Cheap EICR prices

[dsnd_medic]

Hi
I wanted some feedback from you guys and some advice and opinions. I am starting to get a lot of domestic EICR requests but when I send a quote I never hear back from them. I am quoting around £350 for a 3-4 bedroom house. Most don't have not had prior PIRs so I recommend a 50 - 100% on inspection and 30 - 50% on testing depending on the inspection results. This takes me around a day to finish plus an hour or two for finishing the report. I use Certifi on my iPad so that speeds things up a little. My local NICEIC rep said that some sparkies are charging around £125 for an EICR!!! How could they possible do it for that price and make a profit.......or am I being a little gullible and missing something here. To do it for that price, they must be missing a lot out but my question is what are they missing out and if so are they missing it out legally.....I'm guessing they must be working in a grey area so I would appreciate if someone could enlighten me ?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

 

[uksparks]

IMO £350 is £175 too expensive

 

[Lewis85]

Hey I've started doing some lately and I charge for a 3 bed around £140-£160.. People are doing it a lot less one lady asked me to price so I did £120 as its a small place her reply was I've seen online people do it for £70! Get on with it then was my reply. £350 is a little steep

 

[Andy78]

Yeah £350 is way out. How long are you taking to carry out the inspection and test on site ?

EDIT: Just seen that's for a day plus writing up. Is that your normal day rate ?

 

[Lewis85]

Also it's not about missing things out or cutting corners its a job in where you'll never make a killing with testing domestic properties it's just an easy day and ok money. You'll be better off to try get two done in a day but go in at a rate of 140 each then it's ok. I know a lad who works for phs doing condition reports in schools and hospitals he say he makes a killing as so many circuits and they charge per circuit where I just do a day rate or slightly under

 

[rich.250]

Agree with the posts above,
I just do hourly rate, normally refuse to price as its a unknown amount of time to do it properly.
You will find that they are doing hardly anything - I.e using the extent box to test one circuit.
Or doing visual only.
Cowboys is my opinion!
Then again how will the customer know any different???

 

[joehat]

£120/150
Some flats/houses only have socket/light/cooker circuits so don't take that long compared to a property with 10 circuits. I don't tend to go quote as the time it takes to quote that even an extra hour that I under charged Ect Anyways pays for that non quoting time

 

[Octopus]

To do a 3-4 bed house properly with 10+ circuits is around 1 full day........ Unless you are cutting corners.

so I charge my day rate

 

[joehat]

To do a 3-4 bed house properly with 10+ circuits is around 1 full day........ Unless you are cutting corners.

so I charge my day rate

That would take be about 6 hours or so and this is 50% of opening up sockets/switches Ect and if theirs a lot loose I will open up them all, I think the minimum is 25%.


Do you go and quote for the EICR?

 

[Octopus]

That would take be about 6 hours or so and this is 50% of opening up sockets/switches Ect and if theirs a lot loose I will open up them all, I think the minimum is 25%.


Do you go and quote for the EICR?

Yes, that said I don't do that many as I find them very boring and lots of people just want a piece of paper for the cheapest price possible and as I do not drop my prices.......

 

[dsnd_medic]

To do a 3-4 bed house properly with 10+ circuits is around 1 full day........ Unless you are cutting corners.

so I charge my day rate

Dare I ask what your normal day rate is ?

 

[Octopus]

Dare I ask what your normal day rate is ?

I won't post it on the forum but its on a PM to you

 

[joehat]

Yes, that said I don't do that many as I find them very boring and lots of people just want a piece of paper for the cheapest price possible and as I do not drop my prices.......

So I save what over an hour by having sort of set prices. So I essentially am covering an hourlong labour saving their. It's not like anyone charges to quote anymore Anyways

 

[Leesparkykent]

There are people out there doing commercial EICR's for £5-£7 a circuit....Its the new PAT testing game :hanged:

 

[joehat]

Dare I ask what your normal day rate is ?

Taking a guess £300 (not that I'll ever know lol)

 

[HandySparks]

So I save what over an hour by having sort of set prices. So I essentially am covering an hourlong labour saving their. It's not like anyone charges to quote anymore Anyways

Been caught out a couple of times not having a proper look first.

One '4 bed' house had an extension with additional board plus a substantial garden office with shower room and its own gas heating system. The owner was OK with the EICR taking 1½ days and was charged accordingly.

The other '4 bed' house had three reception rooms with multiple wall lights for the art collection, a flat for the gardener, a generator, and supplies to the garage/workshop, greenhouse and the electric gates about 200m away. The owner was not happy to pay for more than a day, so the report detail was limited to the main house only, despite me pointing out the appalling condition of the garage electrics. Wouldn't surprise me if any one of his pictures was worth more than a year's wages.

 

[NDG Elecs]

I usually charge per cct, with a slightly higher price for the first cct. I have a minimum charge of £120.00 which covers up to five ccts. Domestic only. Would not do commercial EICRs as do not yet feel competent to do so. I charge £40 for first cct and £22 for every other cct. I have charged an orrible specimen of a landlord an extra £22 for a doorbell cct with the tranny next to the CU!

It is much better if the property has more than five ccts as the necessary paperwork makes the £120.00 charge a poor earner. Although saying that, a small flat with three ccts becomes a quite good earner.

£350.00 is expensive for domestic.

 

[joehat]

So £238 for 10 circuits, day rate then!!

 

[joehat]

Been caught out a couple of times not having a proper look first.

One '4 bed' house had an extension with additional board plus a substantial garden office with shower room and its own gas heating system. The owner was OK with the EICR taking 1½ days and was charged accordingly.

The other '4 bed' house had three reception rooms with multiple wall lights for the art collection, a flat for the gardener, a generator, and supplies to the garage/workshop, greenhouse and the electric gates about 200m away. The owner was not happy to pay for more than a day, so the report detail was limited to the main house only, despite me pointing out the appalling condition of the garage electrics. Wouldn't surprise me if any one of his pictures was worth more than a year's wages.

Haven't come across that yet, but I guess as with problems, I was decide with client and either charge more or put what I have agreed to test and inspect on the limits and then they can decide.

 

[NDG Elecs]

So £238 for 10 circuits, day rate then!!

Good maths there mate! Might take a day, might take longer. Don't know til it's done. Paperwork could take 2+ hrs to type up. Depending on the issues found I often include a explanatory cover letter in more layman's terms. All takes time...