An EICR certificate – properly called an Electrical Installation Condition Report – is the document that tells you whether the fixed wiring in a property is safe. In 2026 it matters more than ever: landlords in every UK nation are legally required to hold one, social landlords in England joined the regime this year, and the wiring regulations it is tested against were updated in April. This guide explains what an EICR certificate is, what it costs, how long it lasts, what the codes mean and when homebuyers, homeowners and landlords should commission one.
An EICR certificate is a report produced by a qualified electrician after inspecting and testing a building’s fixed electrical installation against BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations). It records the condition of the consumer unit, wiring, sockets, switches, lighting and earthing, lists any defects using standard codes, and gives an overall assessment of “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory”. It is not a pass certificate for new work – that is an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC).
Strictly speaking, the EICR is a report rather than a certificate, but the terms “EICR certificate”, “electrical safety certificate” and “landlord electrical certificate” are used interchangeably by letting agents, conveyancers and councils. Whatever it is called, the inspection follows the model forms set out in BS 7671, and the current edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, published on 15 April 2026 (the previous A3:2024 version was withdrawn six months later).
Buyers frequently confuse these with Part P Building Regulations compliance certificates issued by competent-person schemes. If you are checking what paperwork a seller should hand over, ask for the EIC or Minor Works Certificate for any electrical work carried out since 2005, when Part P came into force.
A competent electrician will carry out a visual inspection and a series of dead and live tests. Expect the power to be switched off for part of the visit. The inspection typically covers:
A sample of accessories is normally tested rather than every single point; a thorough contractor will state the extent and limitations of the inspection on the report. In older houses the inspection often uncovers the problems we describe in our article on common electrical issues in older homes, such as rubber-insulated cable, rewireable fuses and a lack of RCD protection.
Every observation on an EICR is given a classification code. Understanding them is the key to reading the report and negotiating repairs.
| Code | Meaning | Effect on the report | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present – risk of injury | Unsatisfactory; immediate action required (the electrician should make safe before leaving) | Exposed live conductors, badly damaged accessories |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous | Unsatisfactory; urgent remedial action required | Missing main bonding, no RCD protection for bathroom or outdoor circuits, deteriorated cabling |
| C3 | Improvement recommended | Report can still be satisfactory | Older consumer unit that is safe but not to current standards, missing circuit labels |
| FI | Further investigation required without delay | Unsatisfactory until investigated and resolved | Inaccessible junction boxes, unexplained test results |
Coding is a matter of professional judgement, so two electricians can code the same observation differently. The Electrical Safety First Best Practice Guide 4, used widely across the industry, is the usual reference where there is disagreement. If a report seems unusually long on C2 items – particularly where the same contractor is quoting for the remedial work – it is reasonable to ask for a second opinion.
The report itself states a recommended date for the next inspection, which the inspector sets according to the type of premises and the condition found. The usual intervals are:
| Situation | Recommended or required interval |
|---|---|
| Owner-occupied home | Every 10 years (industry recommendation), or on change of occupancy |
| Private rented home (England) | At least every 5 years – legal requirement since 2020/2021 |
| Social rented home (England) | At least every 5 years – legal requirement from 1 December 2025 (new tenancies) and 1 May 2026 (existing) |
| Private rented home (Wales) | At least every 5 years under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016; copy to contract-holder within 14 days |
| Private rented home (Scotland) | At least every 5 years, plus PAT testing of landlord-supplied appliances |
| Private rented home (Northern Ireland) | Satisfactory EICR dated within 5 years for tenancies, phased in from April 2024 |
| Houses in multiple occupation | 5 years (and often a licensing condition) |
| Commercial premises and offices | Typically 5 years; shorter for industrial, swimming pools and caravan parks |
In practice, lenders, insurers and buyers treat anything older than five years with suspicion, and a change of ownership is a sensible trigger for a fresh report regardless of the date on the last one.
In England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have the installation inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years. Under regulation 3 the landlord must give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days, to new tenants before they move in, to prospective tenants within 28 days of a written request, and to the local housing authority within seven days of a request. Where the report shows C1, C2 or FI items, the remedial or investigative work must be completed within 28 days (or sooner if the report says so), with written confirmation supplied to the tenant and, if asked, the council.
Two developments this year change the picture:
Landlords should also read our summary of the Renters’ Rights Act changes for landlords, because the new Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law obligations make electrical safety records part of a much wider compliance file. A dated, satisfactory EICR belongs at the top of your landlord property inspection checklist.
Prices vary with the size of the property, the number of circuits, access and location. Current indicative figures published by MyJobQuote (August 2026) are:
| Property type | Typical EICR cost (2026) | Typical time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bedroom flat | £120–£180 | 1.5–2.5 hours |
| 2–3 bedroom house | £150–£250 | 2–3 hours |
| 4–5 bedroom house | £250–£350 | 3–4 hours |
| 6+ bedrooms or HMO | £350–£450 | Half a day or more |
| Small commercial unit | £200–£500 | Varies by circuits |
| London uplift | £200–£400 for a standard home | – |
Some contractors price per circuit (roughly £10–£30 each) rather than per property. Be wary of very cheap headline prices that are recouped through inflated remedial quotes; it is good practice to get the report from one firm and, if the work is substantial, remedial quotes from another.
There is no legal obligation for a seller to provide an EICR, and the vast majority of owner-occupied homes change hands without one. However, it is strongly advisable, for three reasons:
Period properties deserve particular care. Our guides to surveying a 1930s house and what a house survey includes explain why pre-1970s wiring, lead-sheathed or rubber cables and fuse-wire boards almost always warrant an EICR before completion. For a new build, ask instead for the Electrical Installation Certificate and the Part P notification; if neither is forthcoming, raise it with the developer as a snagging item before completion.
The regulations require a “qualified and competent person”. In practice that means an electrician with a recognised inspection-and-testing qualification (such as City & Guilds 2391 or equivalent), current knowledge of BS 7671, calibrated test instruments and adequate insurance. Membership of a government-approved competent-person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA is the simplest way to demonstrate this, and GOV.UK’s landlord guidance recommends using it as a check. Ask to see the certificate of registration and make sure the report is issued on the BS 7671 model form with the inspector’s signature and scheme number.
An unsatisfactory result is not a disaster; it is a to-do list. The steps are:
Buyers in the middle of a transaction can use an unsatisfactory report in exactly the same way they would use building survey findings – as a basis for a price reduction or a condition of the contract. Our article on negotiating the house price after your survey sets out how to present the evidence.
Interest in electrical safety is rising sharply: Google Trends data for the United Kingdom shows searches for “EICR” reached their 12-month peak in the week of 20–26 September 2026, as social landlords worked towards the November deadline and private landlords prepared for the Renters’ Rights Act regime. At the same time, Amendment 4 to BS 7671 added new requirements for battery storage, Power over Ethernet and ICT earthing – relevant if a property has solar batteries or a home office network – and inspectors are now coding against that edition.
For homeowners the message is simple: an installation that was “satisfactory” in 2016 may still be safe, but it will attract more C3 observations against the 2026 standard. That is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to plan upgrades (typically RCD protection and a modern consumer unit) rather than be surprised by them at the point of sale or letting.
Survey Merchant is a UK-wide surveying marketplace rather than an electrical contractor, and we think that independence is exactly why buyers and landlords use us. When you book a Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a valuation or a landlord condition report through us, you get:
If you are buying, letting or refinancing a property and want a clear, independent picture of its condition – including whether an EICR should be your next step – explore our building surveying services or contact Survey Merchant today for a fixed-fee quote.
Survey Merchant provides vetted RICS surveyors across 100+ UK locations at fixed fees:
→ Level 2 Home Survey (HomeBuyer Report)
→ Level 3 Building Survey (full structural survey)
→ RICS Red Book property valuations
→ Party wall surveyors — notices, awards & schedules of condition
→ Expert witness surveyors — CPR Part 35 reports for property disputes
