What an EICR actually covers, and what it does not
Commercial landlords and occupiers are frequently sold the wrong inspection. This is what the report is, what it costs and how often it is genuinely needed.
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is an inspection of the fixed electrical installation in a building: the incoming supply, distribution boards, circuits, fixed wiring, and the accessories on the end of them. It is not a test of the equipment plugged into that installation, which is a separate exercise.
What the report tells you
The inspector records observations against coded categories. C1 means danger present and requires immediate action. C2 means potentially dangerous and requires remedial work. C3 is an improvement recommendation and does not by itself make a report unsatisfactory. FI means further investigation is required.
A report is either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Any C1 or C2 makes it unsatisfactory, and the practical consequence is that an insurer or a prospective tenant will want the remedial work done before they will proceed.
What it does not cover
Portable appliance testing is separate. So is fire alarm and emergency lighting servicing, which run to their own standards and intervals. A contractor quoting one price for everything should itemise it, because these are different pieces of work with different certificates.
How often
Most commercial premises need an EICR at least every five years. Industrial units are commonly three. Construction sites are three months, and some public entertainment venues annual. Change of occupancy triggers one regardless of interval.
The interval that actually binds you, though, is usually the one in your insurance policy. Insurers frequently specify their own, and if the policy says three years then three years is the requirement whatever the general guidance says.
What it costs
For a small commercial unit with a single distribution board, expect £150 to £400. Larger buildings are priced per circuit or per board, and a full multi-board industrial site can run into thousands. Prices in West Yorkshire vary less than the size of the installation does.
The important thing to check is whether the quote includes the remedial work or only the inspection. Most do not, and a cheap inspection followed by an expensive remedial quote is a well-established pattern worth guarding against by using a contractor who does not need the remedial work to make the job pay.