EICR Compliance File for London Landlords: Checklist

What belongs in an EICR compliance record?

For a London rental property, the relevant landlord electrical-safety rules discussed here are the regulations applying in England. The file should distinguish between documents that form part of the regulatory process and supporting records that help show when each step was completed.

What should you keep before the next EICR?

Start with the current electrical report. Check the inspection date, the result and the date stated for the next inspection rather than assuming that every report automatically runs for a full five years.

A landlord preparing to arrange an EICR should also make the relevant previous report available to the person carrying out the next inspection and test.

• the current or previous EICR;
• the next inspection date recorded on the report;
• relevant electrical certificates issued since the previous EICR;
• records of earlier remedial or investigative work;
• appointment details and access correspondence where relevant.

Earlier reports can also help preserve the property's electrical history, particularly where previous observations led to repairs, alterations or new electrical work.

What should be filed after the inspection?

The complete new EICR should become the main condition record for the electrical installation inspected. Keep the full report rather than only a summary page, invoice or message confirming that an inspection took place.

Record when the report was supplied

Current requirements in England set different report-delivery deadlines according to who is receiving it:

• an existing tenant must receive the report within 28 days of the inspection and test;
• a new tenant must receive the latest report before occupying the premises;
• a prospective tenant who requests the report must receive it within 28 days of the request;
• the local council must receive the report within 7 days of requesting it.

The regulations specify the requirement to supply the report. Keeping dated evidence of delivery is a practical way of demonstrating when that step was completed.

What should be kept when the report requires further action?

Where the EICR identifies remedial or further investigative work as necessary, the compliance file should stay open until the required work and the associated documentation have been completed.

Under the current rented-sector requirements for England, work identified as necessary must normally be completed within 28 days of the inspection and test, or within any shorter period specified as necessary in the report.

Keep:

• the original EICR that identified the required action;
• the work order, quotation or agreed scope if retained as part of the management record;
• the appropriate certificate or electrical record produced for the work;
• written confirmation from the qualified person that the required work has been completed;
• evidence showing when the required post-work documents were supplied.

Within 28 days of completion of the required remedial or investigative work, the landlord must provide the tenant and local council with the relevant report and written confirmation from the qualified person who carried out the work.

A 2026 point about FI observations

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 changed the model EICR treatment of Further Investigation (FI), so an FI observation does not by itself result in an unsatisfactory outcome under the new model. Amendment 3:2024 remains valid until 15 October 2026, which means reports may be produced under either valid edition during the transition period.

For record keeping, the safest approach is simple: retain the report that was actually issued, record its stated outcome and track any remedial or investigative work that it identifies as necessary.

Should other electrical certificates stay with the EICR?

Relevant certificates from electrical work carried out at the rental property are useful to retain with the EICR history because they show what changed between condition reports.

GOV.UK gives examples of appropriate post-remedial documentation that can include a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate, depending on the work completed.

These documents are not interchangeable. An EIC records qualifying new electrical installation work, whereas an EICR records the condition of an existing electrical installation.

Where that distinction needs a fuller explanation, the site's practical guide to the difference between EIC and EICR covers the two documents separately.

What should you keep if a tenant prevents access?

Keep a clear record of the reasonable steps taken to arrange access. Current government guidance says that a landlord is not in breach of certain specified duties where they can show that all reasonable steps were taken to comply, including situations where a tenant prevents entry.

Useful evidence can include:

• emails or messages requesting access;
• proposed inspection dates;
• tenant responses;
• cancelled appointments;
• rearranged appointment details;
• communications with the electrician or managing agent;
• previous safety reports or servicing records retained while access is being arranged.

These records are especially important where an inspection has not taken place by the expected date because they help show what was actually done to obtain access.

What if required work cannot be completed within 28 days?

The 28-day requirement, or any shorter period specified as necessary in the report, remains the starting point. Government guidance recognises that legitimate practical constraints can sometimes prevent work from being completed within that timeframe.

Examples include complex specialist work, dependence on a third party such as an electricity supplier, or tenant-specific circumstances that require additional planning.

How long should an EICR be retained?

The relevant report must be retained until the next inspection and test is required or, if later, actually conducted, unless that report has already been superseded by a more recent report.

A copy must also be supplied to the inspector and tester carrying out the next inspection and test.

For practical property management, it is sensible to keep the supporting remedial certificates, delivery evidence and relevant access correspondence with the report for the same property so the history can be followed without reconstructing it later.

A simple digital folder structure for landlords

The regulations do not require a particular digital filing structure, but a consistent property folder makes it easier to retrieve the correct evidence when a tenancy changes, an inspection becomes due or the local council requests information.

Quotes, invoices and contractor emails can be useful supporting records, but they should not be treated as substitutes for the electrical report, appropriate certification or written confirmation required for the work completed.

EICR compliance file checklist

• Current complete EICR
• Previous EICR where relevant
• Next inspection date
• Evidence supplied to existing tenant
• Evidence supplied before a new tenant occupies
• Prospective-tenant request records where applicable
• Local council request and response records where applicable
• Required remedial or investigative work records
• Written confirmation after required follow-up work
• Relevant EIC or Minor Works documentation
• Tenant-access correspondence where relevant
• Records of reasonable steps where required work is delayed

The aim is not to create paperwork for its own sake. A good compliance file gives the landlord or managing agent one clear record of what was inspected, what was issued, what action was required and whether that action was completed.