The complete UK EICR guide: observation codes, landlord rules and 2026 compliance

What an EICR actually is

An EICR is a periodic assessment of an existing electrical installation against the current edition of BS 7671. It combines a detailed visual inspection with a set of electrical tests, and results in a written report with an overall assessment of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

It is not a certificate for new work. New installations and alterations get an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate. An EICR looks at what is already there and asks whether it is safe to remain in service.

• · Visual inspection of the consumer unit, accessories, cable routes, bonding and notices
• · Measurement of earthing arrangement, Ze and prospective fault current
• · Continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, Zs and RCD operation on sampled circuits
• · A coded schedule of observations and an overall assessment

The four observation codes

Every defect found is given one of four codes. The codes drive the overall outcome, so applying them consistently matters more than the wording of the observation itself.

• · C1 — danger present. Risk of injury exists now. Make safe before leaving site and tell the duty holder immediately.
• · C2 — potentially dangerous. Safe as found in normal use, but a foreseeable fault would make it dangerous. Urgent remedial work required.
• · C3 — improvement recommended. Does not meet the current standard but is not dangerous. The only code that still allows a satisfactory report.
• · FI — further investigation required without delay. Something suggests a problem that the inspection could not confirm.

What makes a report unsatisfactory

Any C1, C2 or FI makes the overall assessment unsatisfactory. A report with a dozen C3 entries and nothing else is still satisfactory, because none of those observations represents a danger.

That single rule explains most disputes between landlords and electricians. The argument is almost never about whether a defect exists; it is about whether it is a C2 or a C3, because the difference decides whether remedial work has to be paid for within 28 days.

How often each property needs one

Intervals come from IET Guidance Note 3, except for privately rented homes in England, where a five-year maximum is written into law. The interval is a maximum, not a target: the inspector can recommend a shorter one where the installation, the environment or the occupancy justifies it.

• · Owner-occupied homes: 10 years, or on change of occupancy
• · Privately rented homes and HMOs: 5 years, and before a new tenancy begins
• · Commercial premises: 5 years, or on change of occupancy
• · Industrial installations: 3 years
• · Swimming pools, caravan parks, marinas and petrol stations: annually
• · Construction sites: every 3 months

Landlord duties in England

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 turned good practice into a legal duty with real penalties. A satisfactory report must be in place before a tenant moves in, and the duties continue through the tenancy.

• · Give a copy to a new tenant before they occupy, and to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection
• · Complete all C1, C2 and FI remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so
• · Obtain written confirmation that the remedial work meets the required standard
• · Supply a copy to the local authority within 7 days of a written request
• · Repeat at intervals of no more than 5 years

The penalties, and how enforcement actually works

Local authorities can impose civil penalties of up to £30,000 per breach. In practice, enforcement usually starts with a remedial notice: the authority tells the landlord what to fix and by when, and can arrange the work itself and recover the cost if the notice is ignored.

Failure tends to be discovered through a tenant complaint or a licensing inspection rather than a proactive audit, which is exactly why the paperwork matters. A report you cannot produce is, for enforcement purposes, a report that does not exist.

What Amendment 4 changed for inspectors

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026, with the changeover on 15 October 2026. For condition reporting, the practical effects are about evidence and about newer technology on site.

• · Battery energy storage systems need their isolation, emergency disconnection and labelling assessed
• · EV charge points need PEN fault detection or an earth electrode on PME supplies, plus DC fault protection
• · Photographs and thermal images attached to the report are now the expected way to evidence defects
• · Solar PV DC cabling and dual-supply labelling get more attention during the visual inspection

Choosing an inspector, and reading the report

The person carrying out the report should hold a current inspection and testing qualification, typically C&G 2391 or equivalent, and work under a competent person scheme. Ask what the sampling level was: an EICR that tested one circuit in ten tells you far less than one that tested them all.

When you get the report back, read the limitations first. Anything the inspector could not access is recorded there, and it changes what the overall assessment actually covers.

Tools to use alongside this guide

The Certi toolkit includes a searchable EICR code checker with the reasoning behind each classification, and a frequency calculator that gives the next due date by property type. Both are free and need no sign-up.