How often does an office need an EICR? It depends on the building. The condition of your electrical installation, how the office is used, and how old the wiring is all play a part. For most offices, we recommend an EICR every five years. Older installations or buildings under heavier load can need testing sooner, usually around the three-year mark.
Two offices on the same street can be in very different shape behind the walls. The engineer carrying out the test makes the call on the day, based on what they find, not a blanket rule.
How Often Does An EICR For Offices Need To Be Carried Out?
For offices, the recommended EICR interval is every five years. Offices sit in the same banding as laboratories, shops, schools, colleges and universities, community centres, churches, hospital general areas, restaurants, pubs, and hotels, all of which are lower-risk commercial environments.
Bear in mind, this timescale isn’t set in stone. Where the interval shortens, it’s usually down to one of four factors:
- Age of the installation. Older wiring and consumer units carry a higher chance of degradation, and an engineer may bring the next inspection forward to every three years
- Condition of the fixed installation. Visible wear, repeated faults, or known issues bring the cadence forward
- Building usage. Higher footfall, longer operating hours, or heavier electrical loading shift the risk profile
- Type of office space. Open-plan modern offices behave differently from older mixed-use buildings
The right interval is set by the engineer carrying out the test, based on the environment and the overall condition of the installation. An EICR (Fixed Wire Testing) engineer will recommend a retest period after the inspection has taken place.
Is A Commercial EICR A Legal Requirement For Offices?
A commercial EICR isn’t a strict legal requirement for office premises in the way it is for residential lets. UK legislation does not set a fixed inspection interval for commercial electrical installations.
What is required, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, is that the electrical installation is kept in a safe condition. The duty falls on the employer or building owner to evidence that, and the standard way to do it is with an EICR. BS 7671, the UK national standard for electrical installations, recommends periodic inspection at intervals appropriate to the type and use of the building, and we apply a five-year interval for offices on that basis.
In practice, insurers, sector regulators, and tenancy agreements often expect to see a recent EICR on file. Most commercial insurance policies treat a satisfactory EICR as evidence of due diligence, and an out-of-date or missing report can affect the validity of cover in the event of a claim.
Who’s Responsible For Booking The EICR On A Commercial Office?
The responsible person is usually the employer, building owner, or facilities lead.
For leased offices, the split is straightforward in most cases:
- The landlord holds responsibility for the fixed electrical installation. That covers the wiring, distribution boards, sockets, and circuits built into the building
- The tenant covers any additions they make to the space, plus PAT testing on portable equipment they own
Where the lease is unusual or the building has been subdivided, responsibility should always be confirmed against the lease wording rather than assumed. For multi-site office portfolios, the duty can be delegated to a facilities team or compliance manager, but it can’t be passed off completely. The named person stays accountable.
For the wider compliance picture across multiple deadlines, our UK electrical compliance deadlines guide breaks down what applies and when.
What Happens After Your Office EICR? Understanding The Report
The EICR returns one of two outcomes: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Alongside the outcome, you’ll see observation codes against any issues found:
- C1 (Danger Present): an immediate risk, and an automatic Unsatisfactory result
- C2 (Potentially Dangerous): not an immediate threat but still urgent, also Unsatisfactory
- C3 (Improvement Recommended): a non-compliance with current regulations but not a danger. This does not make the report Unsatisfactory
- FI (Further Investigation Required): something needs looking into more closely, also Unsatisfactory
If the report comes back Unsatisfactory, remedial work covers any C1, C2, or FI findings. Once the work is done, you receive a certificate confirming the issues have been corrected, and the office is back to a clean compliance position. For a deeper breakdown of each code with real examples, our decoding your EICR report guide walks through it in detail.
Book Your Office EICR With Hawkesworth
Hawkesworth provides EICR testing for commercial offices across the UK and Ireland, with 190+ qualified engineers covering every region. Our engineers are City & Guilds certified and DBS checked.
Out-of-hours and weekend testing is available at no extra charge, which matters for offices that can’t afford a working-day shutdown. We also track your compliance schedule and send a reminder when the next inspection is due. Office EICRs are often booked alongside PAT testing for a single coordinated visit.
Request a quote and we’ll put together an EICR schedule that fits your office.
Michael Kiddle
Managing Director of Hawkesworth and a nationally recognised leader in electrical and fire safety, Michael (GIFireE) directs one of the UK's leading compliance companies, safeguarding thousands of businesses each year. Through his voluntary Safe Home Initiative, he has identified and removed thousands of dangerous household appliances from vulnerable people's homes, replacing each one with a safe alternative free of charge.
