If you let a house or flat in Dalgety Bay, Aberdour or Burntisland, you need a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at least every five years, and before any new tenancy starts. With Snelling Electrical that is a fixed £200 for a standard property. Jack lives in Dalgety Bay, so the whole coast from Inverkeithing to Burntisland is on his doorstep and there is nothing added for travel.
This guide covers what the rule actually asks for, what Jack checks on the day, the things that tend to show up in coast homes, and how to get it booked without it eating into a changeover.
What the Scottish rule asks for
Private rented homes in Scotland have to meet the Repairing Standard, set by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. Part of that standard is that the electrical installation is safe and in proper working order. In practice that means:
- An EICR carried out by a competent electrician, tested to BS 7671
- Renewed at least every five years, or sooner if the report says so
- A valid report in place before a new tenancy begins
- A copy given to your tenant
The EICR covers the fixed wiring: the board, the circuits, the cabling, the earthing and bonding, sockets, switches and fixed fittings. Appliances you supply, like a fridge or a washing machine, are checked separately with a PAT test. Scottish rentals also need interlinked smoke and heat alarms, which is a separate job Jack does as well, see interlinked smoke alarms.
If the property is a holiday let rather than a long let, which is common in Aberdour and along the coast, the short-term let licence asks for electrical safety checks too. The same EICR does the job for the fixed wiring.
What Jack checks on the day
An EICR is not a walk round with a torch. On a standard three-bedroom house Jack is usually on site for two to four hours, testing every circuit:
- Continuity of the conductors and the protective bonding
- Insulation resistance, circuit by circuit
- Earth fault loop impedance
- That every RCD and RCBO trips when it should, and fast enough
- Polarity, so nothing is wired backwards
- The condition of the board itself, and any signs of heat, damage or DIY
Anything he finds gets a code. C1 means danger present, and he makes it safe there and then. C2 means potentially dangerous, so the report is unsatisfactory until it is fixed. C3 is a recommendation, not a fail. FI means it needs a closer look. There is a full explanation in what the EICR codes mean.
What tends to show up in coast homes
Every house is different, so none of this is a prediction for yours. But the housing along this stretch of the Forth has a pattern, and it is worth knowing before Jack arrives.
Dalgety Bay. The town was built in phases from 1962, so the first streets are now over sixty years old. Plenty of those houses have had an extension, a new kitchen, an electric shower and sometimes an EV charger added over the years, while the board stayed the same. A board with no RCD protection on some circuits is the classic thing an inspection picks up. The newer flats and houses down at St David’s Harbour are a different story, with modern boards, and usually a quicker test.
Aberdour. Older stone cottages and villas, many of them altered over a long time. Period wiring that has been extended in stages can hide joins and mixed cable types, and that is where the time on an Aberdour EICR goes. A lot of the lets here are holiday lets or second homes, so the report often needs to land between bookings.
Burntisland. Older tenement flats and terraces near the centre, with shared stairs and supplies that have been added to over decades, plus the salt air off the Forth, which is hard on outside lights and sockets. Outdoor circuits and old boards are the usual talking points.
Booking it around a changeover
The easiest time to do an EICR is when the property is empty, between tenants or between holiday bookings. If it is occupied, Jack arranges access with you or the tenant, and power is only off circuit by circuit while each one is tested.
What helps on the day:
- Access to the board and to every room, including any loft or garage with circuits in it
- The previous EICR if you have it, so Jack can see what was flagged last time
- A heads up if there is an outbuilding, outside socket or garden lighting
The signed report usually comes back the same day or the next, by email, ready to forward. If you have more than one property on the coast, it is worth asking about doing them on the same trip.
If something fails
If the report comes back with a C1 or C2, the fix is normally needed within 28 days. Jack gives you a separate written price before he does anything, and you are under no pressure to use him. Most landlords do, because the man who found the problem can fix it and re-test the same day or the next, with no second contractor to chase. A common fix is a new consumer unit, which is from £700, fitted in a day. See fuse boards and consumer units.
Getting it booked
Message Jack with the address, how many bedrooms, and when the property is free. He will confirm the £200 price, or quote in writing first if it is a bigger property or an HMO. More on the service itself is on the EICR page, and there are local pages for Dalgety Bay, Aberdour and Burntisland.
Questions people ask about landlord EICRs on the coast are below.