Every privately rented home in England must have its fixed electrical installation inspected at least every five years, with the report given to tenants and, on request, the council. It sits alongside the annual gas check as one of the two core safety obligations, and because it only comes round every five years, it is the one landlords most often forget. This guide sets out what the EICR is, the exact timing rules, what the result codes mean, and what happens if yours lapses.
A five-year cycle is easy to lose track of across a portfolio. See how VoxaMTD records every certificate
What an EICR is
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal assessment of the fixed electrical installation in a property: the consumer unit (fuse box), wiring, sockets, light fittings, earthing, and anything permanently connected. A qualified electrician inspects and tests against the BS 7671 wiring standard and produces a written report classifying the installation as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
It is not a PAT test. PAT testing covers portable appliances you plug in, like kettles and lamps; the EICR covers the fixed wiring built into the building. They are separate, and the legal requirement for a standard tenancy is the EICR. Be careful when commissioning one: a cheap "electrical safety certificate" from an unqualified trader is not the same document, and if you buy the wrong thing you can still be non-compliant after paying.
The rules and the timing
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 set the obligations. They have applied to all private tenancies in England since April 2021 for new tenancies and April 2022 for existing ones, which means the first five-year cycle is expiring across 2025 and 2026. A lot of landlords are due a renewal right now and do not realise it.
- At least every five years. The interval runs from the date of the last satisfactory inspection, not from when the tenancy started. If the report recommends a shorter interval, which some older properties get, you must follow that shorter date.
- Qualified person only. You cannot inspect your own property. The electrician must be competent and registered with a recognised scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, Stroma, or ECA, and their registration number should appear on the report.
- The 28-day tenant rule. Existing tenants must receive a copy within 28 days of the inspection. New tenants must receive it before they move in.
- Seven days for the council. If the local authority requests a copy, you have seven days to provide it.
- Book early. Qualified electricians get booked up, especially in student cities around September and October. The sensible move is to book six weeks or more before expiry and keep a record of when you booked, which can count in your favour if a council investigates while you are waiting.
What the result codes mean
The outcome hinges on the classification codes, and one of them is widely misunderstood:
- C1 (danger present): immediate risk. The installation is unsatisfactory and needs urgent remedial work.
- C2 (potentially dangerous): unsatisfactory; remedial work required.
- FI (further investigation): the inspector cannot fully assess without more work; must be resolved.
- C3 (improvement recommended): this does not make the report unsatisfactory and creates no legal duty to act. A report with only C3 observations passes. That said, a C3 carried forward across several cycles may be upgraded by a future inspector, so there is a practical case for addressing them between inspections.
A report with any C1, C2, or FI codes is unsatisfactory. You must arrange the remedial work, generally within 28 days (sooner for C1), get written confirmation it is done, and provide that confirmation to the tenant and, if requested, the council. You cannot legally let a property, or let a new tenant move in, on an unsatisfactory EICR with outstanding C1 or C2 work.
What happens if it lapses
If your EICR has expired, you are in breach now, and the answer is to book an inspection immediately rather than wait. Local authorities enforce these regulations and have done so actively since 2020. They can serve a remedial notice, and if you ignore it they can arrange the work themselves and recover the cost from you. The civil penalty runs to up to £30,000 per breach, and penalties under the new Renters' Rights Act regime are rising, with councils now able to issue penalty notices without going to court first. Each failure is a separate breach, so failing to obtain a report and failing to serve it can draw two penalties, and the £30,000 ceiling is per breach, not per portfolio.
There is also exposure beyond the council. Many buy-to-let mortgages now require a valid EICR as a loan condition, and landlord insurance can be voided if a statutory inspection was overdue when an electrical fire occurs. And as with gas, since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, a missing or invalid EICR can weaken or stall a Section 8 possession claim. The report, and proof you served it on time, are now part of your possession position.
This is the recurring theme across landlord compliance: holding the certificate is half the job, and being able to prove you held it and served it is the other half. How VoxaMTD proves service
This guide covers electrical safety for landlords in England only; Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland differ. It is general information based on guidance current at the time of writing, not legal advice. Check GOV.UK or take advice for your own circumstances.