If you are a homeowner then you need to make sure that your home is properly maintained and checked for any issues. This is even more important if you are a landlord and rent your property out to tenants on a regular basis. There are certain laws in place and checks that you need to do in order to make sure that everything is safe.
An EICR is a type of report that you might not have heard of before. However, this kind of report is very important and so we thought we would discuss it in more detail below. Read on to find out what you should know about an EICR.
What Is An EICR?
If you are not familiar with the term EICR then you should know that this stands for Electrical Installation Condition Reports. This is a type of official document that looks at the current state of your electrics and cables in order to judge if there are any serious issues or risks to the people living in the home. There are three different categories in this report including C1, C2 and C3. C1 is the most concerning and C3 indicates no danger.
How Often Do You Need One?
According to the IET Wiring Regulations BS 7671, you’ll find that you need to get one of these reports done quite regularly if you are living in the UK. For business owners, these tests need to be completed every 5 years. For landlords, these tests should be done every 5 years or when there is a change of tenancy. For regular homeowners, an EICR should be completed every 10 years. However, you should know that there are some further exceptions to this.
Where Do You Get One?
If you need to get an EICR report completed, you should always choose a company that has experience and the training required to complete this kind of report. You will not be able to complete an EICR report yourself and this won’t be valid. When choosing a company to complete the project, you should shop around and check their credentials.
Usually, you can find a reputable company online that is based in your local area. They will provide you with all of the information you need to show the authorities or future tenants proof of the EICR.
What Happens If You Don’t Get One?
Having a property that doesn’t have fully-functioning electrics can be dangerous for a number of reasons. What would you do if your tenants were getting electric shocks from the sockets and you didn’t have an EICR to prove that the electrics are in a good condition?
Not only can you get in trouble for not having one of these reports, but you could also cause yourself further problems down the line.
Make sure to invest in an EICR report as soon as possible to keep your property in good condition. This should give you any answers that you require to keep your family or tenants safe.