OVERVIEW
Private landlords in England are legally required to inspect the fixed electrical installation in every rental property at least once every five years. The inspection is carried out by a qualified person and recorded in an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
The rules apply to all tenancies. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to £40,000 from the local authority.
This post covers what the regulation requires, what's changing, and what landlords need to keep on file.
The regulation.
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require every private landlord to ensure the fixed electrical installation in their property is inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years. The duty applies to both new and existing tenancies.
The regulation covers the fixed installation — wiring, socket outlets, light fittings, the consumer unit, and any permanently connected equipment. It does not cover portable appliances supplied by the landlord, which are subject to separate guidance.
Core requirements.
The table below summarises what landlords must do under the current regulation.
Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
Inspection Interval | Fixed electrical installations must be inspected and tested at least every five years, or sooner if specified in the previous report. |
Qualified Person | Inspections must be carried out by a person qualified and competent to do so. |
Report to New Tenants | A copy of the most recent EICR must be supplied to a new tenant before occupation. |
Report to Existing Tenants | A copy must be supplied to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection. |
Remedial Work | If the report requires remedial or further investigative work, this must be carried out within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies. |
Written Confirmation | After remedial work, written confirmation that the installation meets safety standards must be obtained — typically a Minor Works Certificate or a new EICR. |
Record Retention | A copy of the report must be retained until the next inspection. |
Local Authority Requests | Where a local authority requests a copy of the EICR, the landlord must provide it within seven days. |
What's changing.
Several developments affect landlords' obligations under the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations.
Higher penalties.
The maximum civil penalty for breaches of the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations has increased to £40,000.
Tenant access defence.
Landlords now have a statutory defence where they can demonstrate that they took all reasonable steps to comply with the regulation but were denied access by the tenant. This addresses a long-standing gap where a non-compliant landlord and an obstructive tenant produced the same outcome on paper.
Social housing extension.
Regulatory requirements equivalent to the private rented sector are being extended to social housing, bringing safety standards across rental sectors closer in line.
What an EICR contains.
An EICR records the condition of the fixed electrical installation against the current edition of BS 7671. Each observation made during the inspection is given a code:
C1 — Danger present. Risk of injury. Immediate action required.
C2 — Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action required.
C3 — Improvement recommended. Not a failure, but the inspector has identified a departure from current regulations.
FI — Further investigation required without delay.
Where C1, C2, or FI codes are issued, the report is classified as unsatisfactory. The landlord is required to carry out remedial work and obtain written confirmation that the installation has been brought up to standard.
If your EICR comes back unsatisfactory.
An unsatisfactory result is not a fine in itself — it's a record of work that needs doing. The 28-day clock begins from the date of the inspection. Within that window the landlord must:
Commission the remedial work identified in the report.
Obtain written confirmation of completion (a new EICR or a Minor Works Certificate).
Provide the written confirmation to the tenant and, where requested, the local authority.
Where the work cannot reasonably be completed within 28 days, the report itself may specify a longer timeframe. Landlords should retain documentation of any reasonable steps taken if delays occur.
Practical points for landlords.
An EICR is not a document. It's the record of an inspection. The inspection is what matters.
A few things worth keeping in mind:
Schedule inspections before the previous EICR expires, not on the day. Remedial work after a failed inspection can take time to arrange.
Use a qualified person. The regulation requires the inspector be both qualified and competent — this means appropriate qualifications and recent experience inspecting installations of comparable type.
Keep written records of when reports were issued to tenants. The 28-day requirement is auditable.
If you manage multiple properties, stagger inspections across the year rather than batching them. This spreads cost and reduces the risk of multiple failures arriving simultaneously.
HOW BLS ELECTRICAL CAN HELP
BLS Electrical carries out EICR inspections and remedial works for private and commercial properties across London and England. Reports are issued formally, coded against current regulations, and supplied with the documentation required for compliance.
If your property is approaching its next inspection, or you've received an unsatisfactory report and need remedial work carried out, get in touch.
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