Strood Estate Agent EICR

A pre-sale EICR is not a legal requirement. It is, however, an increasingly common piece of vendor due diligence — one that turns “the surveyor flagged the electrics” from a renegotiation moment into a paragraph in the contract pack with the certificate already attached. CJA Electrical handles vendor-side EICRs across Strood and the wider Medway area, with same-week bookings and a 48-hour turnaround on the report.

What an EICR involves for Estate Agent

A pre-sale EICR is the same standard test as any other domestic EICR — visual inspection of the consumer unit and accessible accessories followed by dead and live testing of every circuit, all to BS 7671:2018+A2:2022. The findings get coded C1, C2, C3, or FI per the standard. Where a pre-sale EICR differs from a landlord EICR is in what the vendor does with the result. A satisfactory report goes into the contract pack as evidence the electrics meet current standards. An unsatisfactory report is typically remedied while the property is being marketed, so the contract pack arrives with a clean certificate.

When you need this in Strood

Pre-sale EICR is most worthwhile when the alternative is finding out at survey stage that the electrics are a problem. Strood stock that fits this profile: anything Victorian or Edwardian, any property where the consumer unit hasn’t been replaced in twenty years, anything with original wiring from the 1960s or earlier, and any conversion or significantly extended property where the wiring history is patchy. For modern stock built post-2010 a pre-sale EICR is rarely worthwhile.

What the report contains

A pre-sale EICR comes back as a standard three-part PDF: the EICR form with observation codes and overall pass-or-fail; the schedule of inspection documenting what was looked at; and the schedule of test results with per-circuit numbers. The same format any solicitor expects to see in a contract pack. Where the property fails, the report lists each finding with its code. We quote the remedials at the same time, the vendor decides whether to do them pre-listing or disclose to the buyer, and a re-test issues a fresh satisfactory certificate once the work is complete.

Why book CJA Electrical for your Strood EICR

For pre-sale work, what matters is turnaround and a clean handover document. We’re set up around exactly that — quick booking, inspection visit accommodated around the property being shown, report PDF in the inbox within 48 hours, and remedials quoted at the same time so the vendor can act quickly. Same-week appointments are typical for Strood. Direct delivery to the agent or vendor, whichever the listing prefers.

How the inspection runs

1. Estate agent or vendor messages us with the property address 2. Quote and appointment options come back the same day 3. Visit accommodated around the property’s marketing schedule 4. Inspection and testing — typically a single morning or afternoon 5. Report PDF delivered within 48 hours, sent to vendor and to agent if instructed 6. If remedials needed, quote arrives with the report; re-test on completion

What affects the price

No published prices — too much variation between Strood properties to make a single number meaningful. The quote depends on circuit count, consumer unit type, accessibility, and the age of the installation. Same-day quote, no deposit, fixed price agreed before the visit.

FAQs

Can the buyer use the vendor’s EICR for their own due diligence?

Yes — that’s the point. A vendor-commissioned EICR can be supplied to the buyer through the conveyancing process, and the buyer’s solicitor will typically include it in the contract pack. The buyer is free to commission their own inspection if they want a second opinion, but most don’t bother when a recent satisfactory report is already on file.

How long does a pre-sale EICR take?

The inspection visit on a typical Strood three-bed home is a morning or an afternoon. The written report follows within 48 hours. Where remedial work is needed, that’s a separate booking — usually a half-day or a day depending on scope, with re-test issued on completion. From first call to clean certificate is typically under a fortnight.

Will the EICR check the consumer unit and main fuse?

Yes. The consumer unit is one of the first things inspected — opened up, examined for damage and signs of overheating, and tested for RCD operation against the times BS 7671 requires. The main supply fuse and meter cupboard are visually inspected too, though the main fuse itself belongs to the DNO (UK Power Networks in Kent) and isn’t part of the EICR scope.

Should I get an EICR before listing my house in Strood?

If the property’s older than the late 1980s and the consumer unit is original, yes — a pre-sale EICR is the cheap insurance against the buyer’s surveyor flagging the electrics post-offer. For modern stock with a recent consumer unit, the value is lower. Worth a phone call to talk through the property before booking either way.

Will the EICR affect home insurance?

A satisfactory EICR is sometimes useful when applying for or renewing home insurance, particularly on older properties. Some insurers will ask whether the property has been recently inspected; a current EICR is the answer they expect. It rarely changes the premium meaningfully but it can speed up the policy issue process.

Can I list the property while the EICR is being arranged?

Yes — the inspection itself takes a single visit and the report follows within 48 hours, so there’s no need to delay listing. The certificate goes into the contract pack alongside other vendor documentation when offers come in. For Strood properties typically on the market for several weeks, the EICR is usually back well before any conveyancing begins.

Will a pre-sale EICR help sell a property faster in Strood?

Possibly, but the bigger value is downside protection rather than upside. A current EICR in the contract pack reduces the risk of the buyer’s surveyor flagging electrics and triggering renegotiation. For older Strood stock where the surveyor is likely to flag electrics anyway, it’s the cheap insurance against a sale falling through over remedial work that could have been quoted up front.