19+ Years Industry Experience
Dedicated customer & tech support
Easy 3 step booking process
Call us on 0800 170 1201
Lines open (Mon-Fri)
9:00AM - 5:30PM
9:00AM - 5:30PM
19+ Years Industry Experience
Dedicated customer & tech support
Easy 3 step booking process
Specialising in EICR surveys and related property services.
Over 19 years experience providing property surveys for all building types.
Contact us for free quotes and impartial advice.
An EICR lasts up to 5 years on a rented home and 10 years on an owner-occupied one, but it runs out sooner if the electrician sets an earlier date on the report. Commercial premises are usually inspected every 5 years, and some, such as swimming pools and caravan parks, every year.
The electrician can always set a shorter interval if the installation’s condition calls for it. The “recommended date of next inspection” on your report is the effective expiry date.
Up to 5 years. In England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require private landlords to have the installation inspected and tested at least every 5 years. If the report sets an earlier date, the next inspection is due by that date instead.
A change of tenancy doesn’t restart anything. If the report is still in date you don’t need a new one, but you must give the new tenants a copy before they move in. Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the inspection, and the council within 7 days if it asks.
The rule is the same length elsewhere in Great Britain. In Wales, landlords must have the installation tested at least every 5 years and give the contract-holder the report within 14 days of the occupation date. In Scotland, the Repairing Standard requires an inspection at least every 5 years. See the landlord EICR guide for the rest of the rules.
Usually 5 years for offices, shops and similar premises. Industrial sites are normally inspected every 3 years, and higher-risk places more often: every year for swimming pools and caravan parks, and every 3 months for construction sites. These are the maximum intervals in the IET’s guidance that electricians work to, and the electrician can set a shorter one.
No single law sets a commercial EICR interval the way the 2020 Regulations do for rentals. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require the installation to be kept safe, and an in-date EICR is how most businesses show it. Insurers often ask for one too.
Our commercial EICR guide covers who is responsible. Commercial EICRs start from £99.95+VAT.
An electrician doesn’t stamp a fixed expiry on an EICR. They assess the wiring, consumer unit, earthing, bonding and fixed electrical equipment, then recommend a date for the next inspection, which goes on the report. That is usually 5 years for a rented home, but it can be sooner if the installation needs watching.
For private rentals, the 5-year cycle is law. For owner-occupied homes, the 10-year interval is guidance that goes with BS 7671 (the national wiring standard), not a legal requirement, but it is well worth following. Read what an EICR is for what the inspection covers.
Even if your current EICR is in date, these are good reasons to book a new inspection:
Landlords. Letting a home in England without an in-date EICR breaches the 2020 Regulations. The council can serve a remedial notice, arrange the work itself and recover the cost, and fine up to £30,000. See our landlord EICR guide for the details.
Homeowners. There is no legal penalty, but nobody has checked the installation. Electrical faults develop slowly and often stay hidden until something goes wrong.
Businesses. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 still apply, and an out-of-date report makes it harder to show the installation is safe. It can also cause problems with insurers.
An EICR can’t be extended. Once the next-inspection date passes, a full new inspection is needed, done the same way as the first.
Book your renewal 2 to 3 months before the date. That leaves time to fit the visit around tenants and to finish any remedial work if the new report is Unsatisfactory.
EICRs start from £99.95+VAT, and you can see how much an EICR costs by property type before you book.
See what landlords, homeowners and businesses say about working with Easy EPC.
An EICR on a rented home lasts up to 5 years, and an owner-occupied home is recommended for inspection every 10 years. The electrician can set a shorter date if the installation needs it. The recommended date of next inspection printed on the report is the date that counts.
Up to 5 years. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require an inspection at least every 5 years, or sooner if the last report says so. Wales and Scotland also require one at least every 5 years.
Yes, if the electrician sets a shorter interval because of the installation’s condition. That date then becomes the expiry date. If major electrical work is carried out after the EICR, a new inspection is also sensible to confirm the whole installation is still satisfactory.
On the report, on the “recommended date of next inspection” line. That is the date that matters for compliance, and it may be sooner than 5 years from the inspection date.
No. Remedial work brings the report to Satisfactory, but the original next-inspection date stands. Only a new full inspection resets the clock.
Not if the current EICR is still in date. You must give the new tenants a copy of it before they move in. Some landlords choose a fresh inspection between tenancies anyway.
No, not for an owner-occupied home in England or Wales. Buyers and mortgage lenders sometimes ask for one, and a recent Satisfactory report can help the sale along.
For a landlord in England, letting without an in-date report breaches the 2020 Regulations, and the council can serve a remedial notice and fine up to £30,000. Book a new EICR straight away. For homeowners there is no legal penalty, but the safety of the installation is unchecked.
Book an EICR in your city, from £99.95+VAT
Get a no-obligation quote for your domestic or commercial EICR. Our team will respond during opening hours.
