EICRs explained: what landlords actually have to do

The duty, in one paragraph

In England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have the electrical installation in a rented property inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified and competent person, to give a copy of the report to tenants within 28 days, to give it to new tenants before they occupy, and to supply it to the local authority within seven days if it asks. Where the report identifies work as necessary, that work must be completed within 28 days of the report, or sooner if the report says so, with written confirmation supplied to the tenant and to the local authority where it has requested the report.

What the codes mean

An EICR is not a pass or fail document with a single verdict. It is a coded list of observations.

C1 — danger present. Risk of injury exists now. This should be made safe before the electrician leaves the property. A C1 makes the report unsatisfactory.

C2 — potentially dangerous. Not an immediate risk but requires urgent remedial action. A C2 makes the report unsatisfactory.

C3 — improvement recommended. Not a danger and does not make a report unsatisfactory. You are not legally required to act on a C3. Some contractors present C3s as though they were mandatory work; they are not, though there are plenty of C3s worth doing anyway.

FI — further investigation required. Something could not be established during the inspection and needs investigating without delay. An FI also makes the report unsatisfactory.

If your report contains only C3 observations, it is satisfactory and no remedial work is legally required.

The five years is a maximum, not a default

The regulations say "at least every five years", and they also say the inspection must be carried out at intervals not exceeding five years — but the report itself can specify a shorter interval, and where it does, that shorter interval applies. Inspectors frequently specify three years for HMOs or for installations in poor condition.

Where the UK differs

• England — five-yearly under the 2020 Regulations, as above.
• Scotland — five-yearly electrical safety inspection has been a requirement in the private rented sector since December 2015, alongside portable appliance testing of landlord-supplied appliances, under the repairing standard in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.
• Wales — electrical safety testing duties sit within the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 framework, with a five-yearly EICR expectation for occupation contracts.
• Northern Ireland — a separate framework again.

A portfolio that spans the border needs more than one compliance calendar. This is one of the most common causes of an otherwise well-run estate having gaps.

For commercial property

There is no fixed statutory interval for commercial premises. The duty is in the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which requires electrical systems to be maintained so far as is reasonably practicable to prevent danger. Recommended maximum periods between inspections are set out in guidance to BS 7671 and vary considerably by installation type — from one year for some industrial and high-risk environments to five years for general commercial premises.

Practical advice

Book early. An EICR can be carried out before the current one expires without losing anything, and starting three months out gives you room to deal with access failures — which are the single most common reason certificates lapse.

Use one contractor for the inspection and the remedials. Splitting them adds a survey, a delay and an argument about coding. The 28-day clock does not care.

Ask what the coding rationale was. A competent inspector can explain why an observation is a C2 rather than a C3. If nobody can, get a second opinion before spending money.

Keep the reports. Not just the current one — the history matters when a property is sold, when an insurer asks, or when a tenant makes a claim.