How is an EICR carried out?

An EICR should be conducted by an experienced electrical engineer or electrician.

For commercial and rented properties, the contractor will first discuss the operational limitations with the client. The inspection might require a few minutes of downtime, or the client might have to shut down their phone lines or servers while the assessment is ongoing.

Other limitations include areas of a property that an electrician should not access, such as cables in floors and walls that might require you to cut out the plaster or flooring.

Both electrician and client must agree on a sampling rate, which determines the percentage of sockets to be tested. The two parties may agree on increasing the sample size should any faults occur during the inspection.

To perform an EICR test, the electrician will disconnect the electrical installation from the property’s main power supply. They will check the installation based on the standards set by the IET’s Wiring Regulations.

Specific issues that can be revealed during an EICR inspection include: