Margate Landlord EICR Specialists

If you let property in Margate, the 2020 PRS regulations apply to you — five-yearly EICR, fresh inspection at the start of any new tenancy, copy to existing tenants within 28 days, and a copy to Thanet District Council within seven days of any request. CJA Electrical works with private landlords and letting agents across Thanet on landlord EICRs and the remedial work that sometimes follows.

What an EICR involves for Landlord

A landlord EICR is the formal evidence that the fixed wiring in your rented Margate property meets BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 — the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations, Amendment 2. The inspection is part visual and part instrumented. We open up the consumer unit, examine accessories on every floor, walk the supply route, and check earthing and bonding. Then we test every circuit — dead testing for continuity, insulation resistance, and polarity, then live testing for earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation. The output is a written report with observation codes against any findings: C1 for danger present, C2 for potentially dangerous, C3 for improvement recommended, and FI where further investigation is needed. A satisfactory report has no C1, C2, or FI observations.

When you need this in Margate

Beyond the five-yearly cycle, Margate landlords typically book in for one of these: A property has just changed hands and the EICR audit trail isn’t clean. A managing agent has flagged a property as compliance-overdue. Tenants are moving out and you want the EICR done during the void week before relisting. The property is going from rolling AST to a fresh fixed-term and you want the paperwork tidy. Thanet District Council has written asking for a copy. Or — most boring but most common — the previous certificate is just running out and the diary slot is convenient.

What the report contains

A complete landlord EICR has more than one page. The full deliverable is the EICR form itself with the inspection date, the inspector’s qualifications, the property address, observation codes against any findings, and the overall pass-or-fail outcome. Alongside that sits the schedule of inspection (what was checked, what could not be) and the schedule of test results (per-circuit numbers for continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance, and RCD operating times). Where the report comes back unsatisfactory, the 2020 regulations require the remedial work to be completed within 28 days — sooner if the inspector specifies. Once it’s done, a re-test confirms the affected circuits are satisfactory and a fresh report is issued.

Why book CJA Electrical for your Margate 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 Thanet District Council accepts without fuss. CJA Electrical does all three. City & Guilds 2391 qualified inspector, ten years on Thanet property, same-week appointments, and reports in the format every council, agent, and PRS Database expects. For agents managing portfolios in Margate, 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

Landlord EICR pricing is per property and depends on a handful of variables: the size of the property, the number of circuits, the type and age of the consumer unit, accessibility of the consumer unit and meter cupboard, and the age of the installation overall. Margate’s older stock — particularly properties with original wiring from the 1960s or earlier — takes longer to test thoroughly. No deposit on standard work, no charge for the quote. Get in touch with the address for a same-day fixed price.

FAQs

What does a C2 code mean and do I have to fix it?

C2 means potentially dangerous. The defect isn’t an immediate threat but it’s unsafe over the medium term — for example, a loose connection that could overheat, or earthing that doesn’t meet current standards. A C2 makes the report unsatisfactory, and the regulations require remedial work within 28 days of the inspection. Once it’s done, a re-test confirms the fix.

Do I need a new EICR between tenancies if the last one is in date?

You need to provide the new tenant with a copy of the current satisfactory report before they move in. You don’t need a fresh inspection if the existing certificate is still in its five-year window and the property hasn’t been altered since. If there’s been remedial work, a new circuit added, or a consumer unit swap, a fresh report is the safer answer.

How quickly do my Margate 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 Margate 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.