Who Needs an EICR? Landlords, Homeowners & Businesses

Everybody who owns or manages a building needs to know its electrics are safe. Only some of them are legally obliged to prove it. The difference matters, because it changes how often you need an EICR and what happens if you do not have one.

Landlords and letting agents

This is the group with an actual legal duty. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, every privately rented home in England must have its fixed installation inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person.

The obligations do not stop at the test itself:

• A copy of the report goes to existing tenants within 28 days, and to new tenants before they move in.
• Any observation coded C1, C2 or FI must be remedied within 28 days of the report date, with written confirmation to the tenant.
• The local authority can request a copy within seven days of asking, and can impose penalties of up to £30,000 per breach.

If you manage a portfolio, the practical answer is to align renewal dates rather than chase each property separately. We are happy to schedule a block of inspections and issue the packs together.

Homeowners

There is no legal requirement to test your own home, but there is a strong recommendation: every ten years for an owner-occupied property, or sooner if the installation is older, has been extended, or shows any of the usual warning signs — breakers that trip for no obvious reason, scorch marks at a socket, or a fuse board that still uses rewirable fuses.

Most homeowners book one for a simple reason: they want to know. An EICR is the only document that tells you the condition of wiring you cannot see.

Buyers and sellers

A survey will tell a buyer that the property has electrics. It will not tell them whether those electrics are safe — surveyors routinely recommend a specialist electrical report and leave it there.

For buyers, an EICR turns an unknown into a number you can budget for. For sellers, having one ready removes a common late-stage negotiating point and shows the property has been looked after.

Businesses and commercial premises

Employers and building operators have a duty of care to staff, customers and visitors under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. In practice that means periodic inspection and testing, typically every five years for offices and shops, and more frequently for higher-risk environments — commercial kitchens, workshops, and anywhere with heavy or wet plant.

Insurers and landlords of commercial units almost always ask to see a current report, and often make it a condition of the lease.

What if the property is empty, or brand new?

A new-build or a fully rewired property will have an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) rather than an EICR. That certificate covers the installation as built, and the clock for your first EICR normally starts from its date — five years for a rental.

An empty property still needs a valid report before a new tenancy begins. Testing between tenancies is usually the easiest window: full access, no disruption, no negotiating around anyone’s working day.

Tell us about your property and we will confirm what you need, what it costs, and when we can be there.