kopik
Create
Real estate

Landlord electrical safety checks: EICR every 5 years explained

Landlords in England must have the electrics in rented homes inspected and tested regularly and share the results. Ask the assistant what the inspection covers, which deadlines apply and what happens when work is needed.

Ask your question

Free account required

Each question stands alone · 1 free a month, then with a subscription.

Answers are written by a language model solely from this base's documents, with numbered sources. They can be wrong and aren't legal, medical or financial advice: check the sources before any important decision.

What the regulations require

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to have the electrical installations inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years. Since 2025 they also cover the social rented sector. The standard to meet is British Standard 7671, the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations.

The inspection covers the fixed electrical parts: wiring, sockets, light fittings, the consumer unit, permanently connected equipment such as showers and extractors, and circuits for solar PV and battery storage.

The landlord obtains a report, usually an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), and must give it to existing tenants within 28 days, to new tenants before they move in, to prospective tenants within 28 days of a request, and to the council within 7 days of a request.

Reading the report codes

C1 means danger present and risk of injury. C2 means potentially dangerous. If C1 or C2 appears, the installation is unsatisfactory and remedial work is required. FI means further investigation is required without delay, and the landlord must have it carried out.

C3 means improvement recommended. It does not require remedial work for the report to be deemed satisfactory.

Required work must be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. The landlord then has 28 days to give the tenant and the council written confirmation that the work was done.

Keeping records and passing them on

The landlord must keep a copy of the report until the next inspection and test is required or carried out, unless a more recent report replaces it, and must give a copy to the person who will carry out the next inspection.

Acceptable written confirmation that remedial work was done includes a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) or other appropriate electrical certification.

The inspection itself checks whether any installations are overloaded, whether there are electric shock risks or fire hazards, whether there is defective electrical work, and whether earthing or bonding is lacking.

Frequently asked questions

Which homes are excluded from the electrical safety regulations?

Excluded tenancies include shared accommodation with the landlord or their family, long leases or tenancies of 7 years or more, student halls, hostels and refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices, and mobile homes, caravans and boats.

What happens if a landlord does not carry out the remedial work?

The council must serve a remedial notice if it has reasonable grounds to believe the landlord is in breach. If the landlord does not comply, the council can arrange the work and recover the costs. For urgent work, it can act with the tenant's consent after giving at least 48 hours' notice.

What is the maximum fine for breaching the electrical safety rules?

Local councils may impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 on landlords in breach of specified duties under the regulations. The landlord has a right of appeal against a demand for costs.

Do landlords have to test appliances such as cookers and fridges?

Social landlords must have electrical equipment they provide, such as cookers, fridges or microwaves, checked by a qualified person at least every 5 years, whatever its age. Tenants are responsible for making sure their own electrical equipment is safe.

For developers and agents

Embed / API / MCP

Connect this base to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT or your own app. Each API or MCP request costs €0.10, charged to your Kopik credit (not charged if nothing is found). You need an API key: create one from your dashboard.

MCP for your agents

This base's MCP server URL (tools ask_base and search_base):

MCP URL
https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-renting-landlord-tenant-obligations
Claude Code, Cursor and other clients
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http kopik-uk-renting-landlord-tenant-obligations "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-renting-landlord-tenant-obligations" --header "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…"
JSON config (mcpServers)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kopik-uk-renting-landlord-tenant-obligations": {
      "url": "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-renting-landlord-tenant-obligations",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer kpk_…"
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API for your apps

mode is "answer" (written answer + sources) or "passages" (raw passages only). Add an optional maxPriceCents to cap the price: if the base costs more, the call is refused and nothing is charged.

curl
curl -X POST https://kopik.io/api/v1/bases/uk-renting-landlord-tenant-obligations/query \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"question": "Your question here", "mode": "answer"}'

Getting started

  1. Create a key in your dashboard and top up your credit.
  2. Replace kpk_… with your key.
  3. Full details (responses, errors, JS and Python examples): developer docs.