EICR Testing in Oxford

Why so many Oxford properties need an EICR

Oxford has an unusually large rental market. Census 2021 figures for the Oxford City Council area show 32.2% of homes privately rented and 30.8% of homes are flats. Private landlords in England must have the electrical installation in each let property inspected and tested at least every five years, give a copy of the report to tenants, and carry out any required remedial work within the time allowed.

Houses in multiple occupation are common across the city, and they bring additional licensing rules. Those rules are set and enforced by Oxford City Council, so for licensing questions we point landlords to the council's HMO licensing pages. Our part is the inspection, the report and any remedial work.

Victorian terraces and older wiring

A lot of Oxford's rented housing is in Victorian and Edwardian terraces. The city has 18 conservation areas, including Jericho, Osney Town and the North Oxford Victorian Suburb, and the houses inside them have usually been rewired at some point, but often decades ago and sometimes in stages.

On these properties the report often records missing RCD protection, ageing accessories, inadequate bonding to gas and water pipes, or circuits extended without records. Each observation is coded, and we explain in plain English what the code means and what, if anything, has to be done before the installation can be called satisfactory.

Census 2021 figures show 12.1% of homes in the city heated by electricity only. Where storage heaters, panel heaters and immersion heaters are the main source of heat, we check those circuits carefully, as they carry heavy loads for long periods.

Commercial EICRs for city offices and shops

Businesses in Oxford also need periodic inspection, often because an insurer, landlord or lease requires it. City-centre shops and offices are frequently in older buildings with shared supplies, landlord distribution boards and tenant boards on different floors. We agree access and isolation times in advance so testing causes as little disruption as possible, and can work early or late in the working day where the building allows.

What happens on the day

We test each circuit at the consumer unit, inspect a sample of sockets, switches and fittings, check earthing and bonding, and note anything visibly damaged. The power is off for parts of the visit, so tenants should be warned. You then receive a written report, with any remedial work quoted separately so you can decide what to do next.