Frequently asked questions

Essex Certificate Services itself is not Gas Safe, NICEIC or NAPIT registered, and we don't claim to be. We're a coordination and compliance management service — we arrange and manage the work of qualified, registered and insured third-party engineers and assessors who hold the relevant registrations, and we track your renewal dates so you never miss a deadline. Every engineer or assessor we work with is checked for registration and insurance before we use them.

It depends on which certificates you need and your property's size, access and complexity. As a starting point: Basic Landlord Compliance Package from £279, Full Rental Ready Package from £449, HMO / Commercial Safety Package from £599, Pre-Refurb Compliance Package from £399. Single services start from £59 (PAT Testing) up to £249 (Fire Risk Assessment) — see our Packages & Pricing page for the full list. These are “from” prices for the smallest, simplest qualifying property. Final price depends on property size, number of bedrooms, access, urgency, location, number of electrical circuits, whether the property is an HMO/commercial property, and whether any remedial works are needed. We don't claim to be the cheapest option in Essex — our pricing reflects a fully coordinated service, not just a single trade visit.

We're based in Chelmsford and cover landlords and letting agents across Essex, including Colchester, Basildon, Southend-on-Sea, Brentwood, Braintree and Maldon. If you're not sure whether we cover your property's location, get in touch and we'll let you know — our coverage area is growing.

Once a certificate is issued for your property, we log its renewal date in our system. We then get in touch ahead of the next deadline (for example, before your annual Gas Safety Certificate or 5-yearly EICR is due) so you can book the next check in good time — rather than finding out it's overdue after the fact. You don't need to track anything yourself once we're managing your certificates.

No. The Certificate Checker is a free tool that gives general guidance based on the answers you provide — it's designed to help you understand what's typically required for a property like yours, not to confirm your exact legal obligations. For your specific circumstances, please verify requirements via gov.uk or a qualified solicitor. Every set of results includes this same disclaimer, and we work with qualified, registered and insured engineers and assessors to help you act on whatever the checklist recommends.

HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) usually have extra requirements compared with a standard single let — most notably a Fire Risk Assessment and stricter alarm provisions, and potentially an HMO licence from your local authority (licensing thresholds vary by council, so please check with your local authority or gov.uk for your specific situation). Our HMO / Commercial Safety Package (from £599) is built around these extra requirements — Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, Fire Risk Assessment, Legionella Risk Assessment and HMO-grade alarm compliance, all coordinated through one point of contact. Get in touch and we can talk through exactly what your property needs.

If an inspection finds a fault — for example, an EICR identifies a C1 or C2 electrical issue, or a Gas Safety check flags a faulty appliance — the inspection and certificate itself is still completed and issued (showing the fault, where applicable). We then coordinate finding a qualified engineer to carry out the remedial work and follow up to confirm it's been resolved. Importantly: the cost of remedial labour and parts is not included in our package or service prices. Remedial work is quoted and charged separately, once the fault is known and a qualified engineer has assessed what's needed. We'll tell you the remedial quote before any work goes ahead, so there are no surprise charges for work you haven't approved.

We're not able to confirm our VAT position on the website just yet — this is something we're finalising. We'll state our VAT position clearly on every quote once it's confirmed, and we'll update this page at the same time.

As general guidance, an EICR is normally valid for up to 5 years from the date it was issued. If your existing EICR is still within that 5-year window and nothing significant has changed with the property's electrics, a new one may not be due yet — but this is general guidance, not a confirmation of your exact legal position. If you're not sure when your last EICR was carried out, or whether it's still valid for your situation, our Certificate Checker can give you a general read on this, or you can get in touch and we'll help you check.

Get in touch via our Contact page, or try the Certificate Checker for a personalised starting point. We aim to reply as quickly as we can.