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EICR timing for Canterbury landlords: the private-rented mandate

Since 1 April 2021, every private-rented tenancy in England needs an in-date EICR. Five-year cycle, 28-day tenant copy, 28-day remedial. What this looks like in practice for a St Dunstan's HMO, a Wincheap terrace or a listed Bridge cottage.

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force on 1 June 2020 for new tenancies, and on 1 April 2021 for all existing tenancies. Since that second date every AST let in England requires an in-date, satisfactory EICR at all times. Non-compliance carries a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per property.

The five obligations, in order

The Regulations impose five obligations on the landlord:

1. Inspection interval: maximum five years, or on tenancy change, whichever is sooner. A shorter interval can be specified in the report by the inspector.
2. Copy to new tenant: before they move in.
3. Copy to existing tenant: within 28 days of the inspection.
4. Copy to local authority: within 7 days of a formal request from Canterbury City Council.
5. Remedial work: any C1 (danger) or C2 (potentially dangerous) finding must be remediated within 28 days of the EICR (or a shorter period if the inspector specifies), and evidenced to the tenant and (on request) to the council.

C3 (improvement recommended) findings do not require action, but they do have to appear on the report. FI (further investigation) findings require the investigation to be carried out and evidenced.

What counts as a private tenancy

The Regulations cover assured shorthold tenancies (AST) and assured tenancies (AT). They do not cover:

• Owner-occupied property (obviously)
• Lodger arrangements where the tenant shares living accommodation with the owner
• Holiday lets (short-term, no security of tenure)
• Long leases (over 7 years)
• Some hostel and refuge accommodation with statutory regimes elsewhere

HMOs are covered by the Regulations, and additionally by the HMO Management Regulations which impose their own inspection requirements. In practice one satisfactory EICR discharges both.

Canterbury patterns

St Dunstan's HMOs. The university-adjacent streets carry a heavy HMO workload - student-let three-and-four-bed houses with either a single consumer unit or (occasionally) per-room sub-boards. EICRs start from £190, but HMO EICR pricing sits well above that base because the number of circuits, accessories and testing points multiplies with the room count.

Wincheap terrace lets. Standard 2- and 3-bed Victorian terraces let to working tenants or shared to student houses. The stock is older and the fusebox age dominates the EICR findings. A landlord with a portfolio of four or five Wincheap terraces typically schedules the five-year EICR cycle as a single block, with two properties done per day.

Old Dover Road houses. Larger period terraces let as HMOs. Original wiring behind original plaster is not unusual and full rewires (rather than a consumer unit swap alone) are more common as the remedial answer.

Listed properties. Bridge village, Chartham, some of the intra-mural stock. Listed cottages are subject to the same private-rented Regulations as any other property. The remedial-work timeline can stretch beyond the 28-day window where LBC is required for the fix, and the Regulations do allow that stretch where the landlord can evidence the LBC application timeline is the pacing item.

What to look for on the EICR itself

A satisfactory EICR is not the end of the conversation. A landlord reading the report should look for:

• Overall assessment: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Unsatisfactory means the property is not compliant with the Regulations until the remedial work is done.
• Number of C1, C2, C3, FI findings. C1 and C2 must be remediated inside 28 days. C3 is optional. FI must be investigated.
• Recommended interval: the inspector can shorten the five-year default if the installation is aged or in poor condition. If the report says "3 years", the next EICR is due in 3 years, not 5.
• Test result schedule: the Zs, R1+R2, insulation resistance and RCD trip times on each circuit. On any Wincheap or St Dunstan's Victorian terrace with 1970s+ wiring you want to see readings within the current BS 7671 limits.

What an EICR does not tell you

The EICR is a snapshot at the day of inspection. It does not:

• Guarantee future performance - an old cable that is fine today can fail in five years' time
• Verify tenant use - a tenant using a plug-in electric heater on an overloaded socket circuit can create new C2 conditions between inspections
• Cover the appliances the tenant supplies. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is a separate landlord duty of care.

Sources: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020; BS 7671:2018 Amendment 2:2022; IET Best Practice Guide 4 (Electrical Installation Condition Reporting); Canterbury City Council Housing Standards guidance.