Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords must ensure that their properties meet electrical safety standards, which means they should have a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
Given that these regulations came into force in 2020, and that an EICR certificate is typically valid for five years, many certificates are due for renewal in 2025. When you consider the context of the Renters' Rights Bill and incoming EPC legislation, this wave of renewals couldn't happen at a worse time for landlords.
This helps to explain why 29% of them cited compliance as the main advantage of using a letting agent in Goodlord's State of the Lettings Industry report last year, up from 17% in 2023.
To ensure that your agency is ready to meet this need, you need a scalable way to track your clients' EICR certificate expiry dates. In this blog, we reveal what this is, while also telling you everything you need to know about the topic.
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a detailed assessment of a property’s electrical system, evaluating its safety and functionality. The inspection is conducted by a qualified contractor who checks every aspect of the electrical installation to identify any issues that may pose a safety risk.
The main goal of the EICR report is to prevent or fix any possible electric risks, such as electric shocks, fire hazards, overloaded circuits, or problems with earthing or fuse boxes.
The report categorises issues under specific codes to indicate their severity:
If a property falls under C1, C2, or FI codes, the remedial work must be carried out within 28 days, unless otherwise specified by the inspector.
As per the British Standards Institute’s BS 7671 guidelines, a property should at least conduct an EICR inspection once every five years. However, the exact duration can vary depending on factors such as the type of property, the condition of the electrical installations, and the inspector’s recommendations.
For most residential properties, the standard validity of EICRs remains five years. However, there are certain high-risk properties that are exposed to moisture and extreme temperatures that require more frequent inspections. For instance, a house with a swimming pool requires an EICR inspection every year.
In some cases, if a report identifies significant risks, the inspector may recommend a shorter interval of one or two years, until necessary repairs are completed.
Apart from the obvious risk of putting the property and tenants in danger, there are severe penalties for landlords for non-compliance. Local authorities can impose fines of up to £30,000, and in some extreme cases, criminal charges can be pressed, if the landlord persists in non-compliance.
Having an EICR certificate is a legal requirement for landlords in England who rent out properties in the private sector. Once landlords have obtained the EICR report from the qualified electrician, they need to:
This shows that EICR certificates are about compliance as well as tenant safety. However, given the number of touchpoints, keeping EICRs valid and sharing them with the right people can be a headache.
As an agent, it can be difficult to keep track of which properties need inspections and when, especially with many EICRs coming up for renewals. You need to make sure that all documents are up-to-date, well organised, and easily shareable with concerned parties, all while keeping landlords compliant to protect them from fines or legal issues.
This is where Goodlord steps in to make your life easier. We:
You can upload and store all necessary certifications, including EICRs, in the Goodlord platform, and view them in the property documents tab. By adding expiry dates, you can quickly see which certificates are missing, expired, or nearing expiration. You can also filter properties by compliance status, making sure no certificates slip through the cracks.
Once documents are added to the Goodlord platform, you’ll receive notifications when a certificate is about to expire, giving you plenty of time to arrange for inspections and get them updated.
Plus, Goodlord also automatically verifies that the EICR certificate is valid before new tenancy agreements are issued.
Goodlord makes it easier for you to track which party has received what documents and when. When uploaded, the tenancy agreements created by Goodlord include tenants acknowledging receiving EICRs in a supporting documents checklist.
You can also use our handy connection with SAFE2 to purchase any updated property documents and streamline the process of collecting the new certificates.
Chat with our team to learn more about how we can automate compliance for your agency, allowing you to deliver an even better service👇
This article is intended as a guide only and does not constitute legal advice. Visit gov.uk for more information.