need the seller to agree access. Ask early. Most sellers say yes when the alternative is a nervous buyer.
An honest word about certificates
An EICR reports the condition of the installation on the day we test it. It is not the same thing as the certificate issued when work was carried out, and it does not prove that past work was signed off under building regulations.
If a solicitor is chasing paperwork for a specific job, say a rewire or a new board fitted by somebody else, tell us. We will explain what document you are actually looking for, so you are not paying for the wrong thing.
Questions during a sale
Who books it, the buyer or the seller?
Either. A seller books it to head off questions. A buyer books it to know what they are taking on. The report belongs to whoever pays for it, and it is the same test in both cases.
The property is empty. Is that a problem?
No, it is usually easier. We do need the power to be on at the property, so if the supply has been cut off tell us before we come out. Testing without a live supply is not possible.
What if the report comes back unsatisfactory?
You get the faults, the codes and a written price for the repairs. That turns a scary word into a number. Plenty of sales carry on with the seller either fixing the items or adjusting the price to cover them.
Can you do the remedial work before completion?
Yes, where the owner agrees and access allows. Small remedials found during the report are exactly the work we do. We price each one in writing so both sides can see what is being fixed.
Get the electrics answered
Give us the address in Test Electrical and where you are in the sale. We will tell you what we can do and what it costs, in writing.