The following information is provided as a guide for residential landlords in England. Regulations may change (sometimes at short notice) or could vary in other parts of the United Kingdom.
The Electrical Installation Condition Report, sometimes abbreviated to EICR, is quite often simply referred to as the Electrical Safety Certificate. It is a periodic inspection of the electrical installations within your rental property. An EICR should be carried out by a registered electrician and the inspection will check the condition of your property’s wiring, identify wear & tear and see if your property’s electrical installations pose any shock or fire hazards. Remedial work may be required for your rental property to pass the EICR and your electrician will advise on this before issuing you a certificate.
Unlike gas which is optional in a property, all residential rental properties will have some form of electrical installation. Therefore all tenancies in England, regardless of start date, will need to ensure that they have a valid EICR from within the last five years.
Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 failure to be compliant can lead to prosecution and substantial fines can be issued. In addition to this your property insurance may be invalidated and under some circumstances evictions can be blocked. For the most serious cases imprisonment and manslaughter charges may result in the event of deaths caused by faulty systems.
“Many Landlords still don’t realise that the EICR regs apply to all their existing tenants too. In conversation with a landlord, (Michael) when looking to purchase another property it became apparent that he wasn’t aware of the most recent Electrical Regulations and so Galley Properties arranged for all his properties to have an Electrician visit produce EICR Reports and make him compliant which was a weight off his mind.”
– Property Management Team –
The EICR of your rental property needs to be from within the last five years, therefore a new report should be carried out every five years.
After the inspection and testing is carried out, landlords must get a report from the qualified person carrying out the inspection and test, which includes the results of the inspection and test and the date of the next one (EICR). A copy of the report should be provided to each existing tenant on the premises within 28 days of the inspection. If applicable, the landlord must supply a copy of the report to the local housing authority within 7 days of receiving a request from the authority. A copy of the report must be retained and given to the qualified person that carries out the next inspection and test. The landlord must also supply a copy of the most recent report to new tenants and to prospective tenants who request to see it.
It is essential all landlords get proper certification for their properties. All work should be carried out in accordance to:
Having an EICR in place doesn’t mean you can forget about the property’s electrics for five years. Electrical safety should not be taken lightly and as a landlord you need to make sure that the electrics remain in a safe condition throughout the tenancy. It is recommended that you maintain records to show that required repairs have been completed when your tenants have reported them.