Electrical safety checks became a firm legal duty for private landlords in England in 2020, and by now they apply to every tenancy. The rule is straightforward in principle: the fixed electrical installation in your rented property must be inspected and tested at least every five years, and you must act on what the inspection finds. The detail is where landlords slip up.
What has to be checked, and how often
The duty covers the fixed electrical installation. That means the wiring, the sockets, the light fittings, the consumer unit, and everything permanently connected. It does not cover the tenant's own appliances such as a kettle or a television, though separate good practice on portable appliance testing exists for anything you supply.
The inspection has to happen at least every five years, and before a new tenancy in a property that has not been tested within that window. Some older installations, or ones flagged by a previous inspector, may need testing more often, and the report will say so.
Who can do it
The inspection must be carried out by a qualified and competent person. In practice that means a registered electrician who is a member of a recognised scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA. Ask for their qualifications and scheme membership before they start. This is not work to hand to a general handyman.
The EICR and its codes
After the inspection you receive an Electrical Installation Condition Report. The report is not just a pass or fail. It grades the findings using a set of codes, and the codes tell you what you have to do next.
- C1 means danger present, with a risk of injury. This is the serious one, and it needs remedial work immediately.
- C2 means potentially dangerous. It also requires remedial work, urgently.
- FI means further investigation is needed without delay.
- C3 means improvement recommended. This one is advisory, not a legal requirement to fix, though it is often sensible to.
If the report comes back with any C1, C2 or FI, the installation is not satisfactory, and you have 28 days to carry out the remedial work, or sooner if the report specifies a shorter period. Once the work is done, you get written confirmation from the electrician that the installation now meets the standard.
The paperwork and deadlines
You must give a copy of the report to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection, and to a new tenant before they move in. If your local council asks for a copy, you have seven days to supply it. Where remedial work was needed, you must supply written confirmation that it has been completed to the tenant and, if requested, the council within 28 days.
Keep the report until the next inspection is due, and give the next inspector the previous one, because it helps them see what has changed.
Penalties
A council that finds you have breached the rules can impose a financial penalty of up to £30,000. In urgent cases the council can arrange the remedial work itself and bill you. The penalty is high enough that the cost of a routine inspection looks small by comparison, which is the point.
Practical points
Book the inspection with enough time before the deadline to fix anything the report throws up. A C2 finding with a 28-day clock is much easier to handle if you found it two months before the tenancy renewal than the week of it.
If you use a managing agent, agree in writing that they will arrange the inspection, chase any remedial work, and send you the report and the completion certificate. As with gas, the legal duty stays with you, so keep your own record of when the next test falls due. The five-year cycle makes this easy to forget, precisely because it comes around so rarely. Diarise the next date the moment you receive a satisfactory report.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and they change. Check the current position or take professional advice before acting.
