If you’re searching for an electrical safety compliance checklist landlords can actually use, here’s a practical list for England. It’s built around the duties set out in the GOV.UK guidance on electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors.
Key takeaways
- Fixed electrical installations must be inspected and tested at least every 5 years, with an EICR as the evidence.
- Reports have strict handover rules: tenants usually get a copy within 28 days, and councils can request it.
- C1, C2 and FI findings trigger remedial or investigative work, typically due within 28 days (or sooner if the report says so).
- Social landlords in England also have explicit 5-year checks for the electrical equipment they provide under the tenancy.
- Visual checks between tenancies stop small issues from turning into expensive call-outs.
What counts as “compliance” in England
For most rented homes, the legal focus is the fixed installation: wiring, sockets, lighting, consumer unit, and permanently connected items like showers and extractors. The government’s guidance also ties the standard to the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671).
After the inspection, you should receive an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). It records the result, any observations, and the next due date. The same guidance explains the coding (C1, C2, C3 and FI) and when a report is “satisfactory”.
Electrical safety compliance checklist for landlords
Map your stock and deadlines
You need to list every dwelling and the date of the most recent EICR (or EIC for new builds/rewires). An EIC can cover the first 5 years after issue. You also need to flag any properties with known access issues (for example, where tenants are hard to reach, there are key safes, or you require concierge approval).
Book inspection and testing with a qualified person
You must use a competent, suitably qualified inspector. You can find these through industry routes like the Registered Competent Person Electrical register and registered electrician directories.
For solar PV or battery storage, you may need a separate specialist inspection.
Prepare the visit so it’s not wasted
You should confirm access to the consumer unit, meter cupboard, loft hatches and any locked risers. You should also provide previous reports and evidence of past remedials so repeat defects don’t bounce around year after year.
Read the EICR like a risk log
These are the key codes you need to be aware of in an electrical survey:
- C1 – danger present
- C2 – potentially dangerous
- FI – further investigation required
- C3 – improvement recommended (this code does not make a report unsatisfactory on its own)
Action anything “unsatisfactory”
If the EICR needs remedial or further investigative work, it must be completed within 28 days, or a shorter period if the report specifies one.
You should also keep the follow-on certification (for example, a satisfactory EICR, EIC, or minor works certificate) as your proof.
Send the right documents to the right people
The common deadlines are:
- Existing tenants – report within 28 days of the inspection.
- New tenants – report before they move in.
- Prospective tenants – within 28 days of a written request.
- Local authority – within 7 days of a written request.
- After remedials – tenants and the local authority get the report plus written confirmation within 28 days of completion.
Don’t ignore appliances and landlord-supplied kit
- Private rented homes in England: the NRLA notes that the regulations focus on installations, but it recommends regular checks for landlord-supplied appliances (portable appliance testing is a common method).
- Social rented homes in England: there is an additional duty to check electrical equipment provided under the tenancy at least every 5 years, and to act if it’s not safe for continued use.
- Electrical Safety First’s landlord guidance also recommends registering appliances and doing periodic visual inspections between tenancies.
Add “between inspections” checks
- It is also further recommended that you add a visual inspection before a new tenancy starts to confirm that nothing has deteriorated since the last report.
- Electrical Safety First provides an interim checklist that works well for voids and routine visits.
For housing providers, include communal electrics in your regime
The dwelling EICR is not the whole story for blocks and estates. Communal lighting, plant rooms and contractor operated equipment often sit under workplace duties. The HSE’s Electricity at Work Regulations guidance and safe working practices publications are a useful reference point for setting inspection, maintenance and safe access rules.
Social rented sector timing in England
The original 2020 regulations on Electrical Safety Standards were updated in 2025 to include the social rented sector. There are some other key dates to be aware of:
- Applies to social housing tenancies granted after 1 December 2025.
- For social tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, it comes into force on 1 May 2026, with first installation inspections and equipment checks due by 1 November 2026.
If you’d like to know more about how technology could help you improve your electrical safety day-to-day, check out True Compliance’s Electrical Safety Compliance stream.
