Landlord EICR rules in England: every 5 years, 28 days, and fines up to £40,000

The rules in one place

The law is the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The government’s guidance for landlords, tenants and councils was updated in 2025 when the rules were extended to social housing. Here is what they require.

Duty	Deadline
Inspect and test the fixed electrical installation	At least every 5 years, or sooner if the last report says so
Give a copy of the report to an existing tenant	Within 28 days of the inspection
Give a copy to a new tenant	Before they move in
Give a copy to a prospective tenant who asks	Within 28 days of the request
Give a copy to the council if asked	Within 7 days of the request
Carry out remedial or further investigation work	Within 28 days, or a shorter period if the report says so
Confirm in writing that the work is done, to the tenant and the council	Within 28 days of finishing the work
Keep a copy of the report	To give to the next inspector

The written confirmation step is easy to miss. The 2020 regulations ask landlords to send the tenant and the council written confirmation that the remedial work is complete, within 28 days of finishing it. Keep the electrician’s certificate for the repair with it.

Who is a “qualified person”

The guidance describes a qualified person as someone competent to carry out the inspection and testing. In practice that means an electrician with the right training and insurance, working to the current wiring standard. Many landlords use someone registered with a competent person scheme, because those schemes check members’ work. Ask the electrician which scheme they belong to and check the registration on that scheme’s online register.

Since 15 October 2026 the only current version of the wiring regulations is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, so new EICRs should be done against Amendment 4.

What the inspection covers

The EICR is about the fixed installation: the consumer unit, the circuits, sockets, switches, fixed light fittings, earthing and bonding. Appliances you supply, such as a cooker plugged into a socket, are not covered by the private sector rules, although the guidance recommends checking them. Social landlords must also have electrical equipment they provide checked at least every 5 years.

The report codes problems as C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended) or FI (further investigation). Under Amendment 4 only C1 and C2 make the overall result unsatisfactory. Our guide to EICR codes explains each one.

Which tenancies are covered

The rules apply where a tenant has the right to live in the home as their only or main residence and pays rent. That covers most assured shorthold tenancies, HMOs and, since 2025, social tenancies.

Excluded tenancies listed in the guidance include:

• shared accommodation with the landlord or the landlord’s family (lodgers)
• long leases or tenancies of 7 years or more, including shared ownership
• student halls of residence
• hostels and refuges
• care homes, hospitals and hospices
• mobile homes, caravans and boats

Fines

Councils can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 on landlords who breach the duties, according to the current guidance. They can also serve a remedial notice and, if the landlord does not act, arrange the work and recover the cost.

What this looks like in Croydon

Croydon has a mixed rental stock. The VOA Council Tax stock of properties 2025 shows 43.2% of homes in the borough are flats or maisonettes and 28.4% were built before 1919. In practice that means three quite different EICR jobs:

• Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Addiscombe, Thornton Heath, Selhurst and South Norwood, often split into flats, where each flat has its own consumer unit and the hall lights run off a separate landlord supply.
• Interwar semis in Purley, Coulsdon and Shirley, let as family homes or HMOs.
• Newer flats around East and West Croydon, including offices converted to homes, where the flat board is modern but the inspector still needs access to the meter cupboard.

In a converted house, the EICR for each flat covers that flat’s installation. The communal supply for halls, stairs and door entry is a separate installation. Whoever is responsible for the building should have it inspected too, and it is worth asking for that report when you let a flat. Our Croydon page has more on local housing.

A simple plan for landlords

1. Put the date of the last EICR in your calendar, with a reminder a couple of months before the 5 years are up.
2. Check the report itself. Some inspectors set a shorter interval, for example on older wiring.
3. Book the inspection with access to every room, the loft and any outbuildings.
4. When the report arrives, send it to the tenant within 28 days and file a copy.
5. If it is unsatisfactory, get the repairs priced and booked straight away. See EICR unsatisfactory: what next.
6. Send written confirmation of completed work to the tenant and the council within 28 days of finishing.

Our EICR page explains how we run the inspection, and the price is confirmed once we know the property.