I’ve been carrying out EICR Colchester inspections for a long time now, working as a NICEIC-registered electrician across private homes and rental properties. Colchester is one of those places where the electrical story of a property is rarely straightforward. You can walk from a centuries-old terrace to a fairly new development in a matter of minutes, and that variety shows up immediately once you start testing circuits rather than just looking at sockets.
One inspection that sticks with me was a period property that had clearly been “updated” in stages over decades. The owner was convinced most of the wiring dated back to a full rewire done years earlier. Once I started tracing circuits, it became obvious that only part of the house had been rewired properly. Older cabling was still buried behind newer plaster, feeding upstairs lighting. Nothing had failed dramatically yet, but the readings told a different story. That’s a common theme in Colchester’s older housing stock: partial work that gives a false sense of security.
Newer properties aren’t immune either. I inspected a modern rental flat near the outskirts of town where the landlord expected a clean pass because the building wasn’t that old. The issue wasn’t age—it was design. Several high-load appliances were sharing circuits that were never intended to cope with how the space was actually being used. The installation technically met standards at the time it was built, but real life had moved on. That’s something an EICR picks up that visual checks never will.
One mistake I see repeatedly is homeowners assuming DIY changes are harmless if “everything still works.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve found outdoor electrics added off indoor sockets, especially with sheds and garden offices becoming more common. A customer last summer was using a converted shed as a workspace, powered from a simple extension that had effectively become permanent. It functioned day to day, but it wasn’t safe or suitable anymore. The EICR highlighted that gap between intention and reality.
I’m fairly direct with my advice after seeing the consequences of cutting corners. I don’t recommend quick inspections done purely to satisfy paperwork. A proper EICR takes time because testing uncovers issues you can’t predict just by looking. I’ve also seen people delay inspections until a sale or tenancy forces the issue, only to discover problems that then hold everything up. In practice, earlier inspections almost always mean fewer surprises.
My qualifications get me through the door, but experience in Colchester shapes how I work. Certain streets have predictable bonding issues. Some post-war homes nearly always show signs of overloaded rings. Recognising those patterns helps me explain findings in plain terms, rather than presenting a list of codes with no context.
An EICR isn’t about judging past decisions or pointing fingers. It’s about understanding how a property has evolved and whether the electrics have kept up with that change. In a place like Colchester, where buildings carry layers of history, that perspective makes all the difference.