EICR Certificates - Emergency Lighting

IS EICR A LEGAL REQUIRMENT?

While there isn’t any legislation that specifically says homeowners, businesses or landlords should have an EICR certificate, laws such as the Landlord and Tenants Act (1985) and Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) outline the responsibilities that landlords and employers have with regards to the safety of tenants and employees respectively. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 also require that precautions are taken against the risk of injury sustained from electricity used in work activities.

HOW OFTEN DO I NEED AN EICR?

Electrical installations are not immune to the process of ageing, deterioration and even general wear and tear. For this reason, an EICR should be conducted at regular intervals. British Standard BS 76719 (IET Wiring Regulations) recommends the following intervals for businesses, landlords and homeowners:

Businesses – employers are recommended to have an EICR test undertaken once every five years.
Buy-to-let or rented property – landlords should have an EICR test done every five years or when new tenants enter the property.
Homeowners – an EICR is recommended every 10 years. If the property has a swimming pool, this should be tested once every year.

WHAT DOES AN EICR TEST INVOLVE?

An EICR will check if your property’s electrics have any faults that cannot be identified through a visual check. A number of faults may occur, such as electrical circuits being overloaded or overheating during use. If any electrical circuit is not properly installed – for example, without earthing or bonding to safely secure the electrics – it may potentially cause a fire or shock hazard. EICR testing will identify any defective electrical work within the system.

A visual check can also be performed to give you a quick analysis of how safe your property is. This will look for broken sockets and light switches, damaged cables and scorching / burn marks as a result of overloading the power outlet. It will also look at the residual current device (RCD) for the circuits that operate the bathrooms and gardens. It is recommended that this visual check is completed at regular intervals in between the more in-depth EICR tests.

After the test has been completed, the testing engineer will produce a certificate for you. It will detail any damages, deterioration, defects or other dangerous conditions. It will also highlight anything that doesn’t match the present day safety standards and things that might put people at risk.