Hand over the keys without a current EICR and you are breaking the law. Since the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, every private landlord in England carries that duty, and a failure can cost up to £30,000. Here is exactly what is required, what an Unsatisfactory report forces you to do, and what you must put in your tenant's hands.
Guide · Electrical
Landlord EICR duties in 2026.
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 made EICRs a legal requirement for private landlords. What is required, what an Unsatisfactory report means, and what you must give tenants.
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The law
What the 2020 Regulations require
Electrical installations in a private rented property in England must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at intervals of no more than five years, producing an Electrical Installation Condition Report. The duty sits with the landlord, not the tenant. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own frameworks with similar principles but different specifics.
Unsatisfactory report
What you must do
- 1
Fix within 28 days
An EICR is Unsatisfactory with any C1, C2 or FI observation. Remedial work must be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. A C1 means danger present and must be made safe immediately.
- 2
Get written confirmation
Once work is done, the electrician must confirm in writing that it is complete and the installation is satisfactory.
- 3
Give it to the tenant
Provide that confirmation to the tenant and retain a copy. The obligation is then discharged until the next inspection.
Documentation
What landlords must give tenants
Give a copy of the current EICR to any new tenant before they occupy, to an existing tenant within 28 days of a request, and to the local housing authority within 7 days of a request. Failing to provide it can result in a civil penalty of up to £30,000.
Quickler
Deliver the certificate the moment the job is done
Electricians using Quickler complete the EICR through WhatsApp and email the PDF to the landlord in one click, with no transcription and no delay.
The short version
- EICRs are a legal requirement across the private rented sector in England under the 2020 Regulations.
- Inspect and test at least every five years, or sooner if the report says so.
- A new tenancy needs a current, valid EICR before the tenant moves in.
- An Unsatisfactory EICR (any C1, C2 or FI) means remedial work within 28 days, or sooner.
- The electrician must confirm in writing that the work is complete and the installation is satisfactory.
- Fail to provide the EICR on request and you face a civil penalty of up to £30,000.
The law
What the 2020 Regulations actually require
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force in stages. By 1 April 2021 they applied to every tenancy in the private rented sector in England, new and existing alike.
The core duty is simple. The electrical installations in a private rented property must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at intervals of no more than five years. The output is an Electrical Installation Condition Report, which lands as either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
The duty sits with the landlord. Tenants do not arrange EICRs. Managing agents carry the same obligation where the landlord has handed them that responsibility. The Regulations apply to England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own frameworks.
Timing
When you actually need one
A new EICR is required before a new tenancy begins. You cannot hand a property to new tenants without a current, valid report in place. But if your last EICR came back Satisfactory three years ago, it still stands. There is no rule forcing a fresh report for each tenancy unless the five-year period has elapsed or the report says otherwise.
That five-year maximum is a ceiling, not a target. An installation with real age, condition concerns, or a history of defects may warrant a three-year or even annual re-inspection. The electrician sets that period in the report, and you must comply with it.
There is no exemption for new wiring. A property rewired last year still needs an EICR before a new private rented tenancy begins. The Regulations do not distinguish old from new.
Documentation
What you must put in tenants' hands
The paperwork rules under the 2020 Regulations are precise. Before a new tenant occupies, give them a copy of the current EICR. This is a condition of the tenancy, not a courtesy.
For an existing tenant, provide a copy within 28 days of a written request. Provide a copy to the local housing authority within 7 days of a request.
After any remedial work, obtain written confirmation from the electrician that the work is done and the installation is now satisfactory. Hand that confirmation to the tenant within 28 days of completion, and keep a copy as your record.
Fail to provide the EICR when required and you face a civil penalty of up to £30,000. Local housing authorities hold enforcement powers and can order electrical safety works.
Unsatisfactory report
When the report comes back Unsatisfactory
An EICR is Unsatisfactory the moment it carries one or more C1, C2 or FI observations. A Satisfactory report may still list C3 observations; those are recommendations, not defects, and do not make the report Unsatisfactory.
Receive an Unsatisfactory EICR and you must get all required remedial work completed within 28 days of receiving the report, or within any shorter period the report specifies. You must also give the tenant a copy of the Unsatisfactory EICR as soon as reasonably practicable, and no later than 28 days after receiving it. The tenant does not need to ask.
But a C1 (danger present) means there is a risk of injury, and it is not a 28-day problem. The electrician who finds one must advise the landlord, or the managing agent, not to use the affected part of the installation until remedial work is done. The circuit must be made safe immediately.
Once the work is done, the electrician confirms in writing that it is complete and the installation is satisfactory. You pass that on, and the obligation is discharged until the next five-year inspection.
Competence
Finding an electrician who counts as qualified
The 2020 Regulations require inspections by a "qualified person": someone competent to inspect and test electrical installations, with the knowledge, skill and experience to prevent danger or injury. The simplest way to identify one is registration with a competent person scheme.
The main schemes for electrical work in England are:
- NICEIC: National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting
- NAPIT: National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers
- ELECSA: part of the NICEIC Group
- SELECT: the Electrical Contractors' Association of Scotland
Registration is not the only route to proving competence, but it is the cleanest, and it gives you evidence the electrician has been assessed. Commission an EICR from an unregistered electrician and you carry greater risk in any dispute over the inspection. Always ask for evidence of registration and check the scheme's online register. The NICEIC contractor search is public.
Quickler
Get the certificate to the landlord the moment the job is done
Getting the EICR from the engineer's hands to the landlord's inbox has always been slow. The engineer fills in the report, drives back to the office, it gets typed up or uploaded, and the PDF lands a day or two later.
Electrician firms using Quickler deliver the EICR PDF to the landlord by one-click email straight from the job record, the moment the report is complete on site. The PDF is generated at the end of the WhatsApp-based workflow. No transcription, no delay, no chasing.
For landlords running multiple properties, that means faster compliance documentation and a cleaner audit trail, both of which matter the day a local housing authority asks for records. See EICR software for electricians, EICR codes explained, and the EICR checklist.
Questions, answered
How often must a landlord have an EICR done?
At least every five years, or sooner if the report specifies a shorter interval. The five-year maximum applies across the private rented sector in England under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020.
What must a landlord give a tenant after an EICR?
Under the 2020 Regulations, give a copy of the current EICR to any new tenant before they occupy the property, to any existing tenant within 28 days of a request, and to the local housing authority within 7 days of a request.
What happens if an EICR comes back Unsatisfactory?
Arrange for all remedial work to be completed within 28 days, or within any shorter period the report specifies. After completion, the electrician must provide written confirmation that the work is done and the installation is satisfactory. Provide that confirmation to the tenant and retain a copy.
Does the EICR requirement apply in Scotland and Wales?
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply in England only. Scotland has separate requirements under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and associated guidance. Wales operates under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 framework. The principles are broadly similar but the specific obligations differ by nation.
Electrical compliance