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Bonding to gas and water on your EICR
Missing or undersized bonding is one of the most common observations on a rental report, and one of the quickest and cheapest to put right.
What main protective bonding is
Main protective bonding is a conductor that connects the metal gas and water pipes where they enter the building to the main earthing terminal. If a fault ever made those pipes live, bonding keeps them at close to the same voltage as everything else you can touch, so they do not give you a shock. The conductor has to be a suitable size for your supply, properly clamped to the pipe, and clearly labelled.
How inspectors code it
The code on your report is the inspector's judgement, but missing main bonding is commonly recorded as a C2 and undersized or poorly connected bonding as a C3. A C2 makes the whole report unsatisfactory. A C3 on its own does not.
If this is a rented property in England: a C2 means the remedial work must be completed within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report specifies. A C3 alone is a recommendation, not a failure.
What puts it right
An electrician runs a correctly sized conductor from the main earthing terminal to a clamp on the gas pipe and on the water pipe, tests that it is continuous, and fits the permanent safety label. That is a fixed-price item for us: earth bonding to gas and water is £85. When a new consumer unit is going in, it is done at the same visit.
If the earthing itself is missing or inadequate, the bonding cannot do its job, so that is put right first. See our guide to earthing upgrades.
What it costs in London
Bonding is a single fixed-price item. Board work is priced by board size; everything else is the visit plus the items listed.
You need a new fuse boardinc VAT
Count the switches on your existing one.
A second board at the same address is £150 less. Two boards is £695 + £545 = £1,240 in one visit, and it is a tick when you book.
Individual circuit protection is an optional extra, £150, £300 or £450 by board size. No call-out charge on a board job.
You don't need a boardinc VAT
Everything else your report flagged.
That covers the visit, testing and the certificate. You then pay only for the items your report actually lists, priced in the next box.
The items themselvesinc VAT
The same price with or without a board.
On a board job the board already covers the attending, so there is no visit fee on top.
Every price includes VAT, materials, labour, full testing, a fresh satisfactory condition report and the completion pack.
That is the price, not a starting point. Only two things move it: an earthing arrangement that must be upgraded first, or a supply where the network operator has to attend. Both agreed in writing before we start.
What you get when the work is done
You should end up holding three things. A fresh Electrical Installation Condition Report for the property, marked satisfactory. Written confirmation that the observations on the original report have been addressed. And, for a rented property, a copy of both to give your tenant, with the council entitled to ask for them within seven days.
You do not normally need a whole new EICR. Written confirmation from whoever did the remedial work is what resolves the report. We issue that as a completion pack, with the observation schedule, the certificate, the signed confirmation and your tenant and council letters already drafted.
Getting a second price is normal
The firm that inspected your property is entitled to quote for the remedial work, and plenty do a fair job of it. But the regulations ask for a qualified and competent person, not a particular company, so you are free to go elsewhere. If you want a price from someone with no involvement in how your report was coded, that is what we do.
Missing bonding? Get a fixed price within the hour
It is one of the quickest and cheapest items to put right on a rental report. Send the report and we price it with everything else it lists, and tell you which observations you are not legally required to fix.
Related
Every EICR code explained
C1, C2, C3 and FI, and which of them actually make your report fail.
Earthing upgrades
The main earth and the meter tails, and why they can come first.
C2: no RCD protection
The most common reason an EICR fails in London, explained, with fixed prices.
Managing a portfolio?
Inspections and remedials on one account, one invoice, evidence filed per property.
Questions landlords ask
Is bonding the same as earthing?
They are related but not the same. Earthing connects the installation to the earth of the supply. Bonding connects the metal gas and water pipes to the main earthing terminal.
What if my water pipes are plastic?
Plastic pipe does not need bonding, but a metal gas pipe entering the building does, and the metal parts of the water system may too. If you are unsure which applies, send us the report and we will tell you what it needs before you pay for anything.
Do I need a new consumer unit to fix bonding?
No. Bonding is a separate item and can be done on its own. If you are replacing the board anyway, it is done at the same visit.