How long is an EICR valid?

For a rented home in England, an EICR is valid for up to five years — or for a shorter period if the report says so. For a home you live in, there’s no legal expiry, but industry guidance recommends a new inspection every ten years. Either way, the date that really counts is the next inspection date the electrician writes on your report.

That’s because an EICR isn’t a certificate with a fixed shelf life. It reports on the condition of the installation on the day it was inspected. The law for landlords, and the inspector’s recommendation for everyone else, decide how long you can rely on it.

How long an EICR lasts, at a glance

What the next inspection date means

Every EICR has a section headed Recommendation for next inspection. The inspector writes a date and the reasons for it: “Subject to the necessary remedial action being taken, I/We recommend that the installation is further inspected and tested before…”

That date is a professional judgement based on the age, condition and use of the installation. It can be sooner than the usual interval — for example if the wiring is old, the property is heavily used, or there were problems the inspector wants rechecked.

Notice the opening words: the recommendation assumes the necessary remedial work is done. An unsatisfactory report with C1 or C2 items still waiting isn’t a clean bill of health for five years.

For landlords, an earlier date on the report is the legal deadline. The regulations require inspection at least every five years, or at the shorter interval the last report gives.

For homeowners, it’s a recommendation. Nothing forces you to re-test, but it’s the inspector’s view of when the installation should be checked again.

Count from the date of the inspection, which is recorded on the report — not from the day the PDF arrived. For landlords, the same date starts the 28-day clock for giving existing tenants their copy.

What a “valid EICR” means to agents and councils

When a letting agent, a licensing team or a council asks for a “valid EICR”, they normally want a report that is still within its next inspection date and is either satisfactory, or unsatisfactory with written confirmationthat the remedial work has been done. A report with C1 or C2 items still outstanding, or one past its date, won’t satisfy them — or the regulations.

Landlords: how the five-year rule works in practice

• A new tenancy doesn’t reset the clock. Government guidance says that if the last inspection was less than five years ago and the report doesn’t require further investigative or remedial work, you don’t need a new inspection before re-letting. You must give the new tenant a copy of the latest report before they move in.
• Remedial work doesn’t extend the report. If the report was unsatisfactory, the work — and any further investigation the report asks for — must be done within 28 days, and you send written confirmation with the report to your tenants and the council. The next inspection date stays the same. See unsatisfactory EICR: what happens next.
• A new build or full rewire comes with five years. A newly built or completely rewired home should have an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC). The guidance says a landlord can give tenants a copy of the EIC and won’t need further checks until five years after it was issued. More in does a new-build home need an EICR?
• Social housing is covered too. Since 1 December 2025, the same duties have applied to social landlords.

When a report goes out of date early

Even inside the five or ten years, some changes make an older report less useful:

• Major electrical work — a rewire, a new consumer unit or new circuits. The new work gets its own certificate, but the rest of the installation still has its old report.
• Damage — a flood, a fire or a leak near the electrics.
• Warning signs — burning smells, scorch marks, buzzing sockets or RCDs that keep tripping.
• A change of occupant. Industry guidance for rented homes recommends inspection every five years or on a change of occupancy. The law doesn’t require a new EICR for each tenancy if the current one is in date and nothing is outstanding — but if the report is near its date, the gap between tenants is a sensible time to renew it.
• Buying or selling. A buyer will want to know the installation’s condition now. See EICRs when selling or buying.

Is your report complete?

An EICR only does its job if it’s complete. Check yours has:

• All the schedules. The report form says it is only valid with the schedule of inspections, the schedule of circuit details and the schedule of test results attached.
• A clear result — satisfactory or unsatisfactory — with every observation coded C1, C2, C3 or FI. See EICR codes explained.
• The next inspection date, with the reasons.
• The inspector’s details and signature, and the extent and limitations of the inspection.

For a rented home, the inspection must be carried out by a qualified person — someone competent to inspect and test to BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations.

Coming soon: expiry dates on the landlord register

Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, private landlords will have to register each rented property on a new database. For London it is planned to open in July 2027, and each property entry is expected to need the current EICR (or EIC) and its expiry date. Knowing your dates now makes registration simpler.

Key points

• Rented homes in England need an inspection at least every five years, or sooner if the report says so.
• For a home you live in, every ten years is the usual recommendation.
• The next inspection date on your report is the one to follow.
• A new tenancy doesn’t need a new EICR if the current one is in date and nothing is outstanding.
• Remedial work doesn’t restart the five-year clock.
• A report is only complete with all its schedules.

Check your date and book in good time

Find the recommendation section on your current report. If the date is coming up, book early enough to fit around your tenants and finish any repairs before it passes. We test every circuit to BS 7671, email the report as a PDF with a clear next inspection date, and arrange access with your tenants or agent. Prices start at £90 inc VAT (£75 + VAT) for a studio to two-bedroom flat with one consumer unit.

Get your price, see our landlord EICR and homeowner EICRservices, or call 07301 010244.