EICRs for letting agents: a practical checklist

The law puts the EICR duty on the landlord — but on a managed let, the letting agent usually makes it happen. The agent books the inspection, arranges access with the tenant, sends out the report and chases any repairs. When something slips, the landlord faces the council, and the agent has to explain what went wrong.

This checklist sets out what the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require, and a simple way to run it across a portfolio.

First, agree who does what

The regulations don’t mention agents: every duty sits with the landlord. So your management agreement should say clearly:

• who books and pays for inspections;
• who authorises remedial work, and up to what amount without asking first;
• who sends reports and confirmations to tenants and the council;
• where the records are kept.

Remember the Tenant Fees Act 2019 applies to agents too. You can’t charge tenants for the EICR, or for arranging it: the government’s guidance says “You cannot charge your tenant any payment that is not on this list.” See who pays for an EICR.

The checklist

1. Keep a register of every property

For each address, record the date of the last inspection, the result, the next inspection date, any outstanding items and where the report is saved. The next inspection date is in the report’s recommendation section — if it’s sooner than five years, that earlier date is the legal deadline.

2. Book in good time

Aim to book two to three months before the next inspection date. That leaves room to rearrange access and to finish any repairs before the report runs out. Void periods are ideal: no one to disturb, and every room is accessible.

A new tenancy doesn’t need a new EICR if the current report is less than five years old and doesn’t require any further investigative or remedial work — but the new tenant must have a copy before they move in.

3. Arrange access properly

Give the tenant written notice. For most tenancies, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 allows entry at reasonable times of day to view the property’s condition, on at least 24 hours’ notice in writing. Explain that the power will be off for short periods, ask about anything that must stay on, and confirm who will let the electrician in.

If a tenant won’t give access, keep a record of every attempt. The government guidance says a landlord isn’t in breach if they can show they took all reasonable steps — your dated emails and letters are that evidence.

4. Check the report before you send it

The report form says it is only valid with its schedules attached — the schedule of inspections, circuit details and test results. Before you file it, check:

• the overall result: satisfactory or unsatisfactory;
• every observation and its code (C1, C2, C3 or FI);
• the schedule of test results — every circuit should have its readings;
• the extent and limitations — were any rooms or consumer units missed?
• the next inspection date and the inspector’s details.

If a limitation left part of the property untested, arrange a return visit.

5. Send copies on time

Record the date and how each copy was sent. If you email it, keep the sent message.

6. Run the 28-day repair clock

If the report is unsatisfactory, the remedial work — and any further investigation the report calls for — must be done by a qualified person within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says so. Then:

1. get written confirmation that the work is complete;
2. send it, with the report, to the tenants and the council within 28 days of the work being finished;
3. file both with the property’s records.

If work genuinely can’t be finished in time, the landlord isn’t in breach if they can show they took all reasonable steps — so record every step. More in unsatisfactory EICR: what happens next.

7. Check licensing conditions

HMOs and homes in selective or additional licensing areas often come with licence conditions about electrical safety, and councils commonly ask for a current EICR. Our area pages summarise each London council’s schemes, and our guide to HMO electrical safety explains how HMO licensing fits in.

8. Cover the other checks at check-in

On the first day of each new tenancy, landlords must check that the smoke alarms (one on each storey with living accommodation) and carbon monoxide alarms (in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance, except gas cookers) work. If a property needs new alarms, you can arrange smoke alarm installation at the same time as the EICR.

9. Get ready for the landlord register

Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, private landlords will have to register every 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. If your register already holds those dates and PDFs, registration becomes a simple job.

Common slip-ups to avoid

• Filing only the summary page. Without the schedules, the report isn’t complete.
• Counting from the wrong date. Five years — and the 28 days for tenants’ copies — run from the date of the inspection, not the day the PDF arrived.
• Missing an earlier date. If the report recommends the next inspection sooner than five years, that date is the deadline.
• Assuming repairs reset the clock. Remedial work doesn’t extend the report; the next inspection date stays the same.
• Forgetting the council. Written confirmation of remedial work goes to the tenants and the council.
• Charging for missed appointments. The Tenant Fees Act only allows default fees for late rent and lost keys or security devices.

Key points

• The legal duty is the landlord’s, so put who does what in writing.
• Track the next inspection date for every property — the report’s own date if it’s sooner than five years.
• Give tenants the report within 28 days of the inspection, and new tenants before they move in.
• Fix C1 and C2 items (and any FI the report requires) within 28 days, then send written confirmation to the tenants and the council.
• Keep evidence of every step, including access attempts.
• Never charge tenants for the EICR.

Working with us

We arrange access directly with your tenants, test every circuit to BS 7671 and email a PDF report that’s ready to send on, with every code explained in plain English. If repairs are needed, you get a clear quote, with no obligation to use us. We carry £5m public liability insurance and cover all 32 London boroughs and the City of London.

Prices start at £90 inc VAT (£75 + VAT) for a studio to two-bedroom flat with one consumer unit. See our landlord EICR and HMO EICR services, get a price, or call 07301 010244 to talk about your portfolio.