EICR explained: electrical safety certificates for homeowners and landlords

An Electrical Installation Condition Report, almost always shortened to EICR, is a formal inspection and test of a property's fixed electrical installation — the wiring, consumer unit, sockets and fittings built into the property — carried out by a qualified electrician. It is not the same as testing individual appliances, which falls under separate portable appliance testing (PAT), and it is worth being clear on that distinction, since an EICR focuses entirely on the fixed installation rather than anything plugged into it.

For landlords in England, an EICR is not optional. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have a valid EICR carried out at least every five years, by someone qualified and competent to do so. The regulations applied to all new tenancies from 1 June 2020 and were extended to cover all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021, so the requirement now applies across the private rented sector regardless of how long a tenancy has been running. Landlords must give tenants a copy of the report, and if the inspection identifies dangerous defects, these have to be put right, with the work confirmed in writing, within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies a shorter deadline. Non-compliance is taken seriously: local authorities can issue fines of up to £30,000 for landlords who fail to meet these obligations.

Homeowners are in a different position. There is no general legal requirement for an owner-occupier to have an EICR carried out on their own home. That said, it is commonly recommended, roughly every ten years for an owner-occupied property, or specifically when you move into a home whose electrical history and maintenance record you do not know. It also tends to come up in a few practical situations even without a legal requirement behind it: when selling a property, since a buyer's solicitor or surveyor sometimes requests one as part of due diligence, and increasingly with insurers, some of whom now ask about the age and condition of a property's electrical installation at renewal, where a recent satisfactory EICR can make that conversation considerably more straightforward.

Understanding the report itself comes down to a small set of standard codes an electrician uses to classify anything found during the inspection, and it is worth knowing what each one actually means before you receive one. A C1 code means "danger present" — an immediate risk to safety, and the affected circuit or area should be made safe right away, sometimes on the spot during the inspection itself. A C2 code means "potentially dangerous" — not an immediate emergency, but a defect that could become dangerous and needs urgent remedial work, typically within the same 28-day window that applies to landlords. A C3 code means "improvement recommended" — this is advisory rather than a sign of a compliance failure, flagging something that does not meet current best practice but is not itself dangerous; for a landlord, a report with only C3 observations, and no C1 or C2 findings, is generally treated as a pass. A further marking, FI (further investigation), means the electrician was unable to fully assess something during the inspection and it needs a closer look before it can be properly classified.

On cost, prices vary meaningfully with the size of the property and the number of circuits being tested, since more circuits simply take longer to check properly. As a general guide, EICR prices commonly range from around £120 for a small property with relatively few circuits up to £600 or more for a larger home with an extensive installation; it is always worth confirming exactly what is included, and getting the price in writing, before booking.

Whether you are a landlord meeting a legal obligation or a homeowner considering one proactively, the report is only as reliable as the electrician carrying it out, so it is worth confirming they are registered with a recognised competent person scheme before booking, in the same way you would for any other notifiable electrical work. This article is general information, not legal advice, and landlords in particular should check current gov.uk guidance directly, since compliance requirements carry real financial and legal consequences if missed. Our directory lists UK electricians by area if you need to book an inspection.

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