Harrow's homes and what they mean for an EICR
Harrow is, at heart, an interwar suburb. Council tax records show 52% of its homes were built between 1919 and 1939, and only about 10% before that. Semi-detached houses are the most common home, lived in by 37% of households.
In a 1930s semi the original wiring has usually been replaced, but often in stages as kitchens were refitted, lofts converted and extensions added. That leaves a patchwork the electrician tests circuit by circuit. Is each circuit protected by an RCD, the switch that cuts the power in an earth fault? Are the main earthing and the bonding to gas and water pipes in place? Can the consumer unit (fuse board) cope with everything now connected to it?
Where a house has been split into flats or let as a shared house, expect more than one consumer unit, and sometimes a separate supply for the hallway and landing lights. Tell us about every board when you book, so the visit allows time for the whole installation.
Letting a property in Harrow
Harrow's selective licensing, previously limited to Edgware and Wealdstone, now covers six wards. Edgware and Roxeth came in on 2 May 2026, Greenhill and Marlborough on 6 July, and Wealdstone North and Wealdstone South on 1 September, each for five years. In those wards most private lets need a licence, and the application asks for an electrical safety certificate — as does the application for a mandatory HMO (house in multiple occupation) licence.
The borough-wide additional scheme for smaller HMOs ran from 6 August 2021 to 5 August 2026, and the council consulted on renewing it between December 2025 and February 2026. Check the current position with the council before letting to three or four sharers. Since the Article 4 Direction of 11 June 2026, a new HMO may also need planning permission.
However the licensing settles, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply to every private let in Harrow. You need an inspection and test at least every five years by a qualified, competent person, and your tenants need a copy of the report. Work on anything coded C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous), and any further investigation the report asks for, has to be finished within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Breaches can cost a landlord up to £40,000.
