A buyer’s guide for London businesses
Choose a commercial EICR provider who can demonstrate relevant inspection experience, explain exactly what the quotation covers and supply a report you can act on. Check these points before comparing the final price.
A shop, office or managed building may need quite different arrangements. This guide helps you assess a contractor for your premises and ask useful questions before you book.
Published by Upkeepone, which offers commercial electrical inspections. Use the checks below when considering any provider, including us.
Look beyond the badge on the website
Ask who will carry out the inspection and which business will issue the report. The answer should make sense alongside the quotation, registration details and contact information. If another contractor will attend, establish how their competence is checked and who handles any questions afterwards.
Electrical inspection and testing needs specific knowledge. Ask about the inspector’s qualifications, experience with comparable commercial installations and ability to assess the systems on your site. HSE’s electrical safety guidance explains why competence must suit the work.
Verify the registration being claimed
Use the business name or registration number in the NICEIC directory or NAPIT member search. Check the scope of the listing as well as the name. Ask the scheme operator if a result is unclear.
A domestic installation badge alone does not explain whether commercial inspection and testing falls within that registration. NICEIC and NAPIT offer different assessment routes; ask the provider to identify the one relevant to your job. You can read their NICEIC scheme descriptions and NAPIT electrical work categories.
Request insurance evidence appropriate to inspection and reporting, and check who is covered. Relevant commercial references can help too: ask about communication, access arrangements and how findings were explained, rather than relying solely on a star rating.
Put each quotation on the same basis
“Commercial electrical certificate” can describe different requests. For an assessment of existing fixed wiring, confirm that the quotation is for an Electrical Installation Condition Report. Installation work and appliance testing involve different records.
Give each provider the same property information, previous report if available and known constraints. Use this checklist to resolve gaps before accepting a quote.
| What to compare | What needs to be clear |
|---|---|
| The installation | Which premises, supplies, distribution boards and circuits are included, and how the price changes if the actual circuit count differs. |
| Extent and limitations | What will be inspected and tested, any proposed sampling or exclusions, and how inaccessible areas will be handled. |
| Attendance | The testing window, likely power interruptions, access requirements and arrangements if the work needs another visit. |
| The amount payable | VAT, travel, parking and any applicable road charges; supplements for evening or weekend work; and payment terms. |
| The report | Whether the complete EICR and schedules are included, the expected delivery date and a contact for questions about the findings. |
| Additional work | How investigation, repairs, materials and subsequent testing will be quoted and authorised separately. |
A low figure may cover a different extent of work. Ask for the missing detail rather than assuming either the cheapest or most expensive quote is the right choice.
Check that the London visit can actually take place
A contractor’s advertised coverage does not settle the practical arrangements. For a managed office, check whether reception can admit the engineer to every agreed area. In a retail building, the shop’s opening hours may differ from access to the building’s electrical rooms.
Explain any loading restrictions, permit arrangements, security checks or booked lift access. Ask the contractor to clarify applicable travel and road-charge costs in the quotation. These details can matter more than the distance between their advertised address and your premises.
Discuss essential equipment and the permitted interruption of supplies. Be cautious about a promise to complete every test without any shutdown, particularly before the installation has been assessed. Agree who can authorise switching and coordinate with the building manager or other occupiers where necessary.
Ask what the completed report will tell you
An anonymised example can show how a contractor presents its work. Look for an identifiable inspection extent, stated limitations, observations that refer to particular parts of the installation, and the inspection and test schedules. A cover sheet saying “satisfactory” tells you very little on its own.
Ask who checks the report before it is sent and who will explain anything you do not understand. If photographs are offered, ask what they illustrate; they support the findings but do not replace the recorded inspection and testing.
The IET’s model EICR forms show the information a condition report is designed to record. They are a useful reference when discussing reporting arrangements, rather than a customer checklist for judging individual test results.
Agree how findings and repairs will be handled
A report may be unsatisfactory. Ask how the contractor will communicate danger or urgent concerns, explain recommended action and document any later repairs. If the same firm offers remedial work, establish the approval and pricing process before the inspection.
Do not select a provider on a promise of a guaranteed pass. The outcome must follow what the inspector finds.
Question blanket claims about compliance
An EICR helps you understand the condition of an installation within the scope recorded. It does not, by itself, prove that every workplace safety duty has been met.
Ask a provider to explain the basis for an inspection interval. The premises’ use, condition and previous findings matter, alongside any applicable lease, insurer or sector requirements. HSE says installations should be tested often enough to prevent deterioration leading to danger; its electrical safety FAQs do not set one interval for every business.
If someone has requested a “certificate”, establish what document and inspected areas they expect. For premises containing both homes and commercial space, the relevant responsibilities and inspection arrangements need to be considered separately.
Questions when shortlisting a contractor
Is the nearest electrician necessarily the best choice?
What if the booking company has not yet named the inspector?
Is floor area enough information for an accurate quotation?
Does a branded report prove that the inspection was thorough?
How should I choose a provider when the report is needed urgently?
Can I get another electrician to review a disputed finding?
Considering Upkeepone?
Start with the premises and the reason for the inspection
Tell us your London postcode, the type of business and what prompted the request. An insurer deadline, a planned inspection or a report inherited with the building can each raise different questions. Include any known access restrictions so we can assess the enquiry.
Before booking, ask us to confirm the attending engineer’s inspection qualifications, relevant commercial experience and any registration being relied on for your installation.
We prioritise regular enquiries in London, Essex and Kent. Our wider coverage includes Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire. For a site elsewhere in the UK, contact us to discuss the request. Attendance is assessed using the postcode, installation, access and travel requirements, together with the availability of an appropriately qualified engineer.
Looking for several types of certificate? Visit our London property certificate guide to find the appropriate service.
Updated 12 September 2026. Sources are linked beside the relevant guidance.
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