The inspection itself is straightforward. What derails it is almost always practical: the electrician cannot reach the board, cannot get into a room, or cannot turn the power off because nobody warned the tenant.
That is usually the difference between one appointment and two. Most delayed or failed inspections come down to access, not wiring.
Before the day
Tell the tenant properly
The power will be off for periods during the inspection. Tenants working from home, running a freezer full of food, or caring for someone need notice. Give them the date, a time window, and a heads up about the outages.
Confirm access to every room
The inspection covers the whole fixed installation, including the loft, any garage or outbuilding on the same supply, and the garden if there are external sockets or lighting. If any of those are locked, find the key in advance.
Dig out the last report
If you have a previous EICR, an installation certificate, or paperwork from a rewire or new consumer unit, have it ready. It tells the electrician what was done and when, which speeds up the visit and can prevent unnecessary observations.
On the day
- Clear the consumer unit. It needs to be reachable and openable. Shoe racks, coat hooks and stacked storage in the hallway are the usual culprits.
- Move furniture off sockets. A representative sample gets inspected, and sockets behind a bed or wardrobe either get skipped or hold everything up.
- Make the loft accessible. The hatch needs to open and there needs to be somewhere safe to stand.
- Stay reachable. If something needs a decision, ten minutes on the phone saves a second visit.
What not to do
Untested work carried out to try to pass is more likely to create an observation than remove one. Equally, do not take down smoke or heat alarms to tidy up: they form part of what gets looked at.
A two minute checklist
- Tenant notified, including about power outages
- Keys available for loft, garage, outbuildings and garden
- Consumer unit clear and openable
- Furniture moved off as many sockets as practical
- Previous certificates located
- Someone reachable by phone
Six lines, and it is the difference between one appointment and two.
