The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 applied to new private tenancies from 1 July 2020 and to existing ones from 1 April 2021. Amendments made in 2025 extended them to social housing, added ‘and Social Rented Sector’ to the title and raised the maximum financial penalty from £30,000 to £40,000. The amended rules have applied to private landlords since 1 November 2025.
Which lets are covered
The regulations apply where a tenant or licensee has the right to live in the home as their only or main home and pays rent, and they cover houses in multiple occupation. They don't apply where the occupier shares a kitchen, bathroom or living room with the landlord or the landlord's family, or to long leases and tenancies of seven years or more, student halls, hostels, refuges, care homes, hospitals, hospices, some other healthcare accommodation, or mobile homes, caravans and boats. Communal areas in a block aren't covered either, though other housing law still applies to them.
For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the duties took effect on 1 May 2026, and the first inspection has to happen before 1 November 2026. In every case the inspector must be a qualified person, meaning someone competent to carry out the inspection and testing, and any further investigation or remedial work, to BS 7671.
The landlord's duties and deadlines
| Duty | When |
|---|---|
| Inspection and test by a qualified person | Before the tenancy starts, then at intervals of no more than 5 years, or sooner if the last report says so |
| Copy of the report to every current tenant | Within 28 days of the inspection |
| Copy to a new tenant | Before they move in |
| Copy to a prospective tenant | Within 28 days of a written request |
| Copy to the local council | Within 7 days of a written request |
| Further investigation or remedial work the report requires | Within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says |
| Written confirmation of that work, with the report, to the tenants and the council | Within 28 days of the work being finished |
| Keep the report | Until the next inspection is due or has been done, whichever is later |
The landlord must also give a copy of the report to whoever does the next inspection, so ask for the last one. A new tenancy doesn't need a fresh inspection if the current report is under five years old and doesn't call for further work, although the government guidance recommends a visual check between tenants. A new build or full rewire with an Electrical Installation Certificate is covered for five years from the certificate.
What your report must give the landlord
- The results, and the latest date for the next inspection and test. The model form also asks for your reasons.
- For a social landlord that provides appliances, whether the equipment checks are up to date for each item the landlord has told you about.
- Clear, coded observations. The standard is BS 7671:2018, the 18th Edition, and an installation built to an earlier edition isn't unsafe just because it doesn't meet the current one.
How your codes set the clock running
- C1 and C2 make the report unsatisfactory and mean remedial work is required. Where you can, make a C1 safe before you leave, and tell the person who ordered the report straight away in writing.
- The 28 days start on the date of your inspection, not the day you send the report, so issue it promptly. If something needs doing sooner, say so on the report and the shorter period applies.
- C3 doesn't require the landlord to do anything under the regulations.
- FI: the government guidance tells landlords to have further investigation carried out. It dates from November 2025, before BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 made FI advisory with no effect on the overall result. Use FI only where it's justified and say exactly what needs investigating.
More on choosing codes in our guide to EICR observation codes.
After the remedial work
The landlord needs a qualified person to confirm in writing that the work has been done and that the installation now meets the standards, or that more work is needed. The government guidance accepts a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Minor Works certificate or other appropriate certification. If an investigation turns up more work, the 28-day process starts again. The landlord then sends the confirmation and the original report to the tenants and the council within 28 days of completion.
If a tenant won't allow access, a landlord who can show they took all reasonable steps isn't in breach. Records of failed visits can help show that.
Scotland and Wales work differently
Scotland. For private landlords, statutory guidance on the Repairing Standard expects an EICR and in-service inspection and testing of appliances the landlord provides, carried out by a competent person before the first let and then at least every five years. A new tenant gets a copy of the latest EICR before the tenancy starts, C1 and C2 items must be put right, and the main consumer unit needs at least one 30 mA RCD.
Wales. Under the Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, the landlord must hold a valid electrical condition report, lasting five years or less if the report says so. The contract-holder gets a copy within 14 days of the occupation date or of a later inspection, and written confirmation of remedial work within 14 days of the landlord receiving it. Otherwise the home is treated as unfit for human habitation.