Frequently Asked Questions- Useful information

  • What is an EICR?

    EICR stands for Electrical Installation Condition Report, in simple terms an in depth health check of the electrics within your property. It involves removing lights, sockets and switches for inspection, and carrying out a full range of tests on the wiring within your walls, ceilings and under the floor to ensure that it is in a safe working condition. All protective safety devices (such as RCDs) are also tested to ensure that in event of a fault, the circuit will disconnect safely and quickly.

  • I’m a landlord, do I need an EICR?

    Yes. All tenanted properties in Scotland must have an in-date satisfactory EICR.

  • How long will an EICR take?

    To carry out an EICR properly on an average sized property takes between 4 and 8 hours. Beware of companies claiming to do this in 1 or 2 hours for £100, this is not feasible and your report will be worthless.

  • Does my property need smoke alarms?

    Yes. All tenanted properties (or new builds) must have an interlinked alarm system, either hard wired or wireless with 10 year sealed batteries. Insurance companies will also often require this for private homes.

  • How can I tell if my property needs rewired?

    The easiest way to find out the condition of the wiring in your property is through an EICR. Some indicators that you may need a rewire are if you have rewireable fuses in your fuseboard, or only single sockets throughout your property.

  • How can I tell if I need a new fuseboard?

    See our explainer here. If you have rewireable fuses in your main fusebox or no RCD protection then you definitely need an upgrade.

  • What is an RCD and what does it do?

    RCD stands for Residual Current Device. An RCD constantly monitors the electric current flowing through one or more circuits it is used to protect. If it detects electricity flowing down an unintended path, such as through a person who has touched a live part, the RCD will switch the circuit off very quickly (usually 0.4 seconds in a home)

  • Can I get an EV charger installed at home?

    Yes, but we need to carry out some checks first. We strongly advise an EICR is carried out beforehand.