Landlord EICR in Cirencester: Rules, Reports and Repairs

Landlords arranging an EICR in Cirencester must follow the electrical safety rules that apply across England. The fixed electrical installation in a rented home must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. The report can require an earlier inspection. If it identifies remedial work or further investigation, the landlord must normally complete it within 28 days, or sooner when the report specifies a shorter period.

The landlord EICR deadlines

The report and follow-up paperwork matter as much as arranging the inspection. These are the main operating deadlines in the current government guidance.

Keep the report until the next inspection is due or completed. Give it to the person carrying out the next inspection so the installation history is available. For a let in Cirencester, the local council that can ask for the report is Cotswold District Council.

What the inspection covers

The inspection concerns the fixed electrical installation. This normally includes wiring, sockets, light fittings, the consumer unit and permanently connected equipment. The inspector records the results in an Electrical Installation Condition Report, usually called an EICR, measured against the current edition of the wiring regulations, BS 7671.

The report records the installation at the time of inspection. It is not automatically a repair quotation, and an older component does not have to be replaced simply because a newer version exists. If the report does point to the board, the consumer unit upgrade guide explains what should be assessed first.

For a property in Cirencester or the surrounding Cotswolds, you can ask JI Electrical about an EICR with the postcode, property type, occupancy and required date.

Who can carry out the inspection

The regulations require a qualified person: someone competent to inspect and test an electrical installation to the national standard, and to judge whether it is safe to stay in use. Qualification matters because the report is the evidence a council, tenant or letting agent will rely on.

Before booking anyone, you can check whether an electrician is registered on the Electrical Competent Person Register. Electrical Safety First's landlord advice recommends using a registered electrician and getting certification that any work meets BS 7671. Ask for a sample report if you have not used the inspector before, so you know how observations will be explained.

What C1, C2, C3 and FI mean

An EICR with C1, C2 or FI observations will be unsatisfactory and needs the required work or investigation addressed. The observations should be explained in plain language and any remedial work scoped separately.

What to have ready before booking

1. 1
   Address and access

   The full property address and the person who can provide access.

2. 2
   Property details

   Property type, approximate size and occupancy.

3. 3
   Existing records

   The previous EICR and any later electrical certificates.

4. 4
   Restrictions

   Known access limits, alarms or equipment that cannot be switched off without planning.

5. 5
   Deadline

   The tenancy start date or compliance deadline.

6. 6
   Authority

   Contact details for the person authorised to approve remedial work.

Do not wait until the final day of a tenancy deadline. Access, testing and any follow-up work all need time, and the power will be off to parts of the property while circuits are tested.

Does a valid report need repeating for every new tenant?

Current government guidance says a new inspection is not required solely because a new tenancy begins when the existing inspection is less than five years old, remains valid and does not require further work. The new tenant still needs a copy of the current report before occupying the home.

The guidance recommends a visual inspection before a new tenancy. If the installation has been damaged, altered or may no longer be safe, arrange professional advice rather than relying only on the earlier report.

What happens after an unsatisfactory EICR?

The required response depends on the observations in the report. Dangerous or potentially dangerous issues and further investigation cannot be treated as optional improvements. The landlord should agree the required scope, retain written confirmation of completed work and provide the documents within the applicable deadline.

A C3 observation is different. It recommends an improvement but does not, by itself, make the report unsatisfactory. Ask the inspector to explain the practical significance of every observation rather than deciding from the code alone.

Sometimes the remedial list is long enough that replacing whole circuits makes more sense than repairing them one at a time. The guide to full and partial rewires covers how that decision is made.

What happens if the duties are missed

The council enforces these duties. Where a landlord has not carried out required remedial work, the council can serve a remedial notice, and if the work still is not done it can arrange the work itself and recover the cost from the landlord.

Councils can also impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 on a landlord who breaches the specified duties. For breaches from 1 May 2026, the civil penalty guidance under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 applies. Landlords have a right to make representations and to appeal.

Social landlords: equipment you supply

Social landlords have an extra duty. Electrical equipment they provide as part of the tenancy must be checked by a qualified person at least every five years, with a visual inspection, testing or both, as the person doing the check considers necessary. Equipment found unsafe must be repaired or replaced within 28 days. JI Electrical also provides PAT testing for businesses and landlords.