Landlords within scope in England must have the fixed electrical installation in rented premises inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, obtain the resulting report and provide it within the required timeframes. The rules now cover both private and social rented homes, with specific transitional arrangements affecting social tenancies during 2026.
For a London landlord in 2026, EICR compliance is not simply about having a certificate on file.
The landlord needs to know what installation the report covers, when the next inspection is due, when copies must be provided, whether remedial or investigative work is required and whether the tenancy falls within the social-sector transitional arrangements.
Which Landlords Are Covered by the Electrical Safety Regulations?
The current GOV.UK guidance applies in England and covers both the private and social rented sectors. In general, the regulations apply where a tenant has a right to occupy residential premises as their only or main residence and pays rent.
There are statutory exclusions, including certain long leases, shared accommodation with a landlord or the landlord's family, student halls of residence, hostels, care homes and some other specified accommodation. The rules should therefore not be described as applying without exception to every residential occupation.
London follows the England-wide regulations.
There is no separate London five-year EICR regime. Local councils enforce the relevant duties, but the core inspection, reporting and remedial-work requirements discussed in this guide apply across England.
What Must a Landlord Do for EICR Compliance in 2026?
A landlord within scope needs to manage the complete inspection and reporting process rather than treating the EICR as a one-off document.
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Have the electrical installation inspected and tested.
This must be carried out by a qualified person competent to undertake the inspection and testing, at least every five years.
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Obtain the report.
The report is usually an Electrical Installation Condition Report and records the results together with the date for the next inspection and test.
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Provide the report to the relevant people within the required period.
Different deadlines apply to existing tenants, new tenants, prospective tenants and local councils.
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Act on required remedial or investigative work.
Where the report says such work is necessary, the statutory timeframe must be followed.
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Keep the report and follow-up records.
The current report should remain available for the next inspection and for demonstrating what action was taken after previous findings.
This article focuses on landlord compliance. The technical question of which parts of the fixed installation are inspected is covered separately in
What Does EICR Check Include UK?.
Landlord EICR Deadlines in England in 2026
The trigger for each deadline matters. The 28-day rules do not all start from the same event.
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The 28-day remedial period is a maximum, not an automatic waiting period.
If the EICR specifies that action is necessary sooner, the shorter period applies.
Does a Landlord Need a New EICR for Every New Tenant?
No, not automatically.
If the electrical installation was inspected and tested less than five years ago and the current report does not require further investigative or remedial work, GOV.UK states that another inspection is not required simply because the property is being re-let.
The landlord must provide the most recent qualifying report to the new tenant before occupation. If the report sets an earlier next-inspection date, that earlier date should still be followed.
GOV.UK also recommends a visual inspection before a new tenancy starts to check that no obvious damage or deterioration has occurred since the previous report.
What Changed for the Social Rented Sector in 2026?
The electrical safety regulations were extended to the social rented sector in 2025, making 2026 a real implementation year rather than a future compliance date.
The regulations came into force for the social rented sector on 1 November 2025 and apply to social housing tenancies granted after 1 December 2025.
For social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the regulations came into force on 1 May 2026. The transitional provisions require social landlords to ensure the relevant electrical installation is inspected and tested by a qualified person before 1 November 2026.
After the initial transitional requirement has been satisfied, subsequent inspections and tests of the electrical installation must take place at least every five years.
As of August 2026, “preparing for future social-housing electrical rules” is no longer accurate framing.
The extension is already in force. For older social tenancies, the practical issue is completing the transitional inspection and testing before the 1 November 2026 deadline.
What Are the Electrical Equipment Duties for Social Landlords?
The social rented sector extension also introduced a separate requirement for electrical equipment supplied by a social landlord as part of a tenancy. This should not be confused with the EICR of the fixed electrical installation.
Social landlords must ensure landlord-provided electrical equipment is checked by a qualified person at least every five years. Examples in GOV.UK guidance include items such as cookers, fridges and microwaves supplied under the tenancy.
For social tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the transitional provisions also require landlord-provided electrical equipment to be checked before 1 November 2026.
Where the equipment is found not to be safe for continued use, the landlord has separate duties to make it safe or replace it within the applicable timeframe.
How Do EICR Codes Affect Landlord Compliance in 2026?
C1 means danger is present, C2 means potentially dangerous and C3 means improvement is recommended. Under the BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model EICR, C1 and C2 affect the overall assessment, while C3 and FI are advisory and do not by themselves make the report unsatisfactory.
2026 FI transition:
Amendment 4 changes FI from “further investigation required without delay” to “further investigation is advised”. The previous Amendment 2 / Amendment 3 position remains in the six-month transition until 15 October 2026, when Amendments 2 and 3 are withdrawn and Amendment 4 must be used.
There is also an important legal distinction for landlords. Current GOV.UK guidance still uses the earlier FI wording, but the landlord's statutory obligation turns on whether the actual report requires remedial or further investigative work. An FI observation should therefore not be treated in isolation as either an automatic failed EICR or something a landlord can automatically ignore.
The detailed technical explanation belongs to
EICR Codes Explained: C1, C2, C3 and FI in 2026.
Does a Particular Defect Always Receive the Same EICR Code?
No.
A defect name on its own is not enough to determine the classification code. The IET states that the inspector must use engineering judgement to assign a classification according to the degree of urgency and the actual condition identified during inspection and testing.
This means statements such as “old fuse board = C2”, “no RCD protection = C2” or “poor earthing = C1” are too absolute. The inspector must consider the specific deficiency, how the installation is arranged, the protective measures available, the circumstances in which the condition could give rise to danger and the evidence obtained during the inspection.
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For landlords, the practical approach is to read the observation, classification and required action together rather than trying to predict the code from the name or age of a component.
Do the Rented-Sector EICR Regulations Cover Communal Areas?
The specific Electrical Safety Standards regulations discussed in this article do not apply to communal areas of a building such as shared stairwells, corridors and other common spaces.
That exclusion should not be interpreted as meaning communal electrical installations need no safety management. GOV.UK notes that other legislation and enforcement powers can apply, and shared electrical systems should still be checked and maintained so they remain safe.
A communal label also does not automatically determine how many EICRs are required. In managed or mixed-use buildings, the inspection scope should follow the actual electrical installation, supplies, distribution arrangements and responsibilities rather than room names alone.
Where a landlord manages multiple flats, landlord supplies or several defined electrical installations, the
EICR compliance guide for build-to-rent, co-living and managed rental blocks
covers that operational planning question in more depth.
What EICR Records Should a Landlord Keep?
A landlord should retain the current report until the next inspection and test is required or, if later, carried out, unless it has been superseded by a more recent report. The report must also be available to the inspector carrying out the next inspection and test.
Where remedial or investigative work has been required, the related written confirmation and electrical certification should be retained with the EICR so the compliance record shows the original observation and the action taken afterwards.
A practical landlord compliance file should make it easy to identify:
- the property and electrical installation covered by the report;
- the date of inspection and test;
- the next inspection date;
- the report provided to the tenant;
- any remedial or further investigative work identified;
- the completion confirmation or relevant electrical certificate;
- records of attempts to arrange access where access has been difficult.
GOV.UK recognises that a landlord may rely on evidence of reasonable steps where a tenant prevents access. Keeping communications and appointment records can therefore be important where an inspection or required work cannot proceed as originally arranged.
Official Guidance & Standards
The legal deadlines, social-sector transition and technical classification update in this guide are based on current government and IET guidance.
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