In England a private landlord must have the fixed electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years, give each tenant a copy of the report within 28 days, fix any C1, C2 or FI item within 28 days, and keep the report. Councils can impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per breach.
Updated 15 October 2026 · Figures checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 15 October 2026 · Statutory penalties are maximums; councils and courts decide the amount.
At least every 5 years, and sooner if the last report says so. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/312), regulation 3 require every landlord of a tenancy they cover to ensure the electrical installation is inspected and tested "at regular intervals" by a qualified person (reg 3(1)(b)). Regulation 3(2) defines that as intervals of no more than 5 years, or an earlier date where the most recent report requires one. There must also be an inspection before a new tenancy begins (reg 3(1)(c)); an in-date report from the last inspection satisfies this, so you do not need a fresh EICR for every change of tenant.
The regulations have applied to private tenancies in England since 1 June 2020. They were amended and retitled in 2025 to bring in the social rented sector, which is why the current title on legislation.gov.uk also mentions social landlords; the private-sector duties in regulation 3 are unchanged in substance.
Two practical points from GOV.UK's guidance: a newly built or fully rewired property with an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) does not need a separate EICR for 5 years from the EIC date; and the 5-year clock is a maximum, so the date the inspector writes on the report is the date that counts.
The regulations say a "qualified person", defined in reg 3(8) as someone competent to undertake the inspection and testing, and any remedial work, in line with the electrical safety standards. Those standards are BS 7671, the 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations. GOV.UK points landlords to the Registered Competent Person Electrical register and the Electrical Safety First "find an electrician" service to choose someone competent. Keep the inspector's details with the report.
The inspection covers the fixed installation: wiring, sockets, light fittings, the consumer unit, and permanently connected equipment such as showers and extractors. It does not cover portable appliances. The equipment-check duty added in 2025 applies to social landlords, not private ones, although an HMO licence may impose appliance-testing conditions of its own.
Under reg 3(3)(a) the report must give the results of the inspection and test and the date by which the next one is required. In practice it is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) using the classification codes that GOV.UK's guidance sets out:
| Code | Meaning (GOV.UK) | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present. Risk of injury. | Remedial work required; the inspector may make it safe before leaving. The report is unsatisfactory. |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous. | Remedial work required. The report is unsatisfactory. |
| FI | Further investigation required without delay. | You must have the investigation carried out, and then any work it identifies. |
| C3 | Improvement recommended. | No work is required for the report to be satisfactory. Acting on it improves safety but is not a duty. |
A report with no C1, C2 or FI items is "satisfactory for continued use" and you need do nothing more until the next inspection date. A report with any C1, C2 or FI item is unsatisfactory and starts the remedial clock below.
Every deadline in the regulations, in one place. "Report" means the report from the most recent inspection and test.
| Duty | Time limit | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection and test | At least every 5 years, or by the earlier date the last report sets | reg 3(1)(b), 3(2) |
| Inspection before a new tenancy | Before the tenancy starts (an in-date report counts) | reg 3(1)(c) |
| Copy of the report to each existing tenant | Within 28 days of the inspection and test | reg 3(3)(b) |
| Copy to a new tenant | Before they occupy the property | reg 3(3)(e)(i) |
| Copy to a prospective tenant | Within 28 days of their written request | reg 3(3)(e)(ii) |
| Copy to the local council | Within 7 days of its written request | reg 3(3)(c) |
| Remedial or further investigative work | Within 28 days starting with the date of the inspection, or any shorter period the report specifies | reg 3(4) |
| Written confirmation of the work, with the report, to each tenant and to the council | Within 28 days of completing the work | reg 3(5) |
| Keep a copy of the report | Until the next inspection is due or carried out, whichever is later, unless a newer report supersedes it | reg 3(3)(ca) |
| Give the report to the next inspector | At the next inspection and test | reg 3(3)(d) |
Note that the remedial clock runs from the inspection date, not from the day you receive the report, so a slow inspector eats into your 28 days. Where further investigation finds more work, reg 3(6) restarts the remedial and confirmation steps for that work.
You must have a qualified person carry out the remedial or investigative work within 28 days of the inspection (or sooner if the report says so), obtain written confirmation that the standards are now met (or that more work is needed), and send that confirmation with the original report to every tenant and to the council within 28 days of completion (reg 3(4) and (5)). GOV.UK says acceptable written confirmation includes a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate.
If you do not, the council must serve a remedial notice and can arrange the work itself and recover the cost; for urgent hazards it can act with the tenant's consent on 48 hours' notice. You can make written representations against a remedial notice within 21 days and appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
There is a defence: reg 3(2A) says you are not in breach if you can show you took all reasonable steps to comply, and reg 3(2B) adds that where a tenant refuses access you are not expected to have started court proceedings to get in. GOV.UK suggests keeping every message you sent trying to arrange access, plus earlier reports, as evidence of those steps.
A civil penalty of up to £40,000, imposed by the local council, for each breach of regulation 3. Regulation 11 lets the council impose a financial penalty where it is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a landlord has breached a duty, and expressly allows more than one penalty for a continuing failure. The cap was raised from £30,000 to £40,000 by the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) (Amendment) (Extension to the Social Rented Sector) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1043), in force for private landlords from 1 November 2025 (and in full from 1 May 2026, the date the amended regime reached existing social tenancies). GOV.UK's guidance, published 1 November 2025, states the £40,000 figure.
This is a civil penalty, not a criminal offence: there is no prosecution or prison for a missing EICR, and the amount is at the council's discretion within the cap, applying the national civil-penalties guidance. You get 28 days to make written representations against a proposed penalty and can appeal the final notice to the First-tier Tribunal within 28 days.
A lapsed EICR does not, by itself, stop a possession claim; it is not one of the statutory bars. ComplyWithMe scores it Red and chases it hard, but does not treat it as a possession bar.
In the app you record the EICR (a photo or PDF of it) and the inspection date. The app works out the exact last compliant day for the next inspection, for the 28-day tenant copy and for any remedial work, and reminds you ahead of each one with lead times you can adjust. An expired or missing report turns the property's Protection Score Red and tells you what to fix. The free exposure check at complywithme.co/landlord/check shows where an EICR gap sits in your overall exposure.
Government changes that bear on this duty. Where the status says in force the rule already applies; everything else is not yet law for private landlords. Dates are quoted as the government has published them, checked on 15 October 2026.
| Change | Status today | Published timing | Sensible preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory landlord and property registration on the Private Rented Sector Database (the landlord register), with an annual fee | regulations in draft | Regional rollout from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first) to 15 September 2027 for all other purposes, per the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 | Keep copies, not just dates, of the gas safety record, EICR and EPC for each property, and know whether a licence applies; those are what the draft regulations say the entry needs. Source |
| Minimum energy efficiency standard for private rented homes raised from EPC band E to the equivalent of band C, measured against new EPC metrics, with a £10,000 per-property cost cap | policy decision, regulations not yet made | Government response published January 2026 alongside the Warm Homes Plan: a single compliance date of 1 October 2030 for all tenancies; properties without an EER C before 1 October 2029 must meet the new-metric standard. The amending regulations have not been made, so band E remains the only binding minimum. | If a property is below band C, read its EPC recommendations now; spending on recommended measures from 1 October 2025 is stated to count towards the cost cap. Source |
At least every 5 years, or sooner if the last report set an earlier date (SI 2020/312 reg 3(2)). The 5 years run from the inspection date on the report.
Yes, in England, for almost all private tenancies since 1 June 2020. The exceptions are listed in Schedule 1 to the regulations and include lodgers sharing with the landlord, leases of 7 years or more, student halls, hostels, care homes and similar accommodation.
A maximum of 5 years. The inspector can set a shorter interval on the report, and that earlier date then becomes the legal deadline.
A civil penalty of up to £40,000 per breach, set by the council (SI 2020/312 reg 11(2)(b), raised from £30,000 by SI 2025/1043 from 1 November 2025). Further penalties can follow for a continuing breach. It is a civil penalty, not a criminal conviction.
No. If the last inspection was within 5 years and the report needed no remedial work, you give the new tenant a copy of that report before they move in. GOV.UK recommends at least a visual check between tenancies.
"Improvement recommended." A C3 item does not make the report unsatisfactory and you are not required to act on it, though doing so improves safety. C1, C2 and FI items do require action within 28 days.
You are not in breach if you can show you took all reasonable steps to comply, and you are not expected to start court proceedings for access (reg 3(2A) and (2B)). Keep copies of every attempt to arrange the visit.
No. The private-sector duty covers the fixed installation: wiring, sockets, lights, consumer unit and permanently connected equipment. Portable appliance testing is not required by these regulations for private landlords, though an HMO licence condition may require it.
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The free check shows where an EICR gap sits in your exposure. In the app, record the report and the app works out the exact last compliant day for the next inspection, the tenant copy and any remedial work, and reminds you before each one.
See your EICR exposure, freeFrom the ComplyWithMe news feed: enforcement decisions and legislation changes, each linked to its official source.
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