One electrician for the whole portfolio

Letting property in Greater Manchester means you're going to need an EICR every five years on each unit, plus an inspection for each new tenant. You may also be looking at solar and battery to lift EPC ratings and protect rental yield. The right answer to all of that is one electrician who knows your portfolio, rather than a different contractor every time.

Ashley Merritt runs Renegade Solar, and he's who you'd be working with. He's NAPIT registered (66870), MCS-certified (NAP-66870), and has around twenty years' experience as an electrician. He walks every property himself - the first time, he learns the building; the next time, he already knows it.

Why dealing direct matters for a landlord

When the same person did the EICR last cycle, knows the consumer unit, knows the meter setup and the previous remedials, the next visit is faster and cheaper. EICR plus any remedial work plus any solar or battery upgrade plus any EV charger all goes through Ashley, so there's no coordinating between separate contractors. He doesn't subcontract the electrical out either - he does it himself. And because his reputation depends on not overselling, you'll get a straight answer: if a property doesn't need a consumer unit upgrade he won't quote one, and if solar doesn't make sense on a particular rental he'll say so.

EICR for rental properties - £150 plus VAT, same day certificates

The fixed price is £150 plus VAT for any domestic property - one-bed flat or five-bed HMO, the price is the same. You get the inspection and all certificates on the same day.

The legal position for landlords:

• An EICR is required every 5 years, plus one for each new tenant
• Existing tenants must have the report within 28 days of the inspection
• New tenants must have the report before they move in
• Any C1, C2 or FI issues must be fixed within 28 days
• HMOs are subject to the same 5-year cycle

Penalties for non-compliance are serious - fines up to £30,000, with local authorities able to arrange the remedial work and bill you for it. Tenancy deposit schemes can also get involved.

What gets checked

A proper EICR isn't a quick visual. The visual inspection covers wiring, switches, sockets and the consumer unit - looking for damage, signs of overheating, and general wear. The electrical testing side is where the technical work happens: continuity testing, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, and RCD testing to confirm the trip switches actually work when they're needed.

You get a detailed report and all certificates on the same day, explained in plain English. C1 means immediate danger; C2 is potentially dangerous; C3 is "could be better but not dangerous"; FI means we need to investigate further.

When we find issues

If there are problems, Ashley explains exactly what's wrong, why it matters, and gives you a fair quote for any remedial work - no inflated prices, no unnecessary jobs, no scaring you into work you don't need. He can fix what he finds, so you don't need to bring in another contractor, and remedial work is usually scheduled within a month, which gives you time to comply with the 28-day rule.

Why landlords look at solar and battery too

Beyond compliance, more landlords are looking at solar and battery installations and home batteries on rental property - improved EPC rating (relevant for ongoing minimum energy efficiency requirements), lower running costs that reduce arrears risk and support longer tenancies, Smart Export Guarantee income on excess generation where the structure of the tenancy allows, and a one-time investment that benefits the property for decades.

Ashley fits DMEGC and Trina Vertex panels, with Solax or AlphaESS batteries from 6kWh up. Whether solar makes sense on a particular rental depends on the building, the meter setup, and the tenancy structure - and you'll get a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.

Older rental stock - what to expect

A lot of rental properties in North Manchester are older. Victorian terraces, common in Prestwich and Whitefield, often have old wiring systems like cloth-covered cables, inadequate earthing (proper earthing wasn't standard when these houses were built), circuits designed for gas lighting and a few basic appliances rather than modern loads, and ancient fuse boxes with no RCD protection. Around 70% of electrical fires happen in buildings built before 1950, so a proper EICR matters more on older stock, not less.

New builds aren't automatically safe either - around one in five has electrical faults of some kind, which is why the new-build EICR service exists.

Credentials

• NAPIT Registered (66870) - qualifications you can verify online
• MCS-certified (NAP-66870) - solar installations qualify for Smart Export Guarantee
• Octopus Energy Trusted Partner
• 20+ years' experience as an electrician
• 9.85/10 on Checkatrade from 105+ verified reviews

Areas covered

Across Greater Manchester, including Prestwich, Whitefield, Bury, Radcliffe, Altrincham, Trafford and Stockport. There are no travel charges - the price is the same wherever you are.

Book your EICR or arrange a portfolio review

If you've got one rental that needs an EICR or a portfolio that needs a regular schedule, we can sort it. Get in touch. If you'd also like to discuss solar or battery for a rental, Ashley can survey the property at the same visit.