How long is an EICR valid?

Glossary · Testing, inspection and certificates

How long an EICR is valid

An Electrical Installation Condition Report does not carry one expiry date for every home. The inspector writes the date of the next inspection on the report. How soon that date must be depends on whether the home is rented.

For a rented home in England, the Electrical Safety Standards regulations require the electrical installation to be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years. The report must give the results and set a date for the next inspection.^{[1]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance} The IET adds that an inspector can reduce the interval below 5 years if they can justify it.^{[4]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), EICR Myths (Wiring Matters, May 2021)}

Intervals at a glance

Electrical Safety First sets out the 10, 5, 3 and 1 year intervals, and says the inspection is a legal requirement for privately rented homes.^{[2]Electrical Safety First, Periodic Inspection and Testing} NICEIC confirms that homeowners are not required by law to have an EICR, and describes 10 years as the generally recommended interval.^{[3]NICEIC, Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs)}

Electrical Safety First also suggests an inspection when a property is being prepared for letting, and before selling or buying a previously occupied property.^{[2]Electrical Safety First, Periodic Inspection and Testing} You do not need an EICR to sell a property, though one can reassure a buyer.^{[5]Electrical Safety First, FAQ for Electrical Safety - Your Questions Answered}

New tenants and remedial work

Government guidance says a landlord does not need to inspect again before each new tenancy if the last inspection was under 5 years ago and the report required no further work. The landlord must give the new tenant a copy of the latest report. The guidance recommends at least a visual inspection before the tenancy starts, and a full inspection sooner if anything looks wrong.^{[1]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance}

If a report shows that remedial or further investigative work is needed, the landlord must complete it within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Our page on the EICR remedial work deadline covers this in more detail, and the codes behind it are on our EICR observation codes page.^{[1]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance}

Example

Daniel lets a flat in Armley. His last EICR was completed 3 years ago and recorded no remedial work. A new tenant is moving in. Daniel does not have to commission a new inspection. He gives the new tenant a copy of the report before they move in and has the flat checked visually, as the guidance recommends.^{[1]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance} The report names the next inspection date, which is at most 5 years after the last one.^{[1]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance}

Daniel’s neighbour owns her home and has never had a report. No law requires her to. Electrical Safety First and NICEIC both recommend one at least every 10 years.^{[2]Electrical Safety First, Periodic Inspection and Testing[3]NICEIC, Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs)}

What people get wrong

An EICR does not expire on a fixed date, and it is not a pass or fail certificate for the building. It is a snapshot of the installation on the day it was inspected. The report names the interval to the next inspection, and for a rented home in England that interval cannot be longer than 5 years.

The other common mistake is thinking an older installation must be brought up to the latest edition of the wiring regulations to pass. The IET says that is not the case. An installation that does not meet the latest edition is not necessarily unsafe, and the inspector uses engineering judgment.^{[4]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), EICR Myths (Wiring Matters, May 2021)}

The bottom line

For a rented home in England, treat 5 years as the longest gap and use the date on the report if it is earlier. For your own home, 10 years is the recommended gap, and nothing in law forces it. If you want the inspection arranged, our EICR testing page explains how we do it. Landlords can also read our landlord electrical safety page.