Home/Advice/Fixed Wire Testing in Brighton and Hove: A Guide
Advice · West Sussex & West Sussex
If you have been asked for a fixed wire test on a Brighton or Hove property, it usually means someone wants proof the electrics are safe. This guide explains what the test checks, who genuinely needs one, and what to expect on the day, without the jargon.
Fixed wire testing is the trade name for an Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR. An electrician inspects and tests the permanent wiring of a property: the consumer unit (fuse board), circuits, sockets, switches, and any hard-wired items such as showers or cookers. Portable appliances plugged into sockets are a separate check and are not part of it.
The result is a written report that grades any faults. C1 means danger present and needs sorting straight away, C2 means potentially dangerous, and C3 is an improvement recommendation only. A report only passes as satisfactory if there are no C1 or C2 codes outstanding.
Since 2020, private landlords in England must have a satisfactory EICR for every rented property, renewed at least every five years, and give tenants a copy. Brighton and Hove City Council can request it, and fines for non-compliance run into thousands, so for local landlords this is not optional.
For homeowners it is not a legal requirement, but it is sensible before buying or selling, after a major extension, or if the wiring is 25 or more years old. Many of the period conversions and Victorian terraces around Hove, Kemptown and Preston Park still have old rubber or fabric-sheathed cabling and no RCD protection, which an inspection will flag.
The power will need to be off for parts of the test, so expect some disruption. A typical two or three bedroom flat takes around two to four hours; larger houses or properties with many circuits take longer. The electrician removes socket and switch fronts, opens the consumer unit, and runs instrument tests such as insulation resistance and earth loop impedance on each circuit.
Costs vary with the number of circuits and how easy the installation is to access. As a rough guide, a one or two bedroom flat often falls in the region of 120 to 180 pounds, and a larger house 200 to 350 pounds. Any remedial work to clear C1 or C2 faults is quoted separately, so ask for that breakdown before you agree to proceed.
Ask for the electrician's registration with a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, and check they will provide the full schedule of test results, not just the summary page. A one-line pass with no readings behind it is worth very little.
If faults are found, get them explained in plain terms and prioritised. A C3 is advisory and you can plan for it, but a C1 should be made safe the same day. Keep the report somewhere safe; landlords need it to hand for the council and for new tenants, and it saves repeating the whole exercise when you come to sell.
Published 11 July 2026
For rented homes the law requires it at least every five years. Owner-occupied homes are advised to have one every ten years, or sooner if the wiring is old or you have had electrical problems.
Yes, for parts of it. Each circuit has to be isolated to test it safely, so plan for intermittent power loss over a few hours and avoid booking it on a day you rely on heating or a home office.
A report is unsatisfactory if it has any C1 or C2 codes. You will get a list of what needs fixing, and once the remedial work is done and retested the property can be issued a satisfactory report.
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