England detail · UK nation check required
Arrange electrical inspection and testing, understand the report and complete required remedial work.
Arrange an electrical safety inspection
Confirm the inspector’s competence, property scope, price and whether remedial work is separate.
What an EICR is
An Electrical Installation Condition Report records inspection and testing of a property’s fixed electrical installation. It is different from portable-appliance testing and from an Electrical Installation Certificate issued for new installation work.
England’s landlord requirement
For tenancies covered by the Electrical Safety Standards regulations in England, the landlord must ensure the installation is inspected and tested by a properly qualified person at least every five years. The report itself can require the next inspection sooner. A copy must be given to an existing tenant within 28 days, to a new tenant before occupation and to the local authority within seven days if lawfully requested.
Required remedial or further investigative work must be completed within the time stated in the report or within 28 days, whichever is sooner, with written confirmation supplied as required. Use the live official guidance for the full process and exemptions.
Read the outcome, not just the date
- C1: danger present; urgent action is required.
- C2: potentially dangerous; remedial work is required.
- FI: further investigation is required without delay.
- C3: improvement recommended; this does not by itself make the report unsatisfactory.
A report with C1, C2 or FI observations is normally unsatisfactory. Ask the inspector to explain scope and priority, arrange the work through a competent person and retain written confirmation.
The rules differ across the UK
Wales requires rental homes to meet the fitness framework, including electrical safety and provision of an EICR. Scotland’s Repairing Standard and Northern Ireland’s private-tenancy electrical regulations use their own processes and copy duties. Do not apply an England-only deadline without checking the correct national source.
Before the inspection
Arrange lawful access, identify every consumer unit and fixed installation within scope, make earlier reports and alteration certificates available, and tell the inspector about faults or recent work. Ask what is included, whether occupied rooms can be tested fully, and how limitations will be recorded.