Key takeaways
- Inspectors check the fixed installation (wiring, sockets, lighting, consumer unit, fixed equipment), not your residents’ plug-in appliances.
- Every EICR starts with a visual inspection for damage, overheating, poor labelling and DIY alterations.
- Testing then covers core safety checks like continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation.
- The inspection is looking for risk themes: overloading, shock risk, fire hazards, defective work, and missing earthing or bonding.
- Findings are coded C1, C2, C3 or FI, and C1/C2/FI typically drives an “unsatisfactory” outcome.
What does “risk assessment” mean in rented housing
An EICR isn’t a generic safety form. It’s a structured inspection and set of tests on the parts of the home that carry and control electricity: cables, protective devices, and fixed accessories.
The NICEIC explains what sits inside the “electrical installation” (and what doesn’t): consumer unit or fuse box, wiring, sockets, light fittings, fixed equipment like showers, and protective devices such as RCDs. Plug-in items are appliances and not part of the installation.
Step 1: The visual checks inspectors start with
The first part is quick, but it catches the obvious hazards and the tell-tale signs of poor work.
The NICEIC lists common visual issues an inspector will look for, including:
- cracks or wear in sockets and switches
- signs of overheating or burning
- outdated or damaged consumer units
- missing or broken covers
- incorrect circuit labelling
- DIY alterations that don’t meet the rules
In practical terms, that’s where many “risk assessment” conversations begin. If the consumer unit is damaged, labels don’t match, or accessories show heat damage, the inspector already knows where the danger is likely to sit.
Step 2: the circuit testing that proves whether it’s safe
After the visual pass, inspectors isolate parts of the system and test the wiring and protective devices.
Here is the typical test set used during an EICR:
- continuity testing (connections intact)
- insulation resistance (cables properly insulated)
- polarity (live and neutral correctly connected)
- earth fault loop impedance (fault protection will disconnect quickly)
- RCD testing (RCDs trip fast enough to reduce shock risk)
This is why an EICR can involve planned power interruptions. The tests need isolation, not guesswork.
The risk themes inspectors are actually judging
Individual observations can look minor in isolation. Inspectors are trained to see how they add up into risk.
Here is what the inspection is trying to find out:
- whether installations are overloaded
- whether there are electric shock risks and fire hazards
- whether there is defective electrical work
- whether there’s a lack of earthing or bonding
What does that mean in day-to-day terms?
Overloading
Overloading is rarely “one socket with one plug”. It’s usually poor circuit design, heavy fixed loads, or too many extensions doing the job the wiring should have been designed for. Inspectors will look for signs that protective devices and circuit capacity don’t match how the home is being used.
Shock risk
Shock risk often sits in the basics: missing covers, exposed live parts, poor polarity, inadequate RCD protection, damaged accessories, or wiring routes that have been compromised. The visual inspection and the polarity and RCD tests are built for this.
Fire hazard
Fire risks show up as heat damage, poor terminations, arcing signs at accessories, or protective devices that won’t disconnect quickly enough in a fault. That’s why earth fault loop impedance and insulation resistance matter.
Earthing and bonding
If you take nothing else from an EICR, take this: earthing and bonding are core safety measures. These are built-in methods to prevent electric shock.
How inspectors score risk: C1, C2, C3 and FI
The EICR isn’t just “pass or fail”. It’s a list of observations, each coded by seriousness.
The classification codes used on reports are:
- C1 danger present, risk of injury (often made safe before the inspector leaves)
- C2 potentially dangerous
- C3 improvement recommended (doesn’t automatically fail the report)
- FI further investigation is required without delay
If any observation is C1, C2 or FI, the report outcome is “unsatisfactory”.
What happens between formal inspections
A lot of problems show up between five-year checks: damage during a void, a kitchen refit, a resident’s DIY, water ingress, and repeated nuisance tripping.
You aren’t required to have a new EICR before every re-let if the existing report is still valid, but it is recommended to have at least a visual inspection before a new tenancy to confirm nothing has deteriorated. If anything looks off, bringing the full inspection forward is a sensible move.
Social housing: don’t forget landlord-supplied equipment
For social landlords in England, there’s an extra duty around electrical equipment provided under the tenancy. A record of those checks might include: details identifying the equipment, the condition of the equipment and its flex/plug, notes about the environment it’s used in, and the results of the check.
That matters because “risk assessment” in a social housing setting often covers both the installation (EICR) and the landlord-supplied items residents rely on every day.
Communal areas: a different lens again
If you manage blocks, there’s a second environment to think about: risers, plant rooms, intake cupboards, communal lighting, and door entry systems.
HSE’s guidance on electrical inspection and testing is aimed at keeping electrical equipment maintained and safe in work settings. It’s a useful benchmark when you’re planning safe access and routine checks in communal areas where staff and contractors work.
If you’re tying inspection results, remedial work, and records into one process across a portfolio, you might be a good candidate for software. Check out True Compliance’s’ Electrical Safety Compliance page to learn more.
