How long does an EICR take for a 3-bedroom house?

An EICR on a typical three-bedroom house takes about three to five hours, with one consumer unit (fuse board) and easy access to every room. A second consumer unit — common after a loft conversion or an extension — older wiring, or a garage or garden office with its own supply can push it towards most of a day. The power goes off only in short spells, so you can stay at home while the inspection is done.

That matches the guide from Which? Trusted Traders, which puts a three-bed property at three to five hours. Below you’ll find what fills those hours, a typical visit from start to finish, and what makes a three-bed house quicker or slower to inspect. For every other size of property, see how long an EICR takes.

Typical times for a 3-bedroom house

These are estimates, not fixed times. When we call to confirm your booking, we’ll give you an idea of timing for your house.

Why a three-bed house takes three to five hours

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) isn’t a quick look at the fuse board. Every circuit is inspected and tested, and the results are written into a schedule that forms part of the report. A typical three-bed house has a good number of circuits, often including:

• lighting upstairs and lighting downstairs;
• sockets upstairs, sockets downstairs, and often a separate kitchen circuit;
• the cooker and the electric shower, if you have one;
• the immersion heater, the boiler and the heating controls;
• mains-wired smoke alarms;
• outside lights, a garage, a shed or a garden office.

Behind those circuits sit dozens of sockets, switches and light fittings, each of which is looked at for damage, wear, overheating and signs of DIY work. Some are opened up to check the connections behind them. Then every circuit is tested twice over — once with the power off, and once with it on. Our guide to what an EICR checks goes through the whole list.

A typical visit, from start to finish

Every house is different, so treat this as an illustration rather than a timetable.

1. Arrival and walk round — about 15 to 30 minutes. The electrician looks at the supply, the meter, the consumer unit and the main earthing, checks the bonding to your gas and water pipes, and tells you when the power will go off.
2. Visual inspection — about an hour. Room by room: sockets, switches, light fittings, the bathroom, the kitchen, the loft and the cupboard under the stairs, plus anything fixed such as an extractor fan or an electric shower.
3. Dead testing — about one and a half to two hours. With the power off a circuit at a time, each one is tested for continuity (the wiring is unbroken), insulation resistance (the insulation isn’t breaking down) and polarity (live and neutral are the right way round). This is when the power goes off in short spells.
4. Live testing — about 30 to 45 minutes. With the power back on, the electrician measures earth fault loop impedance — which shows whether a fault would cut the power quickly enough — and checks that the RCDs trip as they should. An RCD is the safety switch that cuts the power in a fault; RCD protection explained tells you more.
5. Results and a run-through — about 15 to 30 minutes. The readings are recorded, and the electrician tells you about anything urgent before leaving. If there’s a C1 — danger present — they’ll explain it and, with your agreement, make it safe.

Add those up and you reach the three to five hours most three-bed houses take.

London three-bed houses: what changes the time

London’s three-bed houses come in a few familiar types, and each brings its own things to check.

• Victorian and Edwardian terraces. Many have been rewired in stages, with a loft conversion or a rear extension added later — sometimes with its own consumer unit. Cellars, under-stairs cupboards and a mix of older and newer wiring all add time.
• 1930s semis in outer London. Often with a garage, a shed or a garden office fed from the house. Each one is part of the installation and gets inspected and tested too.
• Ex-council houses. Often simple, compact layouts, but look out for later additions — an extra socket here, an outside light there — that each need checking.
• New-build townhouses over three floors. More lighting and socket circuits than a two-storey house, but usually a modern, clearly labelled consumer unit, which helps. A newly built home comes with an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) — see does a new-build home need an EICR?

What makes it quicker — or slower

Quicker:

• a clear path to the consumer unit, with nothing stored in front of it;
• circuits labelled on the board;
• every room unlocked, and a safe way into the loft;
• furniture moved away from sockets where you can;
• the previous EICR to hand, so the electrician can compare results.

Slower:

• locked rooms, or a garage or meter cupboard without the key;
• fitted furniture or appliances in front of sockets;
• an unlabelled board, where every circuit has to be traced;
• a fault that needs tracking down — or recording as needing further investigation (FI).

Our guide to preparing for an EICR has a full checklist.

Can you stay at home during the EICR?

Yes. The inspection is done a section at a time, and the power is off only in short spells. If you work from home, your router and computer will lose power during the dead tests, so charge your laptop beforehand and avoid booking important calls in the middle of the visit. Fridges and freezers are fine if you keep the doors shut. If you’re a landlord, your tenant can let us in — you don’t need to be there.

Is a very quick EICR a warning sign?

Yes. Which? warns against firms that claim to do a thorough check in an hour and a half — if the electrician isn’t there long enough, they’re not doing the job properly. The IET, which publishes the UK wiring regulations, says limitations shouldn’t be used as an excuse not to carry out the necessary inspection and testing.

If an EICR on your three-bed house is over in an hour, ask whether every circuit was tested and whether your report includes the full schedule of test results. The standard report form says a report is only valid with its schedules attached. A report that skips the testing may not be accepted by a letting agent, a council or a buyer’s solicitor — and it can’t tell you whether your electrics are safe.

How much it costs for a three-bed house

A three-bed house costs the same as a flat: £90 inc VAT (£75 + VAT) with one consumer unit. It takes longer than a studio flat, but the price doesn’t change. Each extra consumer unit is priced separately, and a house let as an HMO is priced on a quick call — we agree any price with you before anything is arranged. See our EICR prices in London, or read what affects the cost of an EICR.

After the inspection

The report is emailed to you as a PDF, with the overall result — satisfactory or unsatisfactory — every observation coded C1, C2, C3 or FI, and the test results for every circuit. See a sample EICR report to know what to expect.

• Homeowners: industry guidance recommends inspecting a home you live in at least every ten years — the report gives the date. See how long an EICR is valid.
• Landlords: if the report is unsatisfactory, the work must be done within 28 days. A rented home needs a new inspection at least every five years — read how long an EICR lasts for a rental property.
• Buying a three-bed house? The inspection takes the same time, but you’ll need the seller’s permission to book it. See EICRs when selling or buying a home.

If the report finds problems, we can quote to put them right — see our remedial works.

Key points

• An EICR on a three-bedroom house with one consumer unit usually takes about three to five hours.
• A second consumer unit, older wiring, outbuildings and difficult access add time.
• The power goes off in short spells, not for the whole visit.
• A one-hour EICR on a three-bed house is a warning sign.
• Every flat and house with one consumer unit costs the same, whatever its size.

Book the EICR for your three-bed house

When you see your price, you choose a preferred date and a morning or afternoon slot, and we call to confirm — nothing is booked until then. See our homeowner EICR and landlord EICR services, or call us on 07500 202010.