Safety

Electrical safety certificates when you rent

A landlord in England must have the electrics in your home inspected and tested at least every 5 years by a qualified person, and give you the report before you move in. It is usually called an EICR. You are entitled to the paperwork, not just an assurance, and you can ask for it before you sign.

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What the landlord must do

An inspection and test at least every 5 years: Every electrical installation in the home must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at regular intervals: no more than 5 years apart, or sooner if the last report says so.
A copy for you before you move in: A new tenant must be given a copy of the most recent report before they occupy the home.
A copy within 28 days of each new inspection: Existing tenants must get a copy of each new report within 28 days of the inspection and test.
A copy within 28 days if you ask before renting: A prospective tenant who asks for the report in writing must be sent it within 28 days of the request.
Repairs within 28 days, with written proof: If the report requires remedial or further investigative work, a qualified person must do it within 28 days, or sooner if the report says. The landlord must then get written confirmation and send it, with the report, to you and the council within 28 days of the work being finished.

These duties come from the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. Since 2025 they cover housing association and council homes too. Unlike gas safety, which is annual and enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, electrical safety is a 5-year check enforced by your council.

What the codes on the report mean

The inspector gives each problem a code. The report should also say whether the installation is satisfactory or unsatisfactory overall.

C1: Danger present: There is a risk of injury. The inspector may make it safe before leaving. The landlord must put it right.
C2: Potentially dangerous: The landlord must put it right.
FI: Further investigation required without delay: The landlord must have it investigated by a qualified person.
C3: Improvement recommended: A recommendation, not a requirement. A report with only C3 items can still be satisfactory, and the landlord doesn’t have to act on them.

Any C1 or C2 makes the report unsatisfactory. If you see one, ask for the written confirmation that the work was done. An unsatisfactory report on its own, with nothing to show it was fixed, isn’t the reassurance it looks like.

What to check before you sign

Ask for the latest report in writing. The landlord must send it within 28 days.
Check the date of the inspection and the date the next one is due. If the next date has passed, the check is overdue.
Check the overall result says satisfactory. If not, ask for the written confirmation that the C1, C2 or FI items were fixed.
Check the report covers this address, and the flat number if it’s a flat.
Look at the consumer unit, sockets and switches when you view. Scorch marks, loose fittings or a burning smell are worth raising whatever the report says.

The rest of the paperwork is in our new tenancy checklist, and more to ask at a viewing is in questions to ask before renting. If there’s gas, you should also get the gas safety record. If the home is a shared house, an HMO licence also requires the landlord to keep the electrics safe: check whether the home needs a licence.

What is an electrical safety certificate for a rented home?

It is the report a landlord in England must get after a qualified person inspects and tests the electrics, usually an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). It gives the result and the date the next check is due. The law calls it a report, not a certificate, but people mean the same document. It has been required for private tenancies since 2020 and must be renewed at least every 5 years.

When should I get a copy of the EICR?

Before you move in, if you are a new tenant. Within 28 days of each new inspection, if you already live there. And within 28 days of asking in writing, if you are thinking of renting the home. A landlord doesn’t need a fresh inspection for each new tenancy if the last report is under 5 years old and needs no work: they give you that one.

What does the inspection cover?

The fixed electrics: the wiring, plug sockets, light fittings and the consumer unit (fuse box), plus anything permanently connected, such as an electric shower or extractor fan. It looks for overloaded circuits, risks of electric shock and fire, defective work, and missing earthing or bonding. It doesn’t cover communal areas such as stairwells and corridors in a block of flats.

Does the landlord have to test the appliances they provide?

Not under these regulations, if your landlord is a private landlord. Since 2025 social landlords must also check the appliances they provide, such as cookers and fridges, at least every 5 years, but that duty doesn’t extend to private landlords. So a private landlord doesn’t have to show you an appliance test record (often called PAT testing).

What if the report says “unsatisfactory”?

A report with any C1 or C2 code is unsatisfactory, and an FI code means more investigation is needed. The landlord must have the work done by a qualified person within 28 days, or sooner if the report says, then send you written confirmation that it’s been done. Acceptable confirmation includes a new satisfactory report or an electrician’s certificate for the work.

Does a new-build or rewired home need an EICR?

A newly built or completely rewired home should have an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) instead. The landlord can give you a copy of that, and no new inspection is needed until 5 years after it was issued.

Which homes don’t need one?

The rules cover tenancies and licences where the home is your only or main residence and you pay rent. They don’t apply if you live with your landlord or their family, as a lodger, or to student halls, hostels and refuges, care homes, long leases of 7 years or more, mobile homes, caravans and boats. Shared houses and HMOs are covered.

What if the landlord won’t give me the report?

Ask in writing and keep a copy. If it still doesn’t arrive, or the work it lists isn’t done, contact your council’s private housing or environmental health team. The council enforces these rules: it must serve a remedial notice where it believes the landlord is in breach, can arrange the work itself and recover the cost, and can fine the landlord up to £40,000 for each breach.

If the electrics are unsafe now

Tell the landlord in writing straight away. If the report says urgent work is needed and the landlord hasn’t done it in the time the report gives, the council can arrange the work itself with your consent, after giving you at least 48 hours’ notice. You may also be able to take the landlord to court under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 if faulty electrics make the home unfit, and the court can order compensation.

Where this comes from

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s electrical safety standards guidance (published 1 November 2025, from its guidance page for landlords, tenants and councils), and the regulations themselves on legislation.gov.uk: regulation 3 (the landlord’s duties), regulation 11 (fines) and schedule 1 (excluded tenancies), as amended in 2025.

This guide covers common private tenancies in England and is general information, not legal advice. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to lodgers, social housing and some specialist accommodation. RenterCheck is independent and not connected with the government or your council.

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