Commercial electrical condition reports (EICR) are used to check the safety, operation, and compliance of an electrical system. Like domestic reports, these are needed every 5 years on most commercial properties (Full details on dates below). As a commercial property owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that the building is in good condition and electrically sound.

Over time all electrical systems degrade from general use. Examples of these are light switches or sockets being damaged, connections becoming loose and cable deterioration, lots of these can be avoided by having regular maintenance. Some of these issues are major risks, loose connections can cause fires if left loose and could be the cause of major losses if not rectified.

Electrical condition reports are a must if you are renting a property for business use. By law, you are not required to have this report but they are usually required for insurance purposes. If any harm was to come of a person in your commercial property from the electrical system, and a valid condition report had not been obtained then the victim could take legal action against you.

A commercial EICR is a report on your fixed wiring, checking the safety and operation. These reports differ greatly from PAT testing and Appliance testing as it is an in-depth report on the fixed wiring and electrical components of a building, not appliances. The final report consists of clearly recorded results, measurements, and values taken during the inspection. From these results we are able to advise on appropriate recommendations on any damage or deterioration found (if any), that are needed to get the system to a serviceable and safe state to use.

How often do I need an electrical condition report?

Although there is no law on how often these reports need to be carried out there are guidelines and it is generally the competent person’s decision on when they should be done. The guidelines on when these should be done are below.

• Domestic Installations – Change of occupancy or 10 years (whichever is soonest)
• Residential Accommodation – Change of occupancy or 5 years (whichever is soonest)
• Commercial Installations – Change of occupancy or 5 years (whichever is soonest)
• Industrial Installations – 3 years
• Offices, Shops, and Laboratories – 5 years