How often do I need an EICR?

At least every five years, or sooner if the report itself recommends an earlier date. The fixed electrical installation in a rented home has to be inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person, and the report they produce is an Electrical Installation Condition Report.

Who has to be given a copy, and when?

Regulation 3(3) names five, on four different clocks.

• Existing tenants: a copy within 28 days of the inspection.
• A new tenant: a copy before they occupy the premises.
• A prospective tenant who asks in writing: the most recent report within 28 days of that request.
• The local housing authority: a copy within seven days of receiving a written request from it.
• The next inspector: a copy, when the next inspection happens.

What happens if the report says work is needed?

Handing the report round is not the end of it. Where the report requires further investigative or remedial work, the landlord has 28 days from the inspection and testing to get it done, or the shorter period the report specifies.

Then a second clock starts. Written confirmation from a qualified person has to say the work was carried out and either that the standards are now met or that further work is still needed, and that confirmation, with a copy of the report, has to reach each existing tenant and the local housing authority within 28 days of the work being completed. Where the confirmation identifies further work, the same duties run again on that work. Where this sits among the other duties is in our 2026 landlord compliance checklist for England.

What does an EICR actually cover?

The fixed electrical installation: the wiring, sockets, consumer unit and permanent fittings. It is required for most private tenancies in England under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, subject to the limited exemptions set out in the Regulations, so check whether your tenancy is covered. The gas side runs on its own clock, which our guide to the landlord gas safety certificate sets out.

Common questions

How often does a landlord need an EICR in England?

At least every five years, or sooner if the report itself recommends an earlier date. The fixed electrical installation has to be inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person. It is required for most private tenancies in England under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, subject to the limited exemptions set out in the Regulations.

Who has to be given a copy of the EICR?

Regulation 3(3) sets out five. Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the inspection. A new tenant gets one before they occupy the premises. A prospective tenant who asks in writing gets the most recent report within 28 days of that request. The local housing authority gets one within seven days of receiving a request in writing from it. And the person carrying out the next inspection gets a copy.

Sources

The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts.

• Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, legislation.gov.uk
• Renting out your property, GOV.UK
• The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3 (the duties that follow the report, including who must be given a copy and by when), legislation.gov.uk