The rule in one paragraph
Since 1 April 2021, every property let on an assured shorthold or licence to occupy in England has needed a satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at least every 5 years, under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. Certificate to a new tenant before occupation, to an existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, to a prospective tenant on request within 28 days, and to Thanet District Council within 7 days if they ask. Non-compliance is a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per property. That is the cost of not bothering.
When is your next EICR actually due?
The straightforward answer: 5 years from the date of the last satisfactory EICR. In practice, most Ramsgate landlords we work with have one of three timings:
- Just bought a property to let. Book before your first tenancy starts.
- Renewing or re-letting an existing tenancy. Check the date on the last certificate. If it was pre-1 April 2021 and you're on the 5-year cycle, you're likely due.
- Tenancy change of hands. Not strictly a trigger under the regulations, but Thanet's HMO licence conditions and most lenders now expect a recent certificate. In practice we recommend a fresh EICR at any tenancy change if the last one is over 2 years old.
What a satisfactory EICR covers, and what it doesn't
A satisfactory EICR confirms the fixed electrical installation was safe on the day of inspection to BS 7671:2018 Amendment 2:2022. It covers: consumer unit, sub-mains, ring finals, radial circuits, lighting, bathroom bonding, external supplies, and any outbuildings on your title. It does not cover: portable appliances (that's PAT), smoke and heat alarms (LACORS / Fire Safety Order), gas appliances (Gas Safety Regs / CP12), or the incoming DNO cutout and meter (UKPN or your MOP). If the inspecting electrician spots a broken smoke alarm they'll flag it, but it's not part of the EICR remit.
The 28-day remedial clock
If your EICR is coded unsatisfactory (any C1, C2 or FI item), you have 28 days from the inspection date, or a shorter period specified on the report, to complete remedial work and receive written confirmation from a qualified electrician that the issues are addressed. That written confirmation must be sent to the tenant and to the local authority. C1 items - danger present - will typically be shortened to 24 hours on the report. C3 items (improvement recommended) don't reset the clock but are worth doing at the next tenancy change.
The Ramsgate reality
Ramsgate has two kinds of landlord EICR problem more often than the wider Kent stock. First: HMO conversions in East Cliff and Royal Harbour terraces with shared risers and no per-flat isolation - C2 nearly always, and often expensive to remediate cleanly. Second: rewire-avoided Victorian terraces still on rubber-sheathed cable - C2 on multiple circuits, remediation is a partial or full rewire not a repair. Both cases we see routinely; both cases we quote transparently and don't grow the invoice mid-job.
Booking
Turnaround from booking to inspection: usually within 5 working days, often quicker if a tenancy is blocked on it. Report delivery: 5 working days from inspection. Same-day report if you're up against a hard tenant deadline; tell us at booking and we schedule the inspection first thing.
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