EICR cost in Market Harborough: 2026 prices for homes and landlords

Short answerAn EICR (electrical safety certificate) for a typical 2 to 3 bed house usually costs around £150 to £280 in 2026, with many quotes near £200. Private landlords in England must have one at least every five years. Remedial work found by the inspection is priced separately.

The EICR cost in Market Harborough is usually somewhere around £150 to £280 for a typical 2 or 3 bed house, based on 2026 UK price surveys and cost guides. Many quotes cluster around £200. Bigger houses, more circuits and older installations cost more, and any repairs the inspection turns up are extra. These are typical ranges, not quotes. Your price comes from the electrician.

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What is an EICR?

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal inspection and test of the fixed wiring in a property: the consumer unit, circuits, sockets, switches, light fittings and earthing. People often call it an "electrical safety certificate". It is a report, not a pass or fail sticker, and it is checked against BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations.

The electrician records any problems using codes:

• C1: danger present, needs immediate action
• C2: potentially dangerous, needs urgent remedial work
• C3: improvement recommended, not a fail on its own
• FI: further investigation needed

A report with any C1, C2 or FI is classed as unsatisfactory.

Typical EICR prices in 2026

Here's what the sources we checked say for a 2 to 3 bed house:

• Less.co.uk (survey of published fixed prices, October 2026): average about £200 including VAT, with the middle half of prices between £156 and £264
• Fantastic Services: £180 to £280 for a 3 bed house
• Trade2Base: £150 to £220 for a 3 bed house
• HomeCheckup: £150 to £200 for a 2 to 3 bed house
• Housekeep: £100 to £160 including VAT, the lowest figure we found

Several sources note that large national companies often charge more, sometimes £250 to £400. Prices in London and the South East are higher. We didn't find a reliable Leicestershire-only figure, so we've used the national ranges outside London.

Extras that can be added

• Per-circuit charges: some firms price a base number of circuits and charge for each extra one. One survey put the average at about £18 per extra circuit.
• Remedial work: fixing C1 and C2 items is not included in the EICR price. It's usually charged at the electrician's normal rate or as a fixed quote. See our electrician hourly rate guide.
• PAT testing of landlord-supplied appliances is a separate service.

What drives the cost up or down

• Number of circuits: more circuits, more testing time
• Size of the property: a 1 bed flat is quicker than a 4 bed house with an outbuilding
• Access: a consumer unit behind fixed cupboards, or a loft full of storage, slows things down
• Age of the installation: older wiring and multiple consumer units take longer to test and record
• Occupied rentals: coordinating with tenants can mean return visits

Most domestic EICRs take somewhere between two and four hours, longer for bigger or older houses. The power will be off for parts of that time, so plan around freezers and home working.

EICRs for landlords in England

If you let a property in Market Harborough or anywhere in England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply. In short, private landlords must:

1. Have the installation inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years (or sooner if the report says so)
2. Give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days, and to new tenants before they move in
3. Give a copy to the local council within 7 days if asked
4. Where the report requires remedial or further investigative work, have it done within 28 days (or sooner if the report says so)
5. Get written confirmation that the work is done and give it to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion

Councils can impose financial penalties for breaches. Gov.uk guidance from November 2025 also covers the social rented sector following a 2025 update. We've written a longer EICR guide for landlords in Leicestershire.

Do homeowners need an EICR?

There's no legal requirement for owner-occupiers. It's commonly recommended every 10 years for an owner-occupied home, when you buy a house, or before a renovation. An EICR before you plan a renovation tells you whether you need a full rewire, a new consumer unit, or just a few repairs. If you're worried about the state of your wiring, our guide to signs your house needs rewiring is a good first read.

How to get an accurate EICR quote

Message us with:

• Property type and number of bedrooms
• Whether it's rented, and whether tenants are in
• Roughly how many consumer units there are, and a photo of the main one
• Any outbuildings, garden power or EV charger
• Your deadline (for example, the date the current report runs out)

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Questions to ask before you book

• Is the price fixed, or per circuit? How many circuits does it cover?
• Is VAT included?
• Will I get the full written report, not just a summary sheet?
• If remedial work is needed, will you quote it separately before doing it?
• Are you registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA? Our guide on how to check an electrician is registered explains how to look this up.

A very cheap EICR deserves a little caution. A proper inspection takes several hours. If it's done in 30 minutes, it probably isn't thorough.

Safety in the meantime

If you notice burning smells, scorch marks on sockets, or a consumer unit that keeps tripping, stop using the circuit and get it checked. If there's a fire or someone has had a serious shock, call 999. For a power cut, call 105.

You can see more on our electricians page or read about us.

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