This is one of the most common questions we get asked, and the answer depends entirely on your situation. Whether you’re a landlord trying to stay on the right side of the law, or a homeowner preparing to sell, the rules around EICRs are quite different. Getting this wrong can cost you a sale, a tenancy, or a very large fine.
Let’s deal with each scenario clearly.
Landlords: Can You Rent Without an EICR?
The short answer is no. For private landlords in England, an EICR is a legal requirement under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. You cannot legally let a property without one, and you cannot begin a new tenancy without providing a copy to the incoming tenant before they move in.
The rules are clear. You must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years. You must obtain the EICR from the inspecting electrician, provide a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, give a copy to any new tenant before they occupy the property, supply a copy to the local authority within seven days if they request it, and complete any remedial work identified within 28 days of an unsatisfactory report.
These rules have been in force for new tenancies since July 2020 and for all existing tenancies since April 2021. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came fully into force in May 2026, the consequences of non-compliance have become even more serious. Local councils can now impose civil penalties of up to £40,000 per breach and can issue a Civil Penalty Notice without needing to take the matter to court first. A missing or expired EICR can also affect your ability to serve valid legal notices to regain possession of the property.
What If the EICR Is Unsatisfactory?
You cannot legally let a property or allow a new tenancy to begin if you have an outstanding unsatisfactory EICR with C1, C2, or FI observations that haven’t been resolved. The necessary remedial work must be completed first. Once it is, you receive written confirmation from the electrician, which you keep alongside the original report as your evidence of compliance.
What About Insurance?
Most landlord insurance policies require the property to be maintained in a safe and legally compliant condition. An unresolved unsatisfactory EICR, or simply the absence of a valid one, could void your cover in the event of an electrical fire or incident. The financial exposure from a voided insurance policy on top of potential council fines and legal liability is a risk no landlord should take.
Selling a Tenanted Property
If you’re selling a buy-to-let with tenants still in place, a valid EICR is a strict legal requirement that forms part of your compliance paper trail. The buyer’s solicitor will ask for it. Conveyancing solicitors advise that to sell a rental property you must be able to provide a valid EICR alongside gas safety certificates, the EPC, Right to Rent checks, and deposit protection documentation. If any of these are missing, the sale can be delayed or fall through entirely.
Are There Any Exceptions?
The regulations do not apply to all tenancy types. Excluded arrangements include social housing, lodgers living with a resident landlord, tenancies with a lease of seven years or more, student halls of residence, hostels, refuges, care homes, hospitals, and certain other healthcare accommodation. If you are unsure whether your specific letting arrangement falls within the regulations, take professional advice rather than assume you’re exempt.
Homeowners Selling: Do You Need an EICR?
Here the answer is different. There is currently no legal requirement for a homeowner selling a private residential property to provide an EICR. Unlike a Gas Safety Certificate for landlords, no law compels a seller to commission an electrical inspection before listing or completing a sale.
However, the practical reality in the current property market tells a somewhat different story, and it’s worth understanding the full picture.
Why Buyers and Solicitors Often Ask for One
A standard homebuyer survey or valuation does not include electrical testing. Surveyors will visually note things like an old-style fuse board, signs of amateur electrical work, or discoloured sockets, but they cannot test the installation or certify its condition. When they spot anything of concern, or simply when the property is older, they commonly recommend further investigation by a qualified electrician. This lands in the survey report as a note along the lines of “electrical installation condition unknown, further investigation recommended.”
Once that note is in the report, the buyer’s solicitor is likely to raise it as a enquiry. The buyer may request an EICR before exchange, use the uncertainty to renegotiate the price, or in some cases become nervous about the property altogether. Mortgage lenders are also increasingly attentive to electrical condition, and if a surveyor flags concerns, a lender may require satisfactory evidence before they will proceed.
In the 2026 property market, having a valid, satisfactory EICR ready when you list is increasingly becoming the sensible approach rather than the exceptional one, particularly for older properties, properties with any history of electrical issues, or properties where the installation hasn’t been checked in many years.
The Advantage of Getting One Before You List
Commissioning an EICR before putting your property on the market puts you in control. If it comes back satisfactory, you can hand it to your solicitor immediately and deal with any buyer enquiries about electrical condition quickly and confidently. There is nothing for the buyer to use as leverage.
If it comes back unsatisfactory, you find out on your terms rather than the buyer’s. You can arrange the remedial work at a time that suits you, using a contractor you trust, and at market rates. The alternative is discovering issues mid-sale, when the pressure of a chain can push you into rushed decisions or inflated repair quotes from contractors who know you’re under time pressure.
A satisfactory EICR also demonstrates to buyers, their surveyors, and their lenders that the property has been properly looked after. For older properties in particular, it is a meaningful piece of documentation that builds buyer confidence and reduces the likelihood of price renegotiation.
What If You Have an Existing EIC?
If your property was newly built or completely rewired recently, you may have an Electrical Installation Certificate rather than an EICR. An EIC is issued after new installation work to confirm that work complies with BS 7671 at the time it was completed. It is not the same as an EICR, which assesses the ongoing condition of an existing installation.
An EIC covers the specific work carried out and certifies it was done correctly at the time. It does not assess the rest of the installation that wasn’t part of that work, and it doesn’t reflect what may have happened to the installation in the years since. If your EIC is more than five years old, a buyer or their solicitor may still ask for a current EICR to confirm the installation as a whole remains in a satisfactory condition. If the EIC only covered a partial upgrade, such as a consumer unit replacement, you may still need a full EICR covering the remainder of the installation.
What Is Part P and Why Does It Matter When Selling?
Part P of the Building Regulations applies to electrical installation work carried out in dwellings in England. It came into force in 2005 and requires that certain types of electrical work either be notified to your local authority building control, or be carried out by a registered competent person who can self-certify the work meets the required standard.
Not all electrical work is notifiable. Replacing like-for-like accessories such as sockets and switches, for example, generally isn’t. But work that involves adding new circuits, installing consumer units, adding electrical installations in kitchens and bathrooms, or adding circuits to outbuildings all falls within the scope of Part P and must be properly certified.
When notifiable electrical work is carried out by a registered competent person, they issue a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate and notify the local authority on your behalf. This certificate confirms the work was done to the required standard and is registered with your local building control. When you sell the property, your solicitor will include it in the legal pack. Buyers’ solicitors routinely ask for evidence that any electrical work carried out since 2005 was properly notified and certified.
If electrical work was carried out without the correct Part P certification, it becomes a problem at the point of sale. Your solicitor will need to declare it to the buyer. The buyer’s solicitor may then raise it as a legal enquiry, and it can delay or complicate the transaction. In some cases buyers, particularly those using a mortgage lender, may require the issue to be resolved before they will exchange.
What Can You Do If You Don’t Have a Part P Certificate?
If electrical work has been done at your property and you don’t have a certificate for it, there are two main routes.
The first is to contact your local authority building control. In some cases it is possible to retrospectively regularise notifiable work through a Regularisation Certificate. This typically involves a building control inspector visiting the property to assess the work. Depending on what was done and how accessible it is, some opening up of walls or ceilings may be required to verify concealed work. It is worth noting that local authorities charge for this service.
The second and often more practical route is to have the affected installation inspected and tested by a NAPIT-registered electrician. We can carry out an inspection of the work and, if it meets the required standard, issue the appropriate certification. If remedial work is needed to bring it up to standard, we can carry out that work and certify it correctly.
If you are selling and have discovered a Part P issue, the sooner you address it the better. Trying to deal with it once you are mid-sale and under time pressure from a chain is stressful and expensive. Addressing it before you list gives you control and means your solicitor has the documentation ready from the outset.
As a NAPIT-registered contractor, Flodman Electrical is authorised to carry out and self-certify notifiable electrical work under Part P, issue the correct certificates, and notify the relevant authorities on your behalf. If you’ve had electrical work done and you’re not sure whether it was properly certified, get in touch and we’ll help you work out where you stand.
A Note on Older Properties
For properties built before the 1990s, particularly those that haven’t had any electrical work or inspection for many years, buyers and their solicitors are more likely to raise electrical condition as a concern. Wiring from the 1960s and 1970s using rubber-insulated cables, aluminium wiring, or installations without any RCD protection can be a genuine red flag for buyers. Having an EICR confirms the actual condition of the installation and takes the guesswork out of the equation for everyone involved in the transaction.
The Bottom Line
If you are a landlord, you cannot legally rent without a valid EICR. The law is clear, the penalties are serious, and compliance is not optional.
If you are a homeowner selling, you are not legally required to have one, but the practical case for getting one before you list is stronger than ever. It removes uncertainty from the buyer’s side, protects your negotiating position, and means you are dealing with any issues on your own terms rather than against the clock.
In both cases, the inspection needs to be carried out by a qualified, competent electrician registered with an approved scheme. Flodman Electrical are NAPIT-approved electricians covering Farnborough, Hampshire, Surrey, and Berkshire. We’ll give you a clear, honest report and talk you through anything that needs attention.
Contact Flodman Electrical to book your EICR
Flodman Electrical Ltd, NAPIT Approved Contractor. Serving Farnborough, Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.
