EICR in Rainham

CJA Electrical does EICR testing across Rainham and the wider Medway area — landlords ahead of a new tenancy or a 5-yearly recheck, homeowners buying or selling or just due an inspection, and anyone who’s noticed warm sockets, frequent tripping, or a burning smell they can’t explain. Rainham sits within the 15-minute working radius of our Rochester base, so site visits are tight to the diary and reports come back inside 48 hours.

What EICR actually is

“EICR” is short for Electrical Installation Condition Report — the formal documentation of a fixed-wiring inspection at a specific point in time. It tells you the condition of the installation today, lists anything that doesn’t meet current regulations, and gives the property owner a punchlist of what needs putting right. The report is what’s accepted as evidence of compliance — by Medway Council for landlords subject to the 2020 PRS regulations, by surveyors during a sale, by insurers at renewal, and by managing agents at change of tenancy. Reports formatted to the BS 7671 standard layout are recognised universally across the industry.

When you need EICR in Rainham

The triggers we see most often on Rainham EICR enquiries: landlord on the 5-yearly cycle (the largest single category); a tenancy changeover where the agent or landlord wants a fresh report; a pre-sale where the vendor wants documentation on the contract pack; a buyer who’s had the surveyor flag the electrics on a Level 2 or Level 3 report; an insurance renewal requiring current documentation; and homeowners who haven’t had the property tested for a decade or more. For older period property in Medway, sometimes it’s a fault that prompts the booking — a circuit that keeps tripping, a socket that’s stopped working, a burning smell from the consumer unit. We’ll often diagnose the immediate fault on the visit and roll into a full EICR while we’re there.

Standards and what compliance looks like

The two regulatory references that matter on a Rainham EICR are BS 7671 (the technical standard the inspection works to) and, for rental property, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (the law requiring landlords to have a current report). The current edition of BS 7671 is the 18th Edition with Amendment 2 (2022). Reports reference the edition in force at the date of inspection. The PRS regulations require the certificate to be supplied to tenants within 28 days of the inspection and to Medway Council on request within 7 days.

Fittings and where they go

What gets inspected: the consumer unit (the main fuse board) is opened up and inspected with the cover off. We check the main earth and bonding, the protective devices (MCBs, RCDs, RCBOs), the labelling, and the condition of the connections. From there we work through every accessible accessory in the property — sockets, switches, light fittings, immersion isolators, cooker outlets — checking each for damage, wear, and correct fitting. Cable routing is checked where it’s accessible. Loft spaces, under-stair cupboards, airing cupboards, and outbuildings get a visual where reachable. Buried cables behind plaster are not opened up, but the live testing picks up any major issues on those circuits via insulation resistance and earth fault loop measurements.

Testing schedule and remedials

All testing uses calibrated multifunction test equipment — insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD operation, and continuity all measured against the BS 7671 pass criteria for each test. Calibration certificates are available on request; the equipment is calibrated annually to UKAS standards. On site, the work runs circuit by circuit. Each is isolated, dead-tested, restored, and live-tested before moving on. The customer is kept informed of what’s being tested and any brief power-downs are flagged in advance. Our standard practice is to leave the consumer unit and accessories exactly as we found them once testing is complete.

Why Rainham property owners book CJA Electrical

CJA Electrical is based in Rochester and covers EICR work across Medway from there. Rainham sits within the 15-minute working radius — close enough that scheduling is tight, return visits for remedial work are easy, and you’re dealing with someone who knows the local stock. We do mostly residential EICR plus increasingly commercial fixed-wire work as the client base has grown. Qualifications: City & Guilds 2391 (Inspection & Testing), 2382 (18th Edition Wiring Regulations), and 2365 (Diploma in Electrical Installation). Calibrated test equipment. Certificates supplied as PDF inside 48 hours. Remedial work quoted separately so the price is clear and you can plan the budget.

How the work runs

Step one — quick chat about the property: how many bedrooms, rough age of the consumer unit, any known issues, any access constraints (tenanted property, occupied during works, working hours preferences). Most quotes are confirmed on that initial call as a fixed price, with larger or unusual properties going to a brief site visit before the quote firms up. Step two — testing visit. Half a day to a full day on site for most domestic property; longer for larger or multi-installation premises. Brief power-downs during dead testing flagged in advance. Step three — the report. PDF inside 48 hours, formatted to BS 7671 Appendix 6, with the schedule of test results, schedule of inspections, and observations all in the standard format insurers and agents expect to see.

What affects the price

Pricing is transparent: a fixed price for the inspection and report, separate quoting for remedials. The fixed price is set on a brief scoping call about the property — rough age, number of consumer units, circuit count if known, occupancy. Most Rainham domestic EICRs are quoted on that call alone. Larger properties — anything with multiple consumer units, significant outbuildings, three-phase commercial supply — get a capped quote after a quick site visit. The cap means you have certainty on the maximum cost going in, even if the on-site time runs slightly longer than expected.

FAQs

What if my property has more than one consumer unit?

Common in larger Rainham properties — main board plus a garage or outbuilding sub-board, occasionally a separate board for a flat conversion or annexe. Each board is inspected separately and gets its own schedule of test results. The price reflects the additional testing time; we’ll confirm a fixed all-in number at quoting stage.

Can the report be supplied to my agent or council directly?

Yes — the PDF can go to you, your letting agent, your council, your insurer, or all of the above. Medway Council accepts the standard BS 7671 Appendix 6 format, as do all the major letting agents and managing agents we’ve worked with.

How long does an EICR take?

Half a day for a typical Rainham three-bed home. Smaller flats can be done in a couple of hours; larger properties with multiple consumer units or extensive outbuildings can take a full day. We give a realistic estimate at quoting stage based on circuit count and access.

Do I need to be present during the inspection?

For owner-occupied property, ideally yes — there’ll be brief power-downs as each circuit is tested, and someone needs to be aware in case sensitive equipment needs warning. For tenanted property, tenant access can be arranged via the letting agent or directly with the tenant; landlord attendance isn’t necessary.

What’s the difference between a Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory report?

A satisfactory report has no C1 (immediate danger) or C2 (potentially dangerous) observations. C3 observations (improvement recommended) on their own don’t fail the report. An unsatisfactory report means C1 or C2 observations are present and the installation needs remedial work to bring it back to compliance.

Can you do remedial work on the same visit?

Sometimes — minor remedials (replacing a damaged socket face, tightening a loose connection, fitting a missing blanking plate) can be done on the inspection visit if time and parts allow. Larger remedial work (consumer unit replacement, recircuiting, additional RCD protection) is quoted separately and scheduled as a follow-up.

Will the inspection damage anything?

No. The tests are non-destructive. Insulation resistance and earth fault loop are low-current measurements that don’t stress the installation. Most of the on-site work is visual inspection plus brief electrical testing on each circuit. The only disruption is the short power-downs during dead testing.