Letting a home comes with plenty of paperwork, and the electrical safety report is one piece you can't leave to chance. The rules are strict, councils can fine up to £40,000, and an unsatisfactory report starts a 28-day clock. Here's what the law asks of you, what we do on the day and what happens next — so you can tick it off with confidence.
Do you need a landlord EICR?
Almost certainly, if you let a home in England. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply when a tenant lives in the property as their only or main home and pays rent. That includes HMOs — see our HMO EICR service. The rules have covered new tenancies since 1 July 2020 and all existing tenancies since 1 April 2021, and since 1 December 2025 they apply to social landlords too.
A few types of letting are excluded, including:
- lodgers who share a kitchen or bathroom with you or your family;
- long leases of seven years or more;
- student halls, hostels and refuges;
- care homes, hospitals, hospices and other NHS healthcare accommodation.
Not sure which side of the line you're on? Call us on 07301 010244 and we'll talk it through.
What the law asks of you
- An inspection and test by a qualified person — someone competent to inspect and test to BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations — before a tenancy starts and at least every five years, or sooner if the report says so.
- Copies of the report for existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, for new tenants before they move in, and for anyone hoping to rent within 28 days of their written request. If the council asks in writing, send it a copy within seven days. Keep a copy for the next inspector.
- Remedial work or further investigation that the report requires, finished within 28 days — or sooner if the report says so. Then, within 28 days of finishing, send your tenants and the council written confirmation that it's done, together with the report.
What if you get it wrong?
The council can serve a remedial notice giving you 28 days to do the work. It can arrange urgent work itself, with your tenant's consent, and recover the cost from you. And it can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 — the cap rose from £30,000 on 1 November 2025. You have a defence if you took all reasonable steps (for example, if a tenant refused access), so keep a record of every attempt. Our guide to landlord EICR fines explains how enforcement works.
New tenant, same report?
You don't need a new EICR for every tenancy. If the current report is under five years old and nothing is outstanding, give the new tenant a copy before they move in.
Has the Renters' Rights Act changed anything?
Not for electrical safety. The tenancy changes of 1 May 2026 left the scope of the regulations as it was. The new private rented sector database is planned to open for London on 15 July 2027, and each property entry is expected to need its current EICR (or EIC) and expiry date. Our landlord's guide to EICRs has the full picture.
What happens on the day
- Access. We agree a time with you, your tenant or your agent. You don't need to be there.
- Visual inspection. The electrician checks the consumer unit (fuse board), wiring, sockets, switches, light fittings and fixed appliances for damage, overheating and wear, and confirms the earthing and the bonding to gas and water pipes.
- Testing, circuit by circuit. Continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation. An RCD is the safety switch that cuts the power in a fault.
- Short power cuts. Circuits are switched off for short periods while they're tested, and we tell whoever is at home before anything goes off.
- Anything dangerous? If we find a C1, we tell you straight away and, with your agreement, make it safe — usually by switching off the affected circuit.
A small flat usually takes a few hours. Larger homes take longer.
Your report
The full EICR arrives by email as a PDF. It shows the overall result — satisfactory or unsatisfactory — every observation with its code, the test results for each circuit, anything we couldn't inspect, and when the next inspection is due. See a sample EICR report to know what to expect.
The codes on the latest report forms (BS 7671 Amendment 4, 2026) are:
- C1 — danger present, risk of injury: immediate remedial action is necessary;
- C2 — potentially dangerous: urgent remedial action is necessary;
- C3 — improvement recommended;
- FI — further investigation is advised.
On these forms only a C1 or C2 makes the report unsatisfactory. Older-format reports count an FI too. So our advice to landlords is simple: deal with every C1, C2 and FI within 28 days. EICR codes explainedgoes through each code in more detail.
If your report is unsatisfactory
It happens, especially in older properties, and it can be put right. We explain each item in plain English and give you a clear quote, item by item. You're free to use any qualified electrician. If you use us, our EICR remedial work service includes the certificates you can send to your tenants and the council as written confirmation.
What it costs
A landlord EICR starts at £90 inc VAT (£75 + VAT) for a studio, one or two-bedroom flat with one consumer unit. Larger flats, houses and extra consumer units cost more. Our price checker shows the price wherever one is set, and anything marked "confirmed on booking" is agreed with you on the phone before anything is arranged. Remedial work is always quoted separately — see EICR prices.
Set against a penalty of up to £40,000, and with a report that can last up to five years, it's one of the smaller costs of letting a home.
Tenants, agents and access
Tell us who will let us in — your tenant, your agent or a concierge — and we'll arrange the visit with them. We let tenants know the power will go off for short periods. If a tenant won't give access, keep copies of your letters and messages and offer other dates. We'll rearrange to suit.
How to prepare
- Tell your tenant the date and that the power will be off for short periods.
- Make sure we can reach the consumer unit — clear the cupboard if you can.
- Let us know about anything that must stay on, such as medical equipment.
- Send us your previous EICR if you have one. It helps the electrician.
Why landlords book with us
- The price first. You see it, with VAT, before you book.
- Tested properly. Every circuit, to BS 7671 — not a quick look at the fuse board.
- Paperwork ready to use. A PDF report you can forward to tenants, your agent or the council.
- Plain English. Every code explained, with no obligation to use us for any fixes.
- Insured. £5m public liability insurance.
- All of London. All 32 London boroughs and the City of London.
- No surprises. Nothing is booked until we call to confirm the details.
Book your landlord EICR
Get your price — tell us about the property, choose a preferred date and a morning or afternoon, and we'll call to confirm. Prefer to talk it through? Call us on 07301 010244.