EICR Southgate and Palmers Green: Landlord Guide for N11, N13 and N14

Southgate, Palmers Green, Arnos Grove, Bowes Park, Oakwood and Winchmore Hill are full of 1930s semis, converted Victorian flats and purpose-built blocks, and a lot of them are let. If you own one of those rentals in N11, N13 or N14, this guide covers what the landlord EICR involves, the faults electricians find most often in these streets, and how to book one without losing a week to back and forth.

Who needs a landlord EICR in N11, N13 and N14

Every private landlord in England needs a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report for each rented home. It has to be in place before a new tenant moves in and renewed at least every five years, or sooner if the last report said so. That covers whole houses, flats, maisonettes and rooms in a shared house. The tenant gets a copy within 28 days of the inspection, and Enfield or Barnet council can ask for one at any time.

What the electrician checks

• The consumer unit (fuse board): its age, whether it has RCD protection and whether the casing is metal or plastic.
• Every circuit, tested dead and live: continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD trip times.
• Earthing and bonding to the gas and water pipes.
• Sockets, switches, light fittings and any visible cable for damage or overheating.
• Bathrooms and kitchens, where water and electricity meet.

The result is a written report with each issue coded C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended) or FI (further investigation needed).

Common findings in Southgate and Palmers Green homes

Many 1930s houses around Southgate Circus and Palmers Green Triangle were rewired in the 1970s or 1980s and still have the original rewireable fuse box or an early plastic consumer unit without RCDs. That on its own usually means a C2 and an unsatisfactory report. In converted flats along Green Lanes and Bowes Road, the problems tend to be shared meter cupboards with poor labelling, missing main bonding and extension cables run under floors during earlier works.

The fix is often a single job: a new consumer unit with RCD protection and surge protection, plus bonding where it is missing. Our EICR service includes a fixed quote for any remedial work at the same visit, so you are not left waiting for a second appointment.

How long it takes and what it costs

A one or two bedroom flat usually takes two to three hours. A three bedroom semi with a modern board takes around four. At Energy North the EICR starts from £100 and the price is fixed when you book, based on the number of circuits rather than guesswork on the day. The certificate is emailed to you the same day, ready to forward to your tenant or letting agent.

Booking without the back and forth

• Tell us the postcode, the number of bedrooms and whether the board is old or new.
• Pick a slot. Most bookings in N11, N13 and N14 are within 48 hours, because our base is on Bowes Road.
• Arrange access with the tenant and make sure the fuse board and loft hatch can be reached.
• Get the certificate by email the same day, with any remedial quote attached.

If you are also thinking about a home charge point for a tenant, the same visit is a good time to check whether the supply can take it. See our EV charger installation page for what that involves.

Read next

For borough-wide prices, see our guide to EICR cost in Enfield in 2026.