Quick answer: Three tests will tell you almost everything.
1. Are the C3s in the quote? C3 means "improvement recommended". It's advisory only and does not fail your report. If C3 items are priced into a remedial quote as if they were mandatory, that's your first red flag.
2. Is "old" being used as the reason? Age alone does not justify a C2. Grey PVC twin and earth cable from the 1970s and 80s is still serviceable in many installations.
3. Are you being told you must use them for the work? You aren't. Ever.
We sell EICRs. We're now going to explain how to check whether an EICR company, possibly one like us, is inflating your bill.
The reason is simple. This is the most-complained-about issue in UK lettings electrics, the complaints are often justified, and no company that sells inspections is willing to write it down. So the landlords who need this information can't find it.
How the problem happens
It isn't usually fraud. It's economics.
A thorough EICR on a one-bed flat takes roughly 1.5 to 3 hours. If the inspection is priced at £65 and the firm is running ten or more jobs a day, the inspection itself barely covers the visit. The margin lives in the remedial work that follows.
Now add the information gap. You can't assess whether a C2 is justified. The person telling you it is, is the same person quoting to fix it.
That combination produces the pattern landlords describe over and over on the forums: a property with no history of electrical problems, an unsatisfactory report, and a four-figure quote.
Test 1: separate the codes
Before you look at the price, look at the codes. Go through the observations schedule and put each item in one of these buckets.
| Code | Meaning | Must you fix it? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present, risk of injury | Yes, immediately | Should have been made safe or isolated during the inspection. If it wasn't, ask why |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous | Yes, within 28 days | Ask for the specific reason for each one, in writing |
| FI | Further investigation required | Yes, investigate within 28 days | Investigation first. Don't let it become a blanket remedial quote |
| C3 | Improvement recommended | No. Advisory only | Ask for these to be priced separately so you can choose |
Then ask for the quote to be split into three parts: C1 and C2 items, FI investigation, and C3 items. A reasonable electrician will do this without argument. Resistance to splitting it tells you something.
Test 2: challenge the reason, not the price
Most landlords negotiate on price. That's the wrong lever. If the work genuinely needs doing, a lower price doesn't help you, and if it doesn't need doing, a discount is still money wasted.
Ask instead: what specific defect or regulation makes this a C2?
| What you're told | Is that a reason? | What to ask next |
|---|---|---|
| "The wiring is old" | No. Age alone doesn't make an installation unsafe | Which specific test result or observation makes this potentially dangerous? |
| "It doesn't meet the current regs" | Not on its own. An installation built to an earlier edition of BS 7671 isn't automatically dangerous | Which specific departure creates a danger, rather than a difference from current practice? |
| "There's no RCD protection" | Often a genuine C2, depending on circuit and location | Which circuits, and what's the proposed remedy? An RCD upgrade may be far cheaper than a full board |
| "The consumer unit is plastic" | Usually C3, not C2, in a domestic single dwelling | Is this coded C2 or C3? If C3, price it separately |
| "The downlights aren't fire-rated" | Often C3 in a single dwelling. Different in an HMO or a flat with compartmentation duties | What code did you give it, and what's the fire separation requirement here specifically? |
| "No main protective bonding" | Usually a genuine C2 | Fair enough. What's the cost to bond, on its own? |
This isn't about catching anyone out. Several of those are legitimate C2s and you should fix them. The point is that you're entitled to a specific reason for each one, and a competent electrician can give it in a sentence.
Test 3: price sanity check
Rough London ranges for the most commonly quoted remedial items, as at August 2026. Treat as a sanity check, not a quote.
| Remedial item | Typical London range | When a quote looks high |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer unit replacement (domestic, standard) | £450 to £750 supplied and fitted | Above £1,000 for a straightforward swap, unless there's a supply or meter complication |
| Adding main protective bonding | £120 to £280 | Above £400 for a standard flat |
| Replacing a damaged socket or switch | £40 to £90 per accessory | Being charged a full call-out per item |
| Adding RCD protection to a circuit | £100 to £250 | Above £400 without a board change |
| Earthing improvements | £150 to £350 | Above £500 in a standard flat |
| Full rewire, two-bed flat | £3,000 to £6,000 | Almost always worth a second opinion on the report before agreeing |
If a quote is well outside these, that doesn't automatically make it wrong. It makes it worth a second opinion.
The single most useful thing you can do
Get a second opinion on the report, not on the price.
Most landlords, when a quote feels heavy, ring another electrician and ask them to quote for the same work. That just tells you who's cheaper at doing work that may not be necessary.
What you actually want is a second electrician to review the observations and tell you whether the codes are justified. Send them the report. Many will do this for a modest fee, and some will do it free in the hope of winning the work.
Six questions to ask before agreeing to any remedial work
- Am I obliged to use you for the remedial work? (The answer is no.)
- Can you split the quote into C1/C2, FI investigation, and C3 items?
- For each C2, what specific observation or test result makes it potentially dangerous?
- What percentage of accessories did you inspect, and where is that recorded in the report?
- How long were you on site? (Compare with the 1.5 to 3 hours a thorough flat inspection takes.)
- What's your competent-person scheme registration number? (Then check it yourself.)
What if you've already paid?
- Get the report reviewed anyway. If the work wasn't justified, you have a basis for a complaint.
- Complain to the contractor in writing first, setting out which items you dispute and why.
- Escalate to their competent-person scheme. NICEIC, NAPIT and ELECSA all operate complaints and, in some cases, work-quality guarantee procedures for registered contractors.
- If you paid by credit card and the amount is over £100, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act may give you a claim against the card provider as well as the trader. Worth checking your position.
- Leave a factual review. Specific, dated, and about the codes rather than the person.
What honest pricing looks like
So you can compare. Our domestic EICR starts at £67.99 and rises with property size and circuit count. That price includes the inspection, the test, and the certificate emailed within 24 hours. There's no call-out fee, no parking or congestion recharge, and no surcharge for an older property.
And there is no obligation whatsoever to use us for remedial work identified on one of our reports. If our own quote looks heavy to you, get a second opinion on it. We'd rather that than the alternative.
We're at the cheap end of the London market, which means we're subject to exactly the incentive described at the top of this page. The way we handle that is route density across the boroughs rather than remedial volume. You're entitled to hold us to that.
Sources
- Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, reg 3 (28-day remedial duty; what makes a report actionable)
- gov.uk: Electrical safety standards guidance (competent person, and the competence checklist alternative)
- BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations, which defines the C1, C2, C3 and FI classification codes
- London remedial pricing ranges compiled from published London contractor pricing, August 2026. Treat as indicative.
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About the author
My Landlord Certificate Compliance Team
This guide was written and fact-checked by the My Landlord Certificate compliance team and reviewed against current UK legislation by our NICEIC-approved, NAPIT-registered, Gas Safe registered, accredited DEA and NEBOSH-qualified engineers. We help landlords across all 33 London boroughs stay compliant with fixed-price EICR, Gas Safety (CP12), EPC, Fire Risk Assessment and PAT testing.