Private landlords in Scotland have needed an EICR no more than five years old since 1 December 2015 under the repairing standard in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, and must also have landlord-supplied appliances inspected and tested. In Wales, the Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, made under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, have required an EICR every five years since 1 December 2022, with a copy to the contract-holder within 14 days. England's rules are in the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The five-year interval is common to all three; deadlines, enforcement and appliance testing differ.
- Scotland: EICR every five years since December 2015, plus PAT of landlord-supplied appliances.
- Wales: EICR every five years since December 2022 under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016; copy to the contract-holder within 14 days.
- England: EICR every five years since 2020; copy and remedial work within 28 days; fines up to £30,000.
- All three use BS 7671 and the same EICR form; C1, C2 or FI means Unsatisfactory everywhere.
- Northern Ireland is introducing comparable rules under the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.
What is an EICR and why do all three nations require one?
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is the formal report produced after a periodic inspection and test of a fixed electrical installation against BS 7671, recording observations coded C1, C2, C3 or FI and an overall assessment of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. See what is an EICR and EICR codes explained.
Housing is devolved, so each UK nation has legislated separately, but each has landed on the same standard (BS 7671), the same document (the EICR) and the same five-year maximum interval, which matches IET Guidance Note 3's recommendation for rented domestic accommodation. For England in detail see EICR landlord requirements 2026.
What are the EICR rules for landlords in Scotland?
The legal basis
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 sets the repairing standard every private rented house must meet; the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 added an explicit electrical safety requirement, with Scottish Government statutory guidance on compliance. The duty applied to new tenancies from 1 December 2015 and all tenancies from 1 December 2016, making Scotland the first UK nation with a mandatory landlord EICR.
What the landlord must do
| Requirement | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Inspection | EICR of the fixed installation by a competent person, at least every five years |
| Appliances | Portable appliance testing of landlord-supplied appliances, at least every five years or more often if recommended |
| Timing | Report must be no more than five years old at the start of a tenancy and throughout it |
| Copy to tenant | Before the tenancy starts, and a copy of each new report after inspection |
| Remedial work | Any C1, C2 or FI item must be put right so the installation meets the repairing standard, with a record of the work |
"Competent person" in the Scottish guidance means someone qualified and experienced to inspect and test to BS 7671, in practice an electrician registered with SELECT or NICEIC or otherwise able to demonstrate competence. There is no Part P in Scotland; the Building (Scotland) Regulations apply instead.
PAT is the distinctive Scottish requirement
Scotland is the only part of the UK where landlords must have the appliances they supply inspected and tested: cookers, fridges, washing machines, kettles, lamps and any other landlord-provided equipment. The guidance ties the interval to the EICR, so most landlords have both done on the same visit, following the IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (5th edition, 2020); see PAT testing guide UK.
Enforcement
A tenant can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), which can issue a Repairing Standard Enforcement Order and, if ignored, a Rent Relief Order reducing rent by up to 90 per cent. Persistent failure can affect the landlord's registration with the council, which every Scottish private landlord must hold.
What are the EICR rules for landlords in Wales?
The legal basis
The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 came into force on 1 December 2022, replacing tenancies with "occupation contracts" and tenants with "contract-holders". Section 91 requires the landlord to keep the dwelling fit for human habitation, and the Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 set the specific EICR duties in regulation 6.
What the landlord must do
| Requirement | Wales |
|---|---|
| Inspection | EICR by a qualified person at intervals not exceeding five years |
| First copy | Give the contract-holder a copy of the current report before the occupation date, or within 14 days of it |
| Subsequent reports | After each inspection, a copy to the contract-holder within 14 days |
| Remedial work | Carry out remedial work identified by the report and give the contract-holder written confirmation within 14 days of completing it |
| Appliances | No statutory PAT duty, but landlord-supplied appliances form part of fitness |
Enforcement
There is no fixed-penalty regime in Wales comparable to England's £30,000. Instead, an unfit dwelling is a breach of the landlord's contractual obligation: the contract-holder is not liable for rent while the dwelling is unfit, can seek a court order, and the landlord cannot rely on a no-fault notice under section 173 while in breach of certain requirements. Local authorities retain Housing Act 2004 powers.
How do Scotland, Wales and England compare?
| Scotland | Wales | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislation | Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 repairing standard, as amended by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014; statutory guidance | Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016; Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 | Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 |
| In force | New tenancies 1 December 2015; all tenancies 1 December 2016 | 1 December 2022 (transition for existing contracts) | New tenancies 1 July 2020; all tenancies 1 April 2021 |
| Interval | At least every 5 years | At least every 5 years | At least every 5 years |
| Standard | BS 7671 | BS 7671 | BS 7671 (18th Edition) |
| Who inspects | Competent person | Qualified person | Qualified and competent person |
| Copy to tenant | Before tenancy; after each inspection | Within 14 days of occupation date; within 14 days of each inspection | Within 28 days of inspection; before occupation for new tenants; within 28 days of a prospective tenant's request |
| Remedial work | Required to meet the repairing standard | Required; written confirmation within 14 days of completion | Within 28 days; written confirmation to tenant and council within 28 days |
| Appliance testing | Yes, landlord-supplied appliances | No statutory duty | No statutory duty |
| Enforcement | First-tier Tribunal; Repairing Standard Enforcement Order; Rent Relief Order | Rent not payable while unfit; court; restriction on no-fault notices | Local authority remedial notices; financial penalty up to £30,000 |
For electricians, the report itself is identical across the UK; but the "next inspection" date you write on it matters more in Scotland and Wales, because a shorter interval recommended by the inspector is treated as binding on the landlord.
What about Northern Ireland?
Northern Ireland historically had no statutory EICR requirement for private landlords. The Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 gave the Department for Communities power to make electrical safety regulations, and regulations requiring periodic inspection of private rented installations, with a copy for the tenant, are recent and being introduced in stages. The framework follows the rest of the UK: inspection by a qualified person against BS 7671, a maximum interval, and copies to tenants and the council on request. Because commencement is phased, check the Department for Communities' current guidance rather than assume England's timescales apply.
What does an Unsatisfactory EICR mean for a landlord outside England?
The coding is the same everywhere: any C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or FI (further investigation required) makes the report Unsatisfactory; C3 alone does not. What follows differs. England sets a 28-day deadline for remedial work and written confirmation. Wales requires the work to be done and confirmed in writing within 14 days of completion, with no fixed deadline for the work beyond the duty to keep the dwelling fit. In Scotland the house fails the repairing standard until the work is done, and the tenant can go to the tribunal at any point. In all three: fix C1 items immediately, book C2 and FI work promptly, certify the remedial work, and confirm in writing. See Unsatisfactory EICR: what happens next.
What should electricians in Scotland and Wales put on the report?
- The BS 7671 edition and amendment. BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and A2 is withdrawn on 15 October 2026.
- The date of inspection and the recommended date of the next inspection.
- For Scotland, PAT results for landlord-supplied appliances, as a separate test record referenced on the report.
- Extent and limitations, agreed with the landlord or agent beforehand.
- Observations with codes and regulation references, so the landlord can instruct remedial work without a second visit.
How Certio helps
Certio produces the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records on the BS 7671 model forms and turns them into branded PDFs. Photograph the consumer unit and the circuit schedule drafts itself; point the phone camera at a Megger MFT-X1 and the reading goes straight into the schedule of test results, or dictate it while your hands stay on the probes. Suggested observation wording with the regulation reference is there for you to check and confirm. The judgement stays yours; the typing goes. Starter is free for 7 days, then £5 a month.