EICR Certificate: Landlord Guide

An EICR, or Electrical Installation Condition Report, is the outcome of an inspection carried out by a qualified electrician to check that the fixed electrical wiring, sockets, switches and consumer unit in a rented property are safe. It is not a check of appliances like kettles or washing machines, which is a separate, voluntary PAT test. An EICR looks at the fixed installation itself: the wiring behind the walls, the consumer unit, and everything permanently connected to it.

If you let a residential property in England, you have a legal duty to have this inspection carried out at least every five years, and to give tenants a copy of the report. The rules are specific about timing, about what happens if the report flags a problem, and about what you must do with the paperwork afterwards, so it is worth understanding the detail rather than treating it as a box-ticking exercise.

What EICR stands for and what it covers

EICR stands for Electrical Installation Condition Report. An electrician tests the property's fixed wiring and connected electrical fittings against the UK wiring standard (BS 7671) and records the condition of each circuit, the consumer unit, earthing and bonding, and any visible damage or non-compliant work. The result is a written report listing any observations, each one coded by severity, plus an overall verdict of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

This is different from a Portable Appliance Test (PAT), which checks individual plug-in appliances rather than the building's wiring, and different from a Gas Safety Certificate, which covers gas appliances and flues rather than electrics. A property can need all three types of check, since they cover entirely different systems. Our guide to landlord electrical safety covers how EICRs fit alongside other electrical duties, including portable appliance testing where it applies.

Only a qualified and competent electrician should carry out the inspection. In practice, that means someone registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA, or a member of a relevant professional body. Asking to see registration before booking a visit is a reasonable and normal request, and most reputable electricians expect it. Avoid choosing a contractor purely on price, since a rushed or incomplete inspection can miss genuine faults, leaving you exposed if something later goes wrong.

Legal duty for landlords

Since 1 June 2020, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords of most residential tenancies in England to:

• Have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at intervals of no more than five years.
• Obtain a report from that inspection, giving the date of the next inspection.
• Supply a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection.
• Supply a copy to any new tenant before they occupy the property, and to a prospective tenant if they ask.
• Supply a copy to the local housing authority within seven days if they request it.

These regulations apply in England. Landlords in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are subject to separate but broadly similar duties under their own housing legislation, so always check the specific rules for the nation the property is in rather than assuming England's regulations apply directly. Since the requirement is a maximum interval of five years, you can renew earlier if a report recommends it, or if you are re-letting a property and want up-to-date paperwork for new tenants.

C1, C2, C3 and FI codes

When an electrician finds an issue, they record it against one of four classification codes. Understanding these codes helps you judge how urgently to act:

• C1: Danger present. There is a risk of injury, and the electrician should normally make the installation safe immediately, even if that means isolating part of the supply during the visit.
• C2: Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action is required. The installation is not immediately dangerous, but a fault could become dangerous if left.
• C3: Improvement recommended. The installation does not meet current wiring standards but is not necessarily dangerous. This is advisory, not compulsory, though many landlords choose to act on it anyway.
• FI: Further investigation required. The electrician could not fully assess something during the inspection and recommends a closer look.

A report is marked "unsatisfactory" if it contains any C1, C2 or FI observations. A report with only C3 observations, or none at all, is marked "satisfactory." The overall satisfactory or unsatisfactory verdict is what matters most for compliance, since it determines whether you have a legal duty to act before the next scheduled inspection.

As a worked example, an EICR on an older terraced house might record a C2 against an outdated fuse board with no residual current device (RCD) protection on socket circuits, alongside a C3 recommending the consumer unit be upgraded to a modern metal-clad enclosure. The C2 triggers the 28-day remedial work duty because it is urgent. The C3 does not legally require action by a set deadline, though many landlords choose to fix both issues in a single visit from the electrician, since separating the work into two call-outs usually costs more overall.

Remedial work

If your EICR comes back unsatisfactory, you must arrange for the necessary remedial work, further investigation, or further work identified as necessary, to be carried out by a qualified person within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report specifies an earlier deadline for a C1 finding. Once the work is done, you need written confirmation from the electrician that it has been completed, and you must supply that confirmation, along with the original report, to the tenant and to the local authority (if requested) within 28 days of completing the work.

In practice, this means budgeting time and, often, cost into any letting cycle where the previous EICR is close to expiry or already flagged issues. Waiting until a report comes back before thinking about a contractor risks missing the 28-day window, particularly for older properties or rewiring work that needs scheduling around a tenancy. If you are unsure whether a specific finding needs immediate action, ask the inspecting electrician directly, since they set the deadline for C1 issues based on what they found on site.

It is also worth asking the electrician to quote for likely remedial work at the same time as the inspection, rather than waiting for the written report to arrive before you start sourcing a contractor. Many electricians who carry out EICRs are also able to complete straightforward remedial work themselves, such as replacing a faulty socket or adding RCD protection, which can shorten the gap between an unsatisfactory finding and having it fixed. For anything more involved, such as a full rewire, get a second quote before committing, since the cost range between contractors can be wide.

Storage and typical costs

Keep the EICR, and evidence of any remedial work, for the life of the report, which in most cases means until the next inspection five years later. As with other compliance certificates, a digital copy stored against the property record is more reliable than a paper file, especially if you manage more than one property or the tenancy changes hands during that five-year period.

Costs depend heavily on property size, number of circuits, age of the wiring and whether any remedial work is needed on top of the inspection fee itself. A single flat with a modern consumer unit will generally cost less to test than a larger, older house with more circuits and an ageing installation. Get quotes from a few registered electricians (looking for NICEIC, NAPIT or a similar competent person scheme) rather than assuming a single quoted price applies everywhere, and see our EICR certificate cost guide for a closer breakdown of what drives the price up or down.

How Property HQ helps

Property HQ tracks your EICR renewal dates alongside gas safety, EPC and licensing deadlines in one compliance register, so you get a reminder well before the five-year window closes rather than finding out when a tenant or local authority asks for a copy. It also gives you somewhere to log remedial work and store the confirmation paperwork against the right property. For the full list of certificates most portfolios need to track, see our landlord certificates checklist.

Disclaimer

This guide is general information for UK landlords, not legal or electrical safety advice. Electrical inspections and remedial work must be carried out by a qualified and competent person. Check GOV.UK for the current regulations that apply to your property's nation.