Electrical safety in the lettings spotlight

Keeping tenants safe is of paramount importance and there is legislation that ensures the UK’s privately rented homes are fit for habitation. An important milestone in England has brought one area of safety back into the spotlight.

EICRs & their expiry date

June marked five years since Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) were made compulsory in England’s privately let properties. This means that from now on, landlords will have expiring EICRs as each safety report is only valid for five years.

Landlords in England are being urged to check the status of their EICR and book a retest if it’s due to expire. The validation date can be found on the report that was issued by the contractor who carried out the inspection.

Once a new report has been received, the landlord must supply a copy to their tenant within a set time frame, depending on which country the property is in. The report must also be available to view by prospective tenants within a set period, if they make a request to see the most recent EICR. 

Failure to hold a valid EICR can result in the landlord being fined up to £30,000, although the punishments can be more severe if a tenant is injured or worse as a result of poor electrical safety.

Electrical safety elsewhere in the UK

The requirement to have an EICR is a common thread across the UK. In Scotland, it became a compulsory legal requirement for landlords on 1st December 2015, when the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 came into force. Like in England, an EICR in Scotland only lasts five years. As such, 2025 will see many Scottish EICRs expire and landlords north of the border should also be checking their EICR’s expiring date.

Wales adopted the EICR at a much later date, with it becoming a compulsory piece of compliance on 1stDecember 2022. Welsh landlords may see the EICR referred to as PIT or ‘periodic inspection and testing’ in some literature. Like its counterparts, landlords in Wales need to renew their EICR every five years, so owners of Welsh buy-to-lets have some breathing room when it comes to booking an inspection. 

Booking an EICR

If your EICR is about to expire, there is a formal process to follow when obtaining a new one. 

In England and Wales, the contractor should be qualified and ideally belong to a Government-approved competent persons scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT.  In Scotland, landlords must use a qualified electrician or electrical engineer who belongs to either Select (Scotland’s Electrical Trade Association) or to NICEIC. 

All EICRs must be carried out in line with BS 7671 – Requirements for Electrical Installations (also known as IET Wiring Regulations).

What happens during an EICR inspection

The contractor will test/examine fixed electrical parts of the property, which will include but is not limited to:

• Wiring

• Socket outlets, including plug sockets 

• Light fittings

• Consumer unit or fuse box

• Permanently connected equipment, such as showers, extractor fans, storage heaters, convection panel heaters, and heated towel rails and underfloor heating connected to electricity

Electrical appliances are not tested during an EICR inspection. It is recommended landlords regularly carry out portable appliance testing (PAT) on any non-fixed electrical appliances included in property as good practice. Subsequently, the landlord should provide the tenant with a record of any electrical inspections for their peace of mind. 

What happens if the EICR inspection reveals issues?

The law is clear that electrical safety faults must be addressed promptly by the landlord. They will need to arrange for a qualified electrician to carry out necessary repairs within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies – sometimes immediately in the most severe instances. 

Staying compliant

If you would like help with electrical safety compliance, need to book a new inspection due to an expiring EICR or you have a new report to share with tenants, please contact our lettings team.