The Electrical Installation Condition Report used to be called a periodic inspection report, and some people still call it that. The name changed but the job did not. You inspect and test an existing installation, then report whether it is safe to stay in service. This post goes through what that involves, in the order it should be done, with the regulations that apply.
The video this is based on was made for homeowners and landlords, so it describes the work in simple terms. The description is mostly accurate. A few points need correcting for anyone signing the report, and those corrections are set out below.
What the EICR is for
The purpose of an EICR is to find danger. In the video’s words:
The main purpose of this test is to check for danger, danger of electrocution mainly and also danger of fire.
In BS 7671 terms, periodic inspection and testing is covered by Chapter 65. Regulation 651 sets out what it must find out: whether the installation is in a satisfactory condition for continued service. Regulation 653.1 requires the results to be reported on an Electrical Installation Condition Report. The report is about the condition of an existing installation. If you have just installed something, it goes on an EIC or a Minor Works Certificate, never an EICR. EIC, Minor Works or EICR: Which Document Do You Issue? explains the difference.
Intervals: maximums, not fixed dates
The video gives the figures most people know:
| Installation | Typical maximum interval |
|---|---|
| Owner-occupied domestic | 10 years, or change of occupancy |
| Privately rented domestic (England) | 5 years (required by law under the private rented sector regulations) |
| Commercial, industrial, and places with public or medical use | Shorter, and depends on the type of installation |
Two points matter here. First, Regulation 652.1 makes the interval a judgement. You decide it from the type of installation, how it is used, the external influences on it and its condition. The table gives maximums. A tired installation in a damp rental can reasonably be given less. Second, the 5-year rental requirement comes from housing law, not from BS 7671. Keep that distinction clear when a client asks why.
Extent, limitations and time on site
The video allows about half an hour per circuit, which comes to about four hours for an eight-way domestic board. That is a sensible estimate for pricing. It also says every cable, socket-outlet and lighting point has to be tested. That is not what the standard requires.
Before you start, agree the extent and limitations of the inspection with the client and record them on the report. Sampling is allowed where it is justified. If the sample shows defects, you widen it. A report that claims 100% testing when the loft lighting was never reached is worse than one that honestly records the limitation.
The dead tests come first
The video lists the tests in a slightly muddled order and puts the earth reading at the board first. For a condition report, especially in an exam answer, the sequence is:
- Continuity of protective conductors, including main and supplementary bonding (Regulation 643.2)
- Continuity of ring final circuit conductors (Regulation 643.2)
- Insulation resistance (Regulation 643.3)
- Polarity (Regulation 643.6)
All four are done with the circuit safely isolated. That means prove the voltage indicator on a known source, test the circuit, then prove the indicator again, using leads and probes that meet GS38. Continuity comes before insulation resistance for a reason. It confirms the protective conductor is actually connected before you put 500 V d.c. on the circuit, and it gives you R1 + R2 to use later. The BS 7671 Test Sequence, and Why the Order Matters covers the reasoning in more detail.
The video describes each test in plain terms, and each one checks something specific:
- CPC continuity checks that there is an earth path to every point, and that metal accessories and switch plates are actually earthed. An unearthed metal switch plate is also an inspection finding.
- Ring continuity checks that the ring is complete, with no break and no interconnection. A broken ring can leave some cable carrying more current than it is rated for.
- Insulation resistance finds the damage the video mentions: rodents, cables crushed under floorboards, and insulation that has deteriorated with age.
- Polarity checks that line conductors go to the correct terminals, and that single-pole devices switch the line conductor, not the neutral.
Then the live tests
With the dead tests passed, you can energise:
- Ze at the origin. The main earthing conductor has to be disconnected for this, so the installation must be isolated before you disconnect it. It must be reconnected before the supply is restored. Taking Ze on a live installation with the main earthing conductor removed is bad practice, whatever you see done on site.
- Zs at each circuit, recorded at the furthest point. The video’s point is correct: this tells you whether the protective device will disconnect in time. Compare the measured value with the maximum Zs in Tables 41.2 to 41.4, allowing for conductor temperature. The Earth Fault Loop Path Explained: Zs = Ze + (R1 + R2) shows how your dead-test readings should roughly predict this value.
- Prospective fault current at the origin, checked against the breaking capacity of the protective devices.
- RCD operation under Regulation 643.8, tested at the rated residual operating current. The video says the RCD must trip “in a specific time set in the regulations”. For a general-type RCD that is 300 ms at IΔn. Also press the test button as a functional check.
- Functional testing of switchgear, isolators and controls.
Inspection runs alongside the testing
The video ends its list with the checks that are not measurements: heat damage, scorching, whether everything is installed correctly. This is the inspection part of the EICR, recorded on the Schedule of Inspections. It includes:
- presence and size of main protective bonding to gas, water, oil and other extraneous-conductive-parts
- signs of overheating at terminations and accessories
- condition of enclosures and fire barriers
- suitability of equipment for the external influences it is exposed to
- RCD additional protection where current regulations call for it
A missing bonding conductor is found by looking, not by testing. That is why the video starts at the board, checking the earthing arrangement and bonding before anything else.
Recording what you find
The video mentions recording “observations” and sending the client a video of each one. That helps the client understand the problems, but it does not replace the report. Each observation on an EICR gets a classification code: C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended) or FI (further investigation). Any C1, C2 or FI makes the overall assessment unsatisfactory. For how to choose between them, see EICR Coding Explained: C1, C2, C3 and FI.
How this appears in the 2391-52
The 2391-52 is an open book exam: 60 questions in 120 minutes, with a 75% pass mark. Having the book open only helps if you can find things quickly. For a question like this, you need to know that periodic inspection is Chapter 65, the test methods are Section 643 and the maximum Zs tables are in Chapter 41. Questions on test order are usually answered from the sequence above, not from looking anything up. Learn the order well enough that you don’t have to check it.
How 2391 Prep Fits Into This
2391 Inspection & Testing Pro has 556 practice questions across 7 subject areas. The ones on periodic inspection, test sequence, and certification and reporting cover everything in this post: intervals, extent and limitations, dead-before-live order and coding. The 4 working calculators do the arithmetic behind the tests, such as comparing R1 + R2 and Zs with the tabulated limits. The 15 quick reference cards give you the test order and coding definitions for quick lookup. The 6 field tools are for use on site during a real inspection.
