EICR Requirements for Landlords in England

This guide covers England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

A landlord in England must have the electrical installation in a rented property inspected and tested at least every 5 years, and must obtain a written report of the result. That report is the Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR. This guide goes through the landlord's duties under regulation 3 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, in the order a landlord meets them.

The inspection duty

Regulation 3 puts the duty on the landlord. The landlord must make sure every electrical installation in the rented property is inspected and tested at regular intervals by a qualified person. "At regular intervals" means no more than 5 years apart. If the most recent report requires inspection and testing by an earlier date, it must be done by that date.

The landlord must also make sure every electrical installation is inspected and tested by a qualified person before the specified tenancy starts.

Regulation 3 defines a qualified person as a person competent to undertake the inspection and testing, and any further investigative or remedial work, in accordance with the electrical safety standards.

GOV.UK guidance on the regulations says the same in plain terms: landlords must have the electrics in their rented properties checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person, and must give their tenants proof. The regulations were extended to the social rented sector in 2025, so they now cover social landlords as well as private ones.

What the landlord needs from the electrician

Regulation 3 requires the landlord to obtain a report from the person who conducted the inspection and test. The report must give the results of the inspection and test. It must also give the date by which the next inspection and test is required.

Registered providers of social housing have a further requirement about relevant equipment in the report. This guide does not cover it.

Who gets a copy, and when

Regulation 3 sets five separate copy duties for the landlord. Meeting one does not meet the others.

The new tenant deadline is different from the existing tenant deadline. It is before occupation, not 28 days after the inspection.

The landlord must also keep a copy of the report until the later of two dates: the date by which the next inspection and test is required, and the date on which the next inspection and test is carried out. The exception is where a more recent report supersedes it. This is regulation 3(3)(ca).

When the report calls for further work

Where a report indicates the landlord is, or is potentially, in breach of the duty to ensure the electrical safety standards are met, and the report requires further investigative or remedial work, regulation 3(4) applies. The landlord must ensure a qualified person carries out that work. It must be done within 28 days of the inspection and test, or within the shorter period stated in the report.

Once the work is done, the landlord must obtain written confirmation from a qualified person that it has been carried out. The confirmation must say either that the electrical safety standards are met or that further investigative or remedial work is required. The landlord must supply that confirmation, together with a copy of the report that required the work, to each existing tenant and to the local housing authority. Both must receive it within 28 days of completion of the work.

Where further investigative work shows that more investigative or remedial work is needed, the landlord must repeat these steps.

The regulation treats the written confirmation as something the landlord obtains in addition to the report.

The reasonable steps position

Regulation 3(2A) says a landlord is not to be taken to be in breach of a duty under regulation 3(1) if the landlord can show they have taken all reasonable steps to comply with that duty.

Regulation 3(2B) says that where a tenant prevents the landlord, or a person acting on behalf of the landlord, from entering the premises, the landlord will not be considered to have failed to take all reasonable steps solely by reason of a failure to bring legal proceedings with a view to securing entry.

Regulation 3(6A) applies regulations 3(2A) and 3(2B) to the duties in regulation 3(4) and 3(6) in the same way.

This guide does not say what would count as reasonable steps in a particular case.

Approved Document P

Approved Document P is the government's guidance on electrical safety in dwellings. GOV.UK says its current edition explains when notification of work is required.

It is a separate document from the 2020 Regulations. The 2020 Regulations are the source of the landlord's inspection and reporting duties covered above. This guide does not list which electrical work is notifiable. Anyone planning electrical work in a dwelling should read Approved Document P at the link in the sources.

Putting the duties in order

For a rented property in England, the sequence under regulation 3 runs as follows.

1. Make sure the installation is inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years, and before a specified tenancy starts.
2. Obtain the report, and check it gives the results and the date of the next inspection and test.
3. Supply a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days, and to a new tenant before they occupy the property.
4. Supply a copy to a prospective tenant within 28 days of their written request.
5. Supply a copy to the local housing authority within 7 days of its written request.
6. Supply a copy to the person carrying out the next inspection and test.
7. If the report requires further investigative or remedial work, make sure a qualified person does it within 28 days or the shorter period stated.
8. Obtain written confirmation from a qualified person and supply it, with the report, to each existing tenant and the local housing authority within 28 days of completion.
9. Keep a copy of the report until the later of the next inspection date and the date it is carried out, unless a newer report supersedes it.

Where CertBox fits

Every CertBox certificate carries a QR code that shows it is on record with CertBox. CertBox does not check the engineer's qualifications or registration.

Frequently asked questions

How often must a landlord in England have an EICR?

At intervals of no more than 5 years, or by an earlier date if the latest report requires one. The installation must also be inspected and tested before a specified tenancy starts. This is set by regulation 3 of the 2020 Regulations.

Who must receive a copy of the EICR?

The landlord must supply a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection and test, and the most recent report to a new tenant before they occupy the property. The landlord must also supply it to any prospective tenant within 28 days of their written request, to the local housing authority within 7 days of its written request, and to the person carrying out the next inspection and test.

How long must a landlord keep the EICR?

The landlord must keep a copy until the later of the date the next inspection and test is due and the date it is carried out, unless a more recent report supersedes it. This is regulation 3(3)(ca).

How long does a landlord have to complete remedial work after an EICR?

Where the report requires further investigative or remedial work, the landlord must ensure a qualified person carries it out within 28 days of the inspection and test, or within the shorter period stated in the report. The landlord must then obtain written confirmation from a qualified person and supply it, with the report, to each existing tenant and the local housing authority within 28 days of completion.

What must the report state?

The results of the inspection and test, and the date by which the next inspection and test is required.

Is a landlord in breach if a tenant stops access for the inspection?

Regulation 3(2A) says a landlord is not in breach if they can show they have taken all reasonable steps to comply. Regulation 3(2B) says that where a tenant prevents entry, the landlord has not failed to take reasonable steps solely because they did not bring legal proceedings to secure entry.

Sources

Checked against these on 2026-11-05.

• The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3 (as amended by SI 2025/1043)
• GOV.UK, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors, guidance
• GOV.UK, Electrical safety, Approved Document P

Corrected and updated 2026-11-05. This article is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Always refer to the relevant standards and consult qualified professionals for definitive requirements.