5-year legal requirement — all private rentals in England

EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report for London Landlords

5-year mandatory inspection for private rental properties in England. Carried out by qualified electricians to BS 7671. Digital certificate within 24 hours.

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An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal assessment of the fixed electrical installation in a rental property — covering all wiring, consumer units, sockets, switches, and earthing arrangements — carried out against British Standard BS 7671, 18th Edition. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/312), as amended by SI 2025/1043, all private landlords in England must have an EICR carried out at least every five years, or sooner if the report recommends it. The Regulations took effect for new tenancies from 1 April 2021 and for all existing tenancies from 1 April 2022. The inspection must be issued by a qualified and competent person — in practice a NICEIC- or NAPIT-registered electrician — and provided to tenants within 28 days of inspection.

What's Checked During an EICR

Fixed wiring condition — all circuits inspected for deterioration, damage, overloading, and compliance with BS 7671

Consumer unit / fuse board — type, labelling, condition, and suitability of circuit protection devices

Earthing and bonding — main earthing conductor, supplementary bonding at bathrooms and kitchens where required

RCDs and circuit breakers — testing and timing verification of all residual current devices and overcurrent protection

Sockets, switches, and accessories — visual inspection and testing of all accessible fixed electrical accessories

Identifying fault codes — classification of any findings as C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended), or FI (further investigation)

Remedial recommendations — written schedule of any required work with timescales specified in the report itself

Legal Requirements at a Glance

RequirementDetail
Renewal frequencyEvery 5 years, or sooner if the EICR report recommends it.
Effective forAll private rental properties in England. New tenancies from 1 April 2021; existing tenancies from 1 April 2022.
Tenant copyWithin 28 days of the inspection.
New tenant copyBefore moving in.
Local authority on requestWithin 7 days of receiving the request.
Issued byQualified and competent person — typically a NICEIC- or NAPIT-registered electrician.
Penalties for non-complianceUp to £40,000 civil penalty per breach, imposed by the local housing authority (not a court). (Raised from £30,000 effective 1 November 2025 by SI 2025/1043.)
Remedial work deadline28 days for C1, C2, or FI-coded faults (or sooner if specified). Written confirmation must be sent to tenants and the local authority within 28 days of completion.
StandardBS 7671, 18th Edition (Amendment 2:2022).
Legal basisElectrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/312), amended by SI 2025/1043.

Source: gov.uk — Electrical safety standards guidance (updated November 2025) · Electrical Safety First — Private landlords in England

Understanding the EICR Codes

Every EICR inspection uses a standard coding system. The codes determine whether your EICR result is satisfactory or unsatisfactory — and what action you must take.

CodeMeaning
C1
Danger present
Immediate risk of injury. The inspector will typically advise making the installation safe before leaving the property.
C2
Potentially dangerous
Not immediately life-threatening but poses an urgent safety risk. Remedial work must be completed within 28 days of the EICR date.
C3
Improvement recommended
Advisory only — no immediate risk. A C3 code does NOT result in an unsatisfactory EICR and carries no mandatory remedial deadline.
FI
Further investigation required
The inspector cannot make a full assessment without further investigation. Treated as unsatisfactory until the investigation is completed.

Key rule: A C1, C2, or FI result means your EICR is unsatisfactory and remedial work must be completed within 28 days. A C3 result alone does not fail the EICR — it is advisory only and carries no mandatory remedial deadline.

Who Needs an EICR

Buy-to-Let Landlords

Mandatory for all private rental properties in England under SI 2020/312. The 5-year inspection applies to all AST tenancies.

HMO Operators

HMO landlords must comply with the Regulations for each property — often subject to additional HMO licence conditions requiring shorter inspection intervals.

Airbnb & Short-Let Hosts

Short-lets fall outside the strict scope of SI 2020/312 but hosts retain a duty of care under other legislation. We strongly recommend an EICR for any let property.

Property Managers

Managing agents acting on behalf of private landlords must ensure EICR obligations are met — including 28-day tenant notification and remedial work deadlines.

How Mainteniq Delivers Your EICR

1

Book via WhatsApp or phone

Tell us the property type, approximate age, and number of circuits. We match the right qualified electrician and schedule at a time that suits you or your tenant.

2

Qualified electrician attends

Full inspection and test carried out to BS 7671, 18th Edition. All fixed wiring, consumer units, RCDs, earthing, and bonding assessed and tested.

3

Digital certificate within 24 hours

Your EICR is issued digitally with a full schedule of findings. Ready to send to tenants and your letting agent the same or next day.

4

Remedial work coordination if needed

C1, C2, or FI findings? We coordinate qualified electricians for remedial work within the 28-day deadline and provide written confirmation for your records.

Regulatory Guidance & Standards

gov.uk — Official EICR guidance for landlordsElectrical Safety First — Private landlords in EnglandNICEIC — Electrical certification

Mainteniq holds NICEIC Domestic Ventilation certification (DV-02, ref. 24/DV-2/288/2936, valid to March 2029). All EICR inspections are coordinated with qualified and competent registered electricians.

Book Your EICR Inspection Today

Serving London landlords across all 32 boroughs and a 120-mile radius. Digital certificate within 24 hours. Remedial work coordination included if required.

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Also need CP12, PAT testing, or TM44? View all compliance certificates →

EICR FAQs for London Landlords

At least every five years, or sooner if the EICR report itself recommends a shorter interval. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/312) require private landlords to have a full inspection and test carried out at least once every five years. However, the qualified electrician who carries out the EICR has authority to specify a shorter interval — for example, three years for a property with older wiring. That recommended interval becomes the operative deadline for the next inspection. The Regulations have applied to all new tenancies since 1 April 2021 and all existing tenancies since 1 April 2022.

C1 and C2 are the two fault classifications that make your EICR result unsatisfactory and trigger a mandatory 28-day remedial deadline. C1 (Danger present) means there is an immediate risk of injury — an inspector will typically advise making the installation safe before leaving the property. C2 (Potentially dangerous) means the fault is not immediately life-threatening but requires urgent attention. Both C1 and C2 require remedial work to be completed and written confirmation sent to the tenant and local housing authority within 28 days of the EICR date, or sooner if the report specifies. A C3 code (Improvement recommended) is advisory only and does not fail the EICR — no mandatory remedial deadline applies.

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply specifically to properties let on assured shorthold tenancies. Short-term holiday lets and Airbnb-style accommodation are typically not let on ASTs and fall outside the strict scope of SI 2020/312. However, short-let hosts and holiday let operators retain a duty of care to ensure electrical safety under other legislation, including the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. We strongly recommend booking an EICR for any property regularly let to paying guests — both as a safety measure and to demonstrate due diligence in the event of an electrical incident.

28 days from the date of the EICR inspection, or sooner if the report specifies a shorter timeframe. This deadline applies to all faults coded C1 (Danger present), C2 (Potentially dangerous), or FI (Further investigation required). Once remedial work is completed, landlords must obtain written confirmation from the electrician and send copies to all tenants and to the local housing authority within 28 days of the work being completed. C3-coded items (Improvement recommended) carry no mandatory deadline. Non-compliance with the 28-day remedial requirement is treated as a separate breach of the Regulations and can attract a further financial penalty of up to £40,000.

Yes. If your EICR identifies C1, C2, or FI-coded faults requiring remedial action, Mainteniq coordinates qualified electricians to carry out the work. The scope varies considerably — from a single faulty socket or outdated consumer unit to rewiring of individual circuits — and all remedial work is priced according to the specific findings in your report. Contact us via WhatsApp or phone with a copy of your EICR and we will provide a quote. We typically schedule remedial work within the 28-day deadline and provide written confirmation of completion for your records and for the local housing authority.