Higham Landlord EICR Specialists

CJA Electrical carries out landlord EICRs across Higham and the surrounding Gravesham area, working from our base in Rochester. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require every privately rented home in England to hold a satisfactory EICR — five-yearly cycle, copy to tenants within 28 days, and Gravesham Borough Council able to enforce penalties up to £30,000 per breach. This page covers what a landlord EICR actually involves in Higham and what booking the work with us looks like in practice.

What an EICR involves for Landlord

Technically a landlord EICR is identical to any domestic EICR — what differs is what the audit trail has to support. The inspection and testing follows BS 7671:2018+A2:2022, with a thorough visual check of the consumer unit, accessible accessories, and visible wiring, followed by dead and live testing of every circuit. The deliverable is the EICR form, a schedule of inspection (what was checked, what couldn’t be), and a schedule of test results (numbers per circuit). All three are needed for the certificate to satisfy Gravesham Borough Council or a tenant request.

When you need this in Higham

The 2020 regulations are the headline trigger but not the only one. Most Higham landlords we work with book an EICR for one of these reasons: - The previous certificate is approaching its five-year expiry - A new tenant is moving in and you need a current report before they take occupation - The property has changed hands and the previous owner’s certificate hasn’t transferred cleanly - Gravesham Borough Council has written asking for a copy and you don’t have one on file - A tenant has reported flickering lights, repeated tripping, or a warm socket - You’re moving from a rolling AST to a new fixed-term tenancy and want a clean compliance footprint

What the report contains

The full landlord EICR deliverable is the form (with inspector qualifications, property address, observation codes, and overall pass-or-fail), the schedule of inspection, and the schedule of test results. We supply all three as a single PDF in the standard industry format that Gravesham Borough Council, your insurer, and the Private Rented Sector Database all recognise. Unsatisfactory reports — anything with a C1, C2, or FI observation — must be remedied within 28 days, with re-test on completion to issue a fresh satisfactory certificate.

Why book CJA Electrical for your Higham EICR

What landlords look for in an EICR partner is predictable: someone who’ll show up when they say, who knows the regulations, and who’ll write a report that Gravesham Borough Council accepts without fuss. CJA Electrical does all three. City & Guilds 2391 qualified inspector, ten years on Gravesham property, same-week appointments, and reports in the format every council, agent, and PRS Database expects. For agents managing portfolios in Higham, we batch bookings on the same day or week to keep travel costs down — useful when several properties are coming due at once.

How the inspection runs

Booking flow: Phone call or WhatsApp triage — what kind of property, how many circuits, who has the keys. Quote out the same day. Confirmed appointment with the tenant or agent. Visit on the day. Report in the inbox within 48 hours. Remedials, if any are needed, quoted clearly with the option to decline. From first call to certificate in your inbox is typically four working days. Tighter is possible when the void week or the council deadline demands it.

What affects the price

Pricing is per property. The variables that move the number: how many circuits, consumer unit age and type, how easy the consumer unit and meter are to access, and the overall age of the wiring. Larger Higham properties or those with multiple consumer units take longer; smaller flats are quicker. Get in touch with the property details and the quote comes back the same day.

FAQs

How quickly do my Higham tenants need a copy of the report?

Existing tenants receive a copy within 28 days of the inspection. New tenants receive the report before they take occupation of the property. We can email the PDF direct to your tenant or to your letting agent for onward distribution.

Will the EICR cause much disruption for my tenant?

Less than people often expect. Most three-bed homes are tested in a morning or an afternoon. Power is off only briefly on each circuit in turn rather than for the whole visit, so a tenant working from home can usually carry on with most of their day. We confirm a slot in advance and give the tenant a clear picture of what to expect.

What happens if my Higham rental fails the EICR?

A failed EICR isn’t a disaster — it just means there’s at least one C1, C2, or FI observation. The report lists each item with its code. CJA Electrical can quote separately for the remedial work, and once it’s done a re-test confirms the installation is satisfactory and a fresh report is issued. The regulations require this within 28 days of the inspection.

Do I have to use the same electrician for the EICR and any remedial work?

No. The 2020 regulations require the remedial work to be done by a qualified and competent person and confirmed in writing — but they don’t require the same electrician. Most landlords have the original inspector do the remedials for the simpler audit trail and faster re-test, but you’re free to instruct anyone qualified.

Can I do remedial work myself if I’m a competent person?

If you hold the relevant qualifications and the work falls within your competence, technically yes. The 2020 regulations require written confirmation of the remedial work from a qualified and competent person, which can be the landlord if appropriately qualified. Most landlords have us do it for the speed and audit trail.

Does the report need to be in a specific format?

The 2020 regulations don’t mandate a single format, but the standard EICR form is universally accepted by councils, letting agents, the Private Rented Sector Database, and insurers. Reports issued in non-standard formats can lead to pushback from Gravesham Borough Council or your agent — so the standard form is what we use.

How often do I need an EICR on my rental in Higham?

Every five years, and at the start of any new tenancy — whichever comes first. The clock runs from the date of the most recent satisfactory report. If you’ve bought a Higham rental in the last few years and the previous owner’s report is still in date, that report transfers with the property and you don’t need a new one until expiry.