Legislation recently changed and now states that from 1st July 2020, privately rented properties will need a valid electrical installation condition report (EICR) Certificate – Electrical Certificate for all new tenancies and renewals. If you have an existing tenancy you have until 1st April 2021 in order to get your electrical certification report. Business owners also require a valid electrical installation condition report (EICR) Electrical Certificate as they are legally responsible for the welfare of their staff, customers or tenants, and could face prosecution should there be harm caused due to unsafe electrics.

If you are a homeowner, it is not a legal requirement to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR Certificate). However, it is advised that a new electrical certificate should be undertaken every ten years for a privately owned property. In addition, if you are looking to sell your property, your buyer’s solicitor may well request in order for you to demonstrate regular maintenance to the property. It is also worth noting that if you fail to maintain your electrical systems, insurance companies can use this as a reason to refuse claims.

Current guidelines state that for rental properties the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) lasts for 5 years but also recommends having the report renewed at the start of each new tenancy.

Guidelines state that the electrical installation condition report (EICR) must be carried out by a competent and qualified person. A qualified electrician in order to fill the Electrical Certificate must have taken the proper courses and training that cover periodic testing and inspection of electrical installations and must be registered with scheme providers to ensure their compliance with the latest standards of safety in the field (IET 18th Edition).

It is recommended for the electrical certificate that you ask the contractor which scheme they are approved with and their electrical safety certification credentials. The most commonly recognized accreditation bodies in the UK are NICEIC, Stroma, Napit and Elecsa. It should be noted that an electrician does not require accreditation to carry out an Electrical Certificate but should have the requisite qualifications.

If you hold the qualifications to check installations to the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations and provide an electrical certificate report on it then, yes, you should be able to self-certify your properties.

The electrical installation condition report (EICR) is done to determine if there are any serious issues with a property’s electrical systems. The inspection includes a visual check of the electrical systems as well as thorough testing for relevant parts, such as interior (main system cables, electrical distribution boards, etc.) and exterior pieces (including light fittings, switches, sockets). Such tests include Dead testing, Live testing, and residual current device (RCD) testing, note that these tests will require the power to be turned off for a short amount of time! Ultimately, the duration of the inspection for the Electrical Safety Certification to be ready, may depend on the size and age of the property, the complexity of the property’s power systems, the number of circuits, and whether there are serious issues identified during the inspection.

Visual Inspection for Electrical Safety Certification

Tests for the electrical certificate include a Visual Inspection, Dead Testing, Live Testing, and, if needed, residual current device (RCD) testing. To begin, the electrician will inspect the property and the electrical systems in question to identify any obvious issues.

Dead Testing for Electrical Safety Certification

Next, Dead Testing will begin. The process of Dead Testing includes three parts: Insulation Resistance Testing, Continuity Testing, and Polarity Testing. These tests will determine whether there are any faulty electric connectors, check whether insulation where needed is present and functioning to prevent potential system shocks, and, ultimately, ensure that everything is properly connected.

Live Testing for Electrical Safety Certification

Collectively, these tests ensure that, if there is a major problem or emergency, the electric system is able to quickly shut down to prevent potentially dangerous situations and further damage.

RCD Testing for Electrical Safety Certification

Residual current device (RCD) Tests may then be done on more modern electrical systems’ residual current device RCDs, which are in place for fire prevention purposes.

Yes, there will be a short power outage whilst each circuit is tested.

The duration in order for the electrical installation condition report (EICR),  Electrical Certificate to be ready varies greatly depending on the size of the property, number of circuits, complexity of the installation and what potential issues are discovered during the inspection. However, a small apartment can take around an hour with large homes sometimes taking up to 3 or 4 hours.

Can I fail the EICR certificate?

Yes. Simply having the inspection carried out is not enough if you plan to rent the property. If the engineer deems any part of the system to be unsafe or not fit for purpose then they can mark the installation as ‘unsatisfactory’.

Electrical installation condition report (EICR) must be given to all of the tenants before they occupy the property and when a new report is undertaken you must provide tenants with a new report within 28 days of the inspection.

The local authority is responsible for enforcement and they can issue civil penalties of up to £30,000 per breach of these regulations.

Where non-urgent work has been identified they must serve the landlord a notice detailing the work required and giving them 28 days to perform the work. The landlord may make representations to this within 21 days of the notice being served. If they do then the local authority must respond to these representations within 7 days. Until they respond the requirement to perform the work is suspended.

Lastly, if the local authority is satisfied the landlord is in breach and they have the tenant’s permission to do so, they may perform emergency remedial work on the property and bill the landlord for any costs incurred.

An electrical insulation condition report (EICR) will consist of a Visual Inspection, Dead Testing, and Live Testing, and sometimes, residual current device (RCD) Testing.

Visual Inspection

The first step for your electrical installation condition report (EICR) is pretty simple. The qualified engineer will survey the installation before carrying out any testing. This will help highlight any issues caused by wear and tear, e.g. damaged cables or power switches. These are often the most obvious risks present in electrical installations.

Dead Testing

There are three aspects to dead testing – Continuity Testing, Insulation Resistance Testing, and Polarity Testing for the electrical installation condition report (EICR). These three aspects check if there are any badly connected conductors, make sure that the insulation material surrounding the conductors is intact and that the connection is connected in the right sequence.

Live Testing

This testing is to make sure that if a fault did occur, the system meets the right requirements to cause a disconnection of the supply within a time limit specified.

Residual current device (RCD) Testing

On modern electrical systems there is also residual current device (RCD) testing – these are devices that are fitted to prevent fires.

In general, it is a good idea to have a visual inspection of a property’s electrical systems once per year. The full inspection for an electrical installation condition report (EICR), however must now be done more frequently as per UK law: as of June 2020, the full inspection is mandatory at least once every five years. A new electrical installation condition report (EICR) must also be produced every time there is a change of tenants.

In addition to getting the electrical installation condition report (EICR) every five years, you must also follow electrical installation condition report (EICR) guidelines to repair your property if the certificate issued after the inspection says repairs are urgently needed, as indicated by “unsatisfactory” EICR codes C2 and C1. When repairs are done, you must notify your tenants and your local authorities in writing so that they are able to stay up to date with the property’s safety status.

As a landlord, not following electrical installation condition report (EICR) rules and regulations has consequences. In addition to potential legal ramifications for not following electrical installation condition report (EICR) Certificate guidelines (usually a fine), many insurance companies may not be willing to offer their services to you, or may reject repair claims if you fail to maintain your properties’ electrical systems.

Getting the results of the electrical safety certification can sometimes take a few days as the engineer will need to upload the findings in a digital format which will then be emailed to you. If your property meets the required standard then your report will be marked as ‘satisfactory’. Should your electrical installation condition report (EICR) certificate not meet current requirements, the report will be classed as “unsatisfactory” meaning that the required work needs to be done in order to bring the installation to the required level.

As well as returning an “unsatisfactory” result, the report will then detail which part of the electrical system failed the test and why. Work required is classified using the following codes:

Keep in mind that after the inspections for the electrical certificate are complete, the electrician who assessed the property may need a few days to issue the electrical safety certificate, as it may take a few days to upload and calculate findings online.

• C1 – ‘danger is present’, risk of injury is likely and immediate action is required.
• C2 – potentially dangerous and remedial action is needed urgently.
• C3 – improvement to your electrical system is recommended. C3 is the only classification code that can appear on a report and still pass the EICR test.

Remedial Works

If you receive a C1 fault on your electrical installation condition report (EICR), the assessor may shut-down the property, or, if viable, remedial work will be carried out immediately. If you receive a C2 code on your electrical installation condition report (EICR), remedial work must be completed to absolve the issue within 28 days as per UK law. Once the repairs are complete, the landlord must update tenants and local authorities in written form that the necessary repairs have been completed on time. Once completed, the Landlord must provide written confirmation to both their tenant and local authority that the works have been carried out within the required 28 days.

In general, it is a good idea to have a visual inspection of a property’s electrical systems once per year. The full inspection for an electrical installation condition report (EICR), however must now be done more frequently as per UK law: as of June 2020, the full inspection is mandatory at least once every five years. A new electrical installation condition report (EICR) must also be produced every time there is a change of tenants.

In addition to getting the electrical installation condition report (EICR) every five years, you must also follow electrical installation condition report (EICR) guidelines to repair your property if the certificate issued after the inspection says repairs are urgently needed, as indicated by “unsatisfactory” EICR codes C2 and C1. When repairs are done, you must notify your tenants and your local authorities in writing so that they are able to stay up to date with the property’s safety status.

As a landlord, not following electrical installation condition report (EICR) rules and regulations has consequences. In addition to potential legal ramifications for not following electrical installation condition report (EICR) Certificate guidelines (usually a fine), many insurance companies may not be willing to offer their services to you, or may reject repair claims if you fail to maintain your properties’ electrical systems.