EICR and Electrical Safety: Landlord's Guide (2020 Regulations)

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to ensure the electrical installation at every let property is inspected by a qualified electrician at least every five years. The Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) certifies whether the installation is safe. Civil penalties of up to £30,000 per breach apply. This page covers what an EICR is, when inspections must happen, the defect classification system, the consequences of failure, and the operational practice that produces consistent compliance.

How the electrical safety regime came about

Electrical safety regulation in the private rented sector came late by comparison with gas safety. Gas safety has been a statutory regime since the 1990s; electrical safety in PRS lettings was largely voluntary until 2020. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 changed that, introducing a mandatory five-yearly electrical inspection regime that mirrors (in approach if not in renewal frequency) the gas safety regime.

The 2020 Regulations apply to every assured tenancy in England — the same scope as the gas safety regime. They require a qualified electrician to inspect the electrical installation at the property, produce an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), and certify whether the installation is safe to remain in use. Civil penalties of up to £30,000 per breach apply, and local authorities have been actively enforcing since 2021.

A surprising number of landlords had no idea about the 2020 Regulations until they faced an enforcement action. The regime is now well-established but compliance levels across the private rented sector remain uneven. Landlords who have not yet engaged with electrical safety should treat it as a priority.

What the EICR is

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal inspection and test of the electrical installation at the property. The “installation” means the fixed wiring — the consumer unit (fuse board), the cabling within the walls, the circuits supplying sockets and lighting, and the earth bonding system. Portable appliances (kettles, toasters, table lamps, plug-in heaters) are covered by a separate regime called PAT (Portable Appliance Testing), which is voluntary in the private rented sector.

The EICR is carried out to the BS 7671 standard (the IET Wiring Regulations, currently in their 18th edition with amendments). The electrician inspects the installation visually and tests it electrically using calibrated equipment. The inspection takes 2-4 hours for a typical residential property; longer for larger properties or where the installation is unusual.

After the inspection, the electrician produces the EICR document recording:

• The address of the property.
• The date of the inspection.
• The qualifications and registration of the inspector.
• A schedule of every circuit tested.
• A list of any defects, classified by severity.
• An overall conclusion: SATISFACTORY (the installation is safe to remain in use) or UNSATISFACTORY (the installation is unsafe and must be remediated).
• The recommended interval before the next inspection.
• The inspector’s signature.

Defect classifications

Defects on an EICR are classified C1, C2, C3, or FI:

• C1 (Danger Present) — immediate risk of injury or fire. The installation cannot remain in use until the C1 defect is rectified. The electrician should make safe immediately (often by isolating the circuit) before leaving.
• C2 (Potentially Dangerous) — the installation poses a risk that requires urgent remediation. The overall report is UNSATISFACTORY until C2 defects are rectified.
• C3 (Improvement Recommended) — the installation does not meet current standards but is not unsafe. The overall report is still SATISFACTORY. C3 defects are recommendations for upgrade rather than mandatory works.
• FI (Further Investigation) — something cannot be assessed without further work. The overall report is UNSATISFACTORY pending the further investigation.

A SATISFACTORY report (no C1, C2, or FI items) is what the landlord needs. UNSATISFACTORY reports require remediation within 28 days; the remediation itself must be done by a qualified electrician and the EICR re-issued (or a separate certificate issued for the works).

When inspections must happen

The 2020 Regulations require:

• Initial inspection before any new tenancy, where the most recent EICR is more than 5 years old or no EICR exists.
• Periodic re-inspection within the period specified on the most recent EICR (typically 5 years, sometimes shorter for older installations or where the inspector has identified specific concerns).
• Maximum interval between inspections is 5 years regardless of what the EICR says.

A property with an EICR dated 15 March 2024 needs the next EICR by 15 March 2029. If the EICR specifies a 3-year interval (because the installation was old or had concerns), the next is due by 15 March 2027.

Important: where a property is being let for the first time, the EICR must be in place before the tenancy starts. A landlord who lets a property without an EICR is in breach from day one of the tenancy.

Providing the EICR to tenants and authorities

The 2020 Regulations require the EICR to be provided to:

• Existing tenants: within 28 days of the inspection.
• New tenants: before they take occupation.
• The local authority: within 7 days of a request. Local authorities periodically request EICRs as part of compliance audits.
• Any prospective tenant on request before the tenancy is granted.

Where remedial works have been carried out, evidence of the works (a written confirmation from the electrician, with their qualifications and Certified Status) must be provided to the tenant within 28 days of completion.

Choosing an inspector

The electrician carrying out the EICR must be “qualified and competent” — the regulations do not specify a particular registration but in practice the standard is membership of one of the recognised competent person schemes:

• NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) — the largest and most widely recognised.
• NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers) — substantial alternative scheme.
• STROMA Certification and ELECSA — smaller schemes, also recognised.

All four schemes operate registers searchable online. The electrician’s name and registration should be verified before booking. Costs typically range from £150-£300 for a one-bedroom flat, £200-£400 for a typical three-bedroom house, more for larger or more complex properties.

The landlord chooses the electrician but should be aware that there is a trade-off between cost and thoroughness. Cheap inspections can produce reports that miss defects and become problematic at adjudication or when the next inspection happens. Mid-priced inspections from established local firms tend to be the right balance.

Penalties for failure

Civil penalties

Local authorities can impose civil penalties up to £30,000 per offence for breach of the 2020 Regulations. The penalty regime is the primary enforcement tool. Common breach scenarios:

• No EICR in place: typical penalty £5,000-£15,000 for a first offence, depending on the local authority’s penalty matrix.
• EICR overdue: typical penalty £3,000-£10,000.
• EICR not provided to tenant: typical penalty £2,000-£5,000.
• Failure to remediate UNSATISFACTORY findings within 28 days: typical penalty £5,000-£15,000.
• Failure to provide EICR to local authority on request: typical penalty £1,000-£5,000.

Multiple breaches across a property compound. A landlord with no EICR who has not provided anything to the tenant and ignores a local authority request can attract penalties of £15,000-£30,000 in a single round.

Other consequences

Like other compliance failures, gas safety failures interact with insurance, possession claims, and (from late 2026) PRS Database registration. A landlord with a long-standing EICR failure faces:

• Insurance claims potentially refused for any electrical-related loss (fire from faulty wiring, water damage from electrical failure).
• Section 8 possession claims attacked on procedural grounds where the failure is materially relevant to the tenant’s position.
• Inability to register on the PRS Database without evidence of compliance, when registration becomes mandatory.

Common landlord mistakes

Treating the EICR as a one-off. The five-year cycle is mandatory. Some landlords do an EICR once, file it, and forget about it; the next cycle catches them by surprise.

Using unqualified electricians. “My builder did the electrics” is not the same as “a qualified electrician registered with NICEIC inspected and tested the installation”. The 2020 Regulations require qualified competent persons.

Ignoring C2 findings. A C2 makes the report UNSATISFACTORY. Some landlords assume “potentially dangerous” means “not actually dangerous, can wait” — this is wrong. Remediation within 28 days is mandatory.

Failing to remediate before re-letting. Where a tenancy ends with an UNSATISFACTORY EICR, the property cannot be re-let until the remediation is done. Some landlords let the new tenancy and try to fit the works in afterward; this is non-compliant from the day the new tenancy starts.

No record of delivery to tenant. Sending the EICR to the tenant without keeping evidence of delivery means the landlord cannot prove compliance with the 28-day rule. Email is fine; just keep the email.

Mixing EICR with PAT. EICR covers fixed wiring; PAT covers portable appliances. They are different inspections. PAT is voluntary in PRS lettings; EICR is mandatory. A PAT certificate is not an EICR and does not satisfy the 2020 Regulations.

Practical operational rhythm

A landlord operating professionally:

1. Knows the EICR date for every property. Maintains a portfolio-wide compliance log with the date of the most recent EICR and the next due date.

2. Schedules inspections 60-90 days before the deadline. Buffer for scheduling, remediation, and certificate processing.

3. Uses a consistent registered electrician where possible. Continuity makes inspections faster and identifies emerging issues earlier.

4. Acts on UNSATISFACTORY reports immediately. Within 28 days is mandatory; sooner is better. Get a quote within 7 days, schedule the works within 14, and get the re-issue within 28.

5. Provides the EICR to the tenant promptly. Within 7 days of receipt is sensible — keeps you well within the 28-day rule.

6. Retains records indefinitely. Old EICRs may be needed to evidence ongoing compliance, particularly where tenancies span inspection cycles.

What about HMOs?

HMO licensing typically requires an EICR as a condition of the licence. The HMO licensing requirements may be more stringent than the 2020 Regulations — some local authorities require shorter inspection intervals (3 years) or additional documentation. See our HMO licensing guide for the licence-specific requirements. The 2020 Regulations apply to HMOs in addition to any licence conditions; the more demanding standard prevails.

Authoritative sources

• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 — the principal regulations.
• NICEIC — find a registered electrician.
• NAPIT.
• Government guidance on the 2020 Regulations.
• BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations) — the technical standard inspectors apply.