Electrical safety and EICRs
An EICR that came back with C2 observations and no record of the remedial work is worse than no EICR: it proves you were told.
What the law requires
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical systems to be constructed and maintained so far as reasonably practicable to prevent danger. They set no fixed inspection interval — the interval comes from the installation, its use and its condition, informed by guidance such as BS 7671. In the private rented sector in England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 are specific: national standards must be met, the installation inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years, and a report supplied to the tenant.
Legislation referred to on this page: Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 · Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 · BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations). Named so you can read the source. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and whether a duty applies to your organisation is a question for you and your adviser.
Who it applies to
- Every employer and person in control of a workplace electrical system.
- Landlords of privately rented residential property in England, on the five-year cycle set by the 2020 Regulations.
- Portable appliance testing is not a separate legal duty with a fixed interval — it is one way of meeting the maintenance duty, and the interval should follow the risk.
What you have to be able to show
The list an inspector, insurer or auditor actually works through.
- The current EICR, and the date the next inspection is due.
- Classification codes recorded on it, and what happened to each C1, C2 and FI.
- Written confirmation that remedial work was completed, and by whom.
- For rented homes, evidence the report reached the tenant.
- Maintenance of portable equipment, proportionate to how it is used.
How DutyHub records it
DutyHub does not carry out any of the work below. It records who did, when, and what they found.
The report and its next-due date
The interval is a property of the installation, so it is set per premises rather than assumed to be five years everywhere.
Observations as individual actions
Each coded observation becomes its own action with its own priority. A C1 is not the same work item as a C3 and should not share a tick box.
Remedial evidence attached
The confirmation of remedial work is filed against the observation it closes, so the pack shows the loop closing.
Start with what applies to you
Add your premises and answer a short set of questions about them. DutyHub works out which duties land on which building, and shows you the gaps before anybody else finds them.
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