EICR: Electrical Installation Condition Report

Every private landlord in England must have the electrical installations in their rental property inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. After each inspection, you must obtain a written report, give copies to your tenants and to the local council on request, and carry out any remedial work identified within the required timeframe. This guide explains the legal basis for these duties, what the inspection actually covers, how to understand the report you receive, what you must do when problems are found, and what happens if you do not comply. What is the legal requirement and who does it apply to? The duty to have electrical installations inspected and tested comes from the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, which were made as a UK Statutory Instrument and came into force for new tenancies in 2020 and for all existing tenancies by 1 April 2021. The regulations were updated in 2025 to extend the same duties to the social rented sector, but the core obligations for private landlords remain unchanged. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, No. 312; Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK, November 2025) The regulations apply to all landlords where the tenant has the right to occupy the premises as their only or main residence and pays rent. This covers most standard residential tenancies. The regulations do not apply to a number of excluded tenancy types, including shared accommodation where the tenant shares living accommodation with the landlord or a member of the landlord's family, long leases of seven years or more, student halls of residence, hostels and refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices, other accommodation relating to healthcare provision, and mobile homes, caravans and boats. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Schedule 1; GOV.UK guidance) If your tenancy falls within scope, the obligation applies regardless of how old the property is, how recently it was rewired, or whether you have had the wiring checked privately in the past. What standard must an electrical installation meet? Landlords must ensure that the electrical safety standards set out in British Standard 7671, also known as the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations, are met throughout any period when the property is occupied under a tenancy. British Standard 7671 is published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution. The standard covers the design, erection, and verification of electrical installations. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Regulation 2; GOV.UK guidance) What does the inspection cover? The inspection is of the fixed electrical installations in the property. This means the wiring, socket outlets, light fittings, and the consumer unit, which is sometimes called the fuse box. It also covers permanently connected equipment such as showers and extractor fans, and the circuits provided for specialist equipment such as solar PV systems and battery storage. The inspection does not cover electrical appliances owned by the tenant. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) The inspector will check whether any electrical installations are overloaded, whether there are any potential electric shock risks or fire hazards, whether there is any defective electrical work, and whether there is a lack of earthing or bonding. Earthing and bonding are two separate methods built into electrical installations to prevent electric shocks from occurring. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) Who can carry out the inspection? The inspection and testing must be carried out by a qualified person. The regulations define a qualified person as someone competent to undertake the inspection and testing required and any further investigative or remedial work in accordance with the electrical safety standards. In practice, this means a registered electrician with the relevant qualifications and experience to work to British Standard 7671. There is no single approved register equivalent to the Gas Safe Register for electrical work, but competent person schemes such as NICEIC, NAPIT, and ELECSA are well-established routes for verifying a contractor's qualifications. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Regulation 2) Understanding the report and its classification codes After the inspection, the qualified person must produce a report, which is usually an Electrical Installation Condition Report, commonly referred to by the abbreviation EICR. The report gives the results of the inspection and test and sets a date for the next inspection. The inspector uses a set of standard classification codes to record findings. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) The codes are as follows. Code 1 (C1): Danger present. Risk of injury. This indicates immediate danger. The electrical inspector may make a C1 hazard safe before leaving the premises. If they do not, you must arrange for the work to be done immediately. A C1 finding means the report is unsatisfactory. Code 2 (C2): Potentially dangerous. This indicates a potentially dangerous condition that requires remedial work. A C2 finding also means the report is unsatisfactory. Code 3 (C3): Improvement recommended. This indicates that improvement is recommended but is not required for the report to be considered satisfactory. You do not have to carry out C3 improvements, though doing so would improve safety. A report with only C3 findings is considered satisfactory. Further Investigation (FI): Further investigation required without delay. This indicates that further investigation is needed without delay. The electrical installation should be safe for continued use in the meantime, but you must arrange the further investigation promptly. If the report contains C1 or C2 codes, or an FI code, remedial or investigative work is required. The report will state that the installation is unsatisfactory for continued use. If the report contains only C3 codes, or no codes at all, the report is satisfactory and no further work is required until the next scheduled inspection. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) New builds and recently rewired properties If the property is a new build or has been completely rewired, it should have an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) rather than an EICR. In this situation, landlords can provide the EIC to tenants and to the local council on request. No further inspection and testing is required for five years from the date the EIC was issued, as long as the landlord has complied with their duties under the regulations. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) How and when must you share the report? Once you have the report, a set of specific distribution requirements applies. You must give a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection and test. You must give a copy to any new tenant before they occupy the property. You must give a copy to any prospective tenant within 28 days of receiving a written request from them. You must supply a copy to the local council within 7 days of receiving a written request for it. You must retain the report until the next inspection is due or carried out, whichever is later, unless it is replaced by a more recent report. You must also give a copy to the person who will carry out the next inspection so they can see the history of the installation. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Regulation 3(3); GOV.UK guidance) You do not need to obtain a new EICR before re-letting a property if a valid report already exists, meaning the report was issued less than five years ago and does not require any outstanding remedial or investigative work. In that case, you simply provide the existing report to the new tenant before they move in. A visual inspection before re-letting is recommended as good practice to check that no damage or deterioration has occurred since the last report. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) What you must do when remedial work is required If the report shows that remedial work or further investigation is required, you must ensure the work is completed within 28 days of the date of the inspection, or within any shorter period specified in the report if the inspector considers it necessary. For C1 hazards, the urgency is immediate. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Regulation 3(4); GOV.UK guidance) Once the remedial work is complete, you must obtain written confirmation from the qualified person who carried it out confirming either that the electrical safety standards are now met or, if further work is still needed, what remains outstanding. You must then supply that written confirmation together with a copy of the original report to each existing tenant and to the local council, both within 28 days of the work being completed. Acceptable forms of written confirmation include a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate, or other appropriate electrical certification. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) If the local council has reasonable grounds to believe that you are in breach of your duties and the report indicates that urgent remedial action is needed, it may arrange for that action to be taken itself, with the tenant's consent, and recover the costs from you. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) Financial penalties for non-compliance Local councils may impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 on landlords who are in breach of specified duties under the regulations. This figure applies to offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, following changes introduced alongside the Renters Rights Act 2025. For offences committed before that date, the maximum penalty under the previous framework was £30,000. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK; Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Regulation 11) Before imposing a penalty, the local council must serve a notice of intent, giving you 28 days to make written representations. If the council proceeds, you have a further 28 days to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). The council may impose more than one penalty if the breach continues. The proceeds of financial penalties may be applied by the local council to its enforcement functions relating to the private rented sector. (Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, Schedule 2; GOV.UK guidance) Tenants also have independent routes. Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, tenants can take their own action regarding electrical safety concerns, and they can contact the Housing Ombudsman if they consider the property unsafe. (Source: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance, GOV.UK) What this means for landlords You must have the fixed electrical installations in your rental property inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified electrician. You must obtain the EICR, distribute copies to your existing tenants within 28 days, and give a copy to any new tenant before they move in. You must supply a copy to the local council within 7 days of a written request. If the report identifies C1, C2, or FI issues, you must arrange remedial work within 28 days or sooner if specified, and then provide written confirmation of completion to tenants and the council. You do not need a new inspection before every re-letting as long as the existing report is still valid. Failure to comply can result in a financial penalty of up to £40,000 imposed by the local council. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.