Landlord of an HMO in London? An HMO needs a satisfactory EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) every 12 months — not every five years like a single let — and the report must be produced on demand at council inspection. F & A Electrical carries out HMO EICRs across north, east, central and inner-south London from £180 inc VAT, with the signed NICEIC certificate issued same day as a digital PDF. NICEIC-approved, fully insured, rated 9.69/10 from 237 Checkatrade reviews since 2018. Call 07407 627542 or 07500 721453.
HMO EICR cost in London — 2026
An HMO EICR costs more than a standard flat EICR because there are more circuits, more sockets and switches to test, and communal areas (hallways, stairwells, shared kitchens) that all have to be inspected. Price is driven by the number of circuits and lettable rooms, not the address. The figures below are the inspection fee inc VAT — remedial work, if any is needed, is quoted separately after the report.
| HMO type | EICR fee (inc VAT) | On-site time |
|---|---|---|
| Small share — 2-3 tenants, 1 consumer unit | £180–£220 | 2-3 hours |
| 3-bed HMO | £230–£270 | 3 hours |
| 4-bed HMO | £280–£330 | 3-4 hours |
| 5-bed HMO | £330–£390 | 4 hours |
| 6-8 bed large / licensed HMO | £400–£550 | 4-6 hours |
| 9+ bed converted house HMO | From £600 | 6-8 hours |
| Portfolio (5+ HMOs) | 10-15% off per property | Scheduled across days |
Our minimum charge is £108 (£90 + VAT) on any visit. For most licensed HMOs the EICR alone lands in the £230–£550 band above. If you also need the fire alarm test, emergency lighting test and PAT to satisfy your licence, bundling all four into one visit is 20-30% cheaper than booking them separately — see our HMO electrical compliance bundle.
Why an HMO EICR is different from a standard EICR
A single-let flat or house needs an EICR once every five years. An HMO is held to a tighter standard because more people live there and the fire and shock risk is higher. Four things change:
- Frequency — every 12 months, not five years. The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation regulations and most London borough licence conditions require an annual satisfactory EICR. Day 366 without one and you are non-compliant.
- Communal areas are in scope. Shared hallways, stairwell lighting, the communal kitchen ring, external lighting and any landlord-controlled distribution all get inspected and tested, on top of each letting room.
- More circuits, more scrutiny. Converted houses often have multiple consumer units, sub-mains and years of undocumented alterations. Every circuit is tested for insulation resistance, RCD protection, earthing and bonding.
- The report has to be produced on demand. Councils can request the current EICR at any HMO inspection and issue penalties on the spot if it is missing or unsatisfactory.
If you let a single flat rather than an HMO, our landlord EICR service covers the standard five-yearly certificate at a lower price.
How often does an HMO need an EICR?
Every 12 months, and again whenever there is a change of occupancy or major electrical work. Book the next inspection before the current certificate expires so you are never trading on an out-of-date report — we send a free renewal reminder 30 days out. A new HMO, a newly converted property, or one where you have just rewired should be tested before the first tenants move in so you start the clock with a clean satisfactory certificate.
What the inspector checks on an HMO EICR
The inspection follows BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations) and produces a NICEIC Electrical Installation Condition Report signed satisfactory or unsatisfactory. On an HMO we cover:
- Every consumer unit — condition, RCD/RCBO protection on all socket, lighting and bathroom circuits, and whether a non-combustible (metal) enclosure is fitted
- Insulation resistance, earth-fault loop impedance, RCD trip times, polarity and continuity on every circuit
- Main earthing and supplementary bonding to gas, water and exposed metalwork
- Communal area circuits — stairwell and hallway lighting, shared kitchen, external and outbuilding supplies
- Socket, switch and accessory condition in every letting room and shared space
- Bathroom and kitchen zone compliance
- Visible cable condition, signs of overheating, DIY alterations and overloaded circuits
C1, C2, C3 and FI — what the codes mean for your HMO
Every issue on the report is graded. The code decides whether your certificate passes and how fast you have to act:
- C1 — danger present. Immediate risk of injury (e.g. exposed live parts). The report is unsatisfactory and we make it safe on the spot.
- C2 — potentially dangerous. Must be fixed to pass (e.g. no RCD protection, broken earthing). The report is unsatisfactory until the C2 items are remedied.
- C3 — improvement recommended. Not a fail; the certificate can still be satisfactory, but the item is worth addressing.
- FI — further investigation required. Something needs a closer look; treated as unsatisfactory until resolved.
A full plain-English breakdown is in our guide to what C1, C2 and C3 mean on an EICR. Because we are the NICEIC contractor doing the test, we can usually put the C1/C2 remedials right the same visit so you leave with a satisfactory certificate rather than a to-do list.
What an unsatisfactory HMO EICR costs to fix
If the report comes back unsatisfactory, you get a clear itemised quote for the C1 and C2 remedials — no obligation, no pressure to use us for the repairs. Common HMO fixes and typical labour-only prices (materials separate):
| Common HMO remedial | Typical labour (inc VAT) |
|---|---|
| Add RCD protection / swap to a metal consumer unit | From £480 |
| Replace a damaged socket or light fitting | From £108 per visit |
| Correct or add main/supplementary bonding | From £140 |
| Repair a circuit failing insulation resistance | Quoted after fault-find |
Every visit is subject to our £108 (£90 + VAT) minimum charge. Once the C1/C2 items are cleared we re-issue the EICR as satisfactory.
HMO EICR plus full licence compliance in one visit
An EICR is one of four electrical certificates a licensed HMO usually needs each year. The others are a fire alarm system test (BS 5839-6), an emergency lighting test (BS 5266) and PAT for landlord-supplied appliances. Booking them together saves a stack of separate call-outs — our HMO electrical compliance bundle puts all four into a single annual visit at 20-30% less than booking each on its own. Need the certificate in a hurry for a licence deadline or a sale? We also offer a same-day EICR across most of London.
HMO EICR — London areas we cover
We are Tottenham-based (N15) and cover north, east, central and inner-south London. HMO hotspots we work in most weeks include Haringey, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Enfield, Islington, Camden, Brent and Southwark. Full coverage and per-borough pages are on our London service areas hub. For an idea of standard testing prices across the capital, see our EICR cost London 2026 guide.
How the HMO EICR visit works
We keep it simple so you spend the minimum time coordinating tenant access:
- 1. Fixed price up front. Tell us the number of lettable rooms and consumer units and we give you a fixed EICR fee inc VAT — no hourly surprises.
- 2. One coordinated slot. We book a single date and give you the room-by-room access we will need, so you can notify tenants once rather than chasing them repeatedly.
- 3. Full inspection and testing. Every circuit and communal area is inspected and tested to BS 7671. Where a C1 or C2 fault turns up, we flag it there and then and, where possible, put it right the same visit.
- 4. Same-day certificate. You receive the signed NICEIC EICR as a digital PDF the same day — council-ready and licence-ready — plus a free reminder 30 days before it expires next year.
Why London HMO landlords choose F & A Electrical
HMO compliance is unforgiving — a missing or unsatisfactory EICR at inspection can mean a remedial notice and a penalty of up to £40,000. Landlords across London trust us with it because we are NICEIC-approved, fully insured, and rated 9.69/10 from 237 Checkatrade reviews going back to 2018. We test to BS 7671, issue certificates the same day, and because the electrician who inspects is also the one who fixes, most C1/C2 remedials are cleared on the first visit rather than dragging into a second booking. Two direct lines mean you reach a real electrician, not a call centre: 07407 627542 or 07500 721453.
Tower Hamlets HMO licence fee up 75% — get the EICR sorted before you apply
From 1 April 2026, Tower Hamlets raised its Additional HMO licence fee by 75% to £1,323 — one of the steepest HMO licensing costs in London. A valid EICR is mandatory with your application, and operating without the right licence or safety paperwork can attract civil penalties of up to £30,000. With the fee that high, a refused or delayed application over missing electrical paperwork is an expensive mistake.
We carry out HMO EICRs across Tower Hamlets — Whitechapel, Bethnal Green, Bow, Mile End, Stepney and Poplar — with the report delivered same day wherever possible, so your licence application is not held up. If the report flags C1 or C2 defects, we quote the remedial work separately (labour-only, materials itemised) and re-certify once done. Book ahead of your licence renewal date rather than after — council processing queues do not pause while you wait for an electrician.
HMO EICR London — FAQs
How much is an HMO EICR in London?
From £180 inc VAT for a small share, rising to £330–£550 for a 5-8 bed licensed HMO, depending on the number of circuits and rooms. Portfolio landlords get 10-15% off per property.
How often does an HMO need an EICR?
Every 12 months — annually — plus again after any major electrical work or a full change of occupancy. Single lets only need one every five years; HMOs are held to the tighter annual standard.
Is an EICR a legal requirement for an HMO?
Yes. A satisfactory EICR is required under the HMO management regulations and is a standard condition of every London borough HMO licence. Councils can request it at inspection and issue a financial penalty if it is missing or unsatisfactory.
What happens if my HMO EICR is unsatisfactory?
You get an itemised quote for the C1 and C2 items that caused the fail. As the NICEIC contractor we can usually fix them the same day and re-issue the report as satisfactory, so you stay licence-compliant.
Can you do the EICR and the fire alarm and emergency lighting tests together?
Yes — that is our HMO compliance bundle. One visit covers the annual EICR, fire alarm test, emergency lighting test and PAT, 20-30% cheaper than four separate jobs.
Do you cover my borough?
We cover north, east, central and inner-south London — Haringey, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Enfield, Islington, Camden, Brent, Southwark and more. Call to confirm your postcode.
Book your HMO EICR
Get your HMO EICR booked with a NICEIC-approved electrician rated 9.69/10 from 237 Checkatrade reviews. Same-day digital certificate, council-ready, C1/C2 remedials fixed on the spot where possible. Call 07407 627542 or 07500 721453 for a fixed price today.
An HMO EICR is one piece of a bigger duty — our 2026 landlord electrical compliance checklist covers alarms, PAT testing, consumer units and council inspections in one page.
Planning ahead: if your HMO board is due for replacement, read AFDDs in HMOs and the 15 October 2026 deadline before you specify it — AFDDs are now required on socket circuits up to 32 A.
Selling a tenanted property? See do you need an EICR to sell your house in London?
Related guides: EICRs for Airbnb and short-term lets (when the 2020 Regs apply to short stays) · EICRs for leasehold flats and communal areas (who pays for the block vs the flat).