Is an EICR a certificate?

Strictly, no. An EICR is a report on the condition of an existing installation, not a certificate that the work complies. Certificates (the EIC and Minor Works Certificate) are issued for new work. In practice landlords and agents call it an EICR certificate, and the report is what the 2020 Regulations in England require.

How long is an EICR valid for?

An EICR has no fixed expiry; the inspector recommends the date of the next inspection on the report. Private rented homes in England, Scotland and Wales must be inspected at least every 5 years. IET Guidance Note 3 suggests 10 years for owner-occupied homes and 5 years for most commercial premises.

What makes an EICR unsatisfactory?

Any C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) or FI (further investigation required) observation makes the overall assessment Unsatisfactory. C3 observations alone (improvement recommended) still give a Satisfactory result. For rented property in England, an unsatisfactory report means remedial work must be completed within 28 days.

Who can carry out an EICR?

A competent person with the knowledge, experience and test equipment to inspect and test to BS 7671 Chapter 65. There is no single licence, but membership of a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT is the usual evidence of competence and is what most landlords and agents ask for.

Does an EICR include a schedule of test results?

Yes. A complete EICR consists of the report pages, a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results for every distribution board covered. A report without test results is incomplete, and IET Guidance Note 3 treats the schedules as an integral part of the document.

What is an EICR? Electrical Installation Condition Report

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is the formal report produced after a periodic inspection and test of an existing electrical installation, carried out to Chapter 65 of BS 7671, which records the installation's condition and classifies any defects as C1, C2, C3 or FI. It is the document the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to obtain at least every 5 years, and the one most commercial insurers and facilities managers rely on for compliance.

Key takeaways

An EICR reports on an existing installation; it does not certify new work.
The overall assessment is Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Any C1, C2 or FI code makes it Unsatisfactory.
Private rented homes across England, Scotland and Wales need an EICR at least every 5 years.
A full EICR includes schedules of inspection and test results for every board covered.
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 is the current standard; A2 is withdrawn on 15 October 2026.

What is an EICR in practice?

The report is the output of periodic inspection and testing under BS 7671 Chapter 65. The inspector examines the installation visually, tests a sample of circuits (or all of them, depending on the agreed extent) and compares what they find against the current edition of the Wiring Regulations. Where the installation departs from the standard in a way that affects safety, the inspector records an observation and gives it a classification code.

When is an EICR needed?

Situation	Requirement	Source
Private rented home, England	EICR at least every 5 years; copy to tenant within 28 days	Electrical Safety Standards in the PRS (England) Regulations 2020
Private rented home, Scotland	EICR at least every 5 years	Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 (as amended)
Private rented home, Wales	EICR at least every 5 years	Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016
Social housing, England	Duties being extended to social landlords	Renters' Rights Act 2025
Owner-occupied home	Recommended every 10 years or on change of occupancy	IET Guidance Note 3
Commercial premises	Typically every 5 years, or as the inspector recommends	IET Guidance Note 3 Table 3.2

Councils in England can fine a landlord up to £30,000 for failing to comply with the 2020 Regulations, so the 5-year interval is the one most electricians encounter. Insurers, mortgage lenders and licensing schemes for HMOs also commonly ask for a current EICR.

What does an EICR contain?

A complete EICR produced on the BS 7671 model form (Appendix 6) includes:

Client, installation and purpose of the report, including the extent and any limitations agreed before starting.
Supply characteristics: earthing system (TN-S, TN-C-S or TT), Ze and prospective fault current.
Overall assessment: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
Observations, each with a classification code and, ideally, the regulation it relates to.
Schedule of inspections: the visual checks made.
Schedule of test results: one line per circuit for every board inspected, with continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, Zs and RCD operating times.
Declaration signed by the inspector.

The four observation codes

Code	Meaning	Effect on report
C1	Danger present; immediate remedial action required	Unsatisfactory
C2	Potentially dangerous; urgent remedial action required	Unsatisfactory
C3	Improvement recommended	Satisfactory
FI	Further investigation required without delay	Unsatisfactory

IET Guidance Note 3 and Electrical Safety First's Best Practice Guide 4 are the accepted references for deciding which code an observation should carry.

Common mistakes with EICRs

Treating every departure as a C2. Missing RCD protection for socket-outlets is not automatically C2; Best Practice Guide 4 sets out where C3 is the right call.
Leaving limitations vague. Agree them with the client and record them, otherwise the inspector carries the liability for what was not seen.
Issuing an EICR without test results. That is not a periodic inspection to Chapter 65.
A Satisfactory outcome with a C2 on the observations page. The codes drive the assessment; the two must agree.
Confusing an EICR with a certificate. Remedial work is certified with an EIC or Minor Works Certificate, not by re-issuing the EICR.

Related terms

How Certio helps

Certio records this on the BS 7671 model forms without the typing: photograph the board to draft the circuit schedule, point the camera at a Megger MFT-X1 to capture readings, or dictate them. Starter is free for 7 days.

Written by the Certio team. Last checked 14 September 2026.