Generic case study. We do not name the letting agency or the addresses — the value is the workflow and the pricing model.
Portfolio brief
A Mid Somerset letting agency had inherited a portfolio of mixed-vintage rentals. Some certificates were in date but on paperwork that wouldn't survive a council audit; others were time-expired or missing entirely. The 2020 Electrical Safety Standards (Private Rented Sector) regulations are clear: a current EICR for every tenanted property, on a renewal cycle no longer than five years. The brief was simple — reset the lot, write up clean reports, and get smoke alarms into BS 5839-6 grade D where they weren't already.
- 12 tenanted properties (mix of 1-bed flats, 2- and 3-bed terraces)
- Compliance unknown across most of the portfolio
- Single point of contact: the agency's property manager
- Tenant access scheduled by the agency, not us
Single-day approach per property
Each EICR was scheduled as a single-property half- to full-day visit. Tenants were given a 90-minute window of expected power-down (we never need a full day of outage; circuits are isolated one at a time). We worked through the portfolio on a 14-day rolling schedule — the agency posted the appointment slots, we turned up.
For a portfolio EICR the per-circuit pricing model is what saves the agency money: a 1-bed flat with 5 circuits doesn't pay the same as a 3-bed terrace with 11 circuits. Per-circuit EICR pricing is £30 per single-phase circuit, with a minimum charge per visit. The agency saw the price calculator before the work was booked.
EICR per property
Every property got the full BS 7671 inspection-and-test pattern, no shortcuts:
- Visual inspection. Consumer unit, accessible accessories, bonding, earthing, signs of damage, signs of overheating, missing covers, DIY work.
- Dead testing. Continuity of protective conductors, ring final continuity, insulation resistance, polarity. Everything written up at the time, not after.
- Live testing. Earth fault loop impedance at the origin and at every accessible final circuit. RCD trip times. Prospective fault current.
- Report. Same-day digital certificate to the agency, every observation coded, every photograph on file.
C1 / C2 / C3 findings
Findings split as follows. Honest numbers, not "everything's fine":
- 8 of 12 properties — SATISFACTORY. No C1, no C2. Some C3 advisories (recommended improvements, not failures).
- 4 of 12 properties — UNSATISFACTORY (C2). Issues included: missing supplementary bonding in a bathroom, a broken outer sheath on an under-stair cable, no RCD on a sockets circuit, and a damaged consumer unit cover.
- 0 C1 codes. Nothing immediately dangerous, no live circuits left isolated.
Remedial work on the four unsatisfactory properties was quoted within 24 hours. Two were single-fix, sub-£200 jobs done at the next available slot. The other two needed a consumer unit upgrade — quoted, scheduled, completed and re-tested as part of the same engagement.
Smoke alarm upgrade in 2 properties
Two of the 12 properties had standalone battery-only smoke alarms, which fall below the BS 5839-6 grade D standard now expected on tenanted single-occupancy properties. Mains-wired, interlinked alarms with sealed 10-year battery backup were specified for both:
- Optical smoke alarms in hallways and landings (one per storey)
- Heat alarm in the kitchen (interlinked, not optical — cooking false-alarms otherwise)
- Carbon monoxide alarm where there's a fixed combustion appliance
- All on a single radial circuit, RCBO-protected at the consumer unit
- BS 5839-6 grade D commissioning certificate left at the property
See: smoke alarm installations and BS 5839-6 for landlords.
Deliverables
What landed in the agency's inbox at the end:
- 12 x EICR certificates — same-day digital, NAPIT-format, photographs attached
- 2 x BS 5839-6 smoke alarm commissioning certificates
- 4 x remediation summaries — what was found, what was done, before/after readings
- 1 x portfolio dashboard — renewal dates per property, so the agency can plan the next 5-year cycle
- VAT invoice — itemised by property, VAT @ 20%
Why this approach. Per-circuit pricing means the agency pays for what's actually being tested — not a flat fee that punishes small flats and undercharges big houses. One contractor across the whole portfolio means consistent paperwork, one renewal calendar, and one phone number when something needs sorting.
Pricing model
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| EICR — per single-phase circuit | £30 |
| EICR — per three-phase circuit | £40 |
| BS 5839-6 grade D smoke alarm system (typical 2-3 bed) | From £420 |
| Consumer unit upgrade (typical domestic) | From £780 |
| Minor remedials per visit | From £90 |
All figures shown subject to VAT @ 20%. Full EICR pricing here.