Who Pays for an EICR When Buying Property in London?

Responsibility Depends on Whether an EICR Already Exists

The first step is not automatically to order another inspection. Ask whether the seller already has a recent Electrical Installation Condition Report and request a copy together with any Electrical Installation Certificates, Minor Works Certificates or Building Regulations records relating to later electrical work.

GOV.UK's home-selling guidance lists electrical checks, including an EICR or reports from registered electrical professionals, among the paperwork a seller may already hold. It treats this differently from the Energy Performance Certificate, which has its own specific requirement in the sale process.

If the existing electrical information is adequate for your purposes, another inspection may not be necessary purely because ownership is changing. If there is no useful report, the buyer can decide whether to commission one before becoming legally committed to the purchase.

Does the Seller Have to Provide a New EICR?

Not as a general condition of selling an ordinary owner-occupied home in England. GOV.UK identifies an EPC as required sale documentation, while electrical checks are listed among property records a seller may already have.

That distinction matters because an existing EICR should not be confused with a document that every seller is automatically required to obtain immediately before marketing a property.

A seller can nevertheless choose to commission an EICR, particularly if there is no recent electrical documentation and providing one may help answer a buyer's questions. A buyer may also make an inspection part of negotiations before exchange.

The separate guide on selling a house without an EICR owns the broader seller-side question, so the legal sale process is not duplicated here.

When Should the Buyer Arrange an EICR?

Electrical Safety First advises home buyers to check whether a recent EICR is available and, if not, to arrange for a registered electrician to carry one out. It also warns that electrical checks are not necessarily included within a standard home survey.

A buyer may therefore consider an EICR where the electrical history is unclear, the property is older, significant alterations have been made, certificates are missing or the visible condition raises questions that a general survey does not answer.

GOV.UK explains that buyers can commission specialist assessments after an offer is accepted and before exchange of contracts. If a survey or specialist inspection reveals a significant issue, the buyer may discuss repairs or renegotiate before the transaction becomes legally binding.

The reasons for having the inspection before purchase are covered more deeply in the guide to arranging an EICR before buying a property .

Who Normally Pays for a Pre-Purchase EICR?

If the buyer independently commissions an EICR to help make a purchasing decision, the buyer would normally expect to pay the inspection cost. The same principle applies to many other specialist assessments commissioned by a purchaser during due diligence.

That does not prevent the buyer and seller agreeing something different. A seller may volunteer to obtain a report, or the parties may negotiate who arranges an inspection after an issue is raised during the conveyancing or survey process.

What Should You Check on an Existing EICR?

Do not judge an EICR from the date on the first page alone. Check what property and electrical installation the report actually covers, the extent and limitations recorded by the inspector, the overall assessment and whether later remedial work is supported by appropriate documentation.

• Confirm that the address matches the property being purchased.
• Check the date of inspection.
• Read the stated extent and limitations of the inspection.
• Check whether the overall assessment is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
• Look for recorded observations or recommendations.
• Ask for evidence of remedial work completed after the report where relevant.
• Check for certificates covering significant electrical work completed after the EICR.

An older report can still provide useful history, but it cannot describe alterations or deterioration that happened afterwards. If significant work has been carried out since the report, the later electrical certificates should form part of the document review.

What Does a Pre-Purchase EICR Actually Assess?

An EICR assesses the condition of the fixed electrical installation within the stated inspection scope. It is not the same as a structural survey, appliance test, gas inspection or mortgage valuation.

Electrical Safety First explains that periodic inspection can identify deterioration, defects, dangerous conditions and departures from current electrical-safety requirements that could give rise to danger.

The detailed inspection scope belongs to the guide to what an EICR checks , rather than being repeated in full here.

What If the Property Is Currently or Was Recently Rented?

A property being sold out of the private rented sector may already have an EICR because separate rules apply to relevant rented homes in England.

Current GOV.UK guidance requires landlords within the scope of the electrical-safety regulations to have the electrical installation inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years, or sooner where the previous report specifies a shorter interval.

Those landlord duties arise from the tenancy, not from the sale. An EICR produced for the rental property can still be useful to a purchaser, but the buyer should check its date, scope, outcome and any subsequent remedial documentation.

What About Buying a Leasehold Flat?

With a leasehold flat, it is important to distinguish the electrical installation serving the individual flat from landlord or freeholder electrical systems serving communal parts of the building.

A report for the flat does not automatically prove that separate shared installations have been inspected, and a report for communal areas does not automatically cover the private electrical installation within the flat.

The boundary depends on the actual supply, distribution, circuits and inspection scope rather than simply whether an area is described as private or communal. Ask for documents that make clear what installation each report covers.

What If the EICR Finds Electrical Problems Before Exchange?

Finding defects does not automatically decide what happens to the property transaction. The EICR provides technical information; the buyer and seller then decide how that information affects negotiations.

GOV.UK's home-buying guidance explains that where a survey uncovers significant issues, a buyer may ask the seller to arrange repairs, renegotiate the offer to reflect the work required or decide not to proceed before contracts are exchanged.

Electrical observations should be considered in context. Some may require prompt remedial action, while others may be recommendations for improvement rather than an indication that the entire installation needs replacing.

Which Electrical Documents Should a Buyer Request?

A useful electrical history is rarely one document. Ask your solicitor or conveyancer to request whatever records are available for the property, especially where substantial electrical work has been carried out.

Which Electrical Standard Applies to Current Inspection Work?

Periodic inspection and testing of existing electrical installations is carried out with reference to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. The IET published BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 on 15 April 2026 as the latest amendment to the 18th Edition.

An EICR does not mean that every older installation must be rebuilt simply because it was designed to an earlier edition. The report assesses the installation's present condition and records observations relevant to continued electrical safety.

A Practical Buying Checklist

• Ask whether a recent EICR already exists.
• Request electrical certificates for later installation work.
• Check exactly which installation the existing report covers.
• Review the overall EICR assessment and recorded limitations.
• Request evidence of completed remedial work where defects were previously recorded.
• Do not assume a standard home survey includes detailed fixed-wiring testing.
• If the electrical history is unclear, consider commissioning your own inspection before exchange.
• For leasehold properties, distinguish the flat's electrical installation from shared building systems.
• Discuss significant findings with your solicitor, surveyor and electrician before deciding how they affect the purchase.

If you decide that an independent condition report is appropriate, arrange an electrical safety inspection for the fixed installation you need assessed before the purchase proceeds.