Safety, certificates and compliance, 29 October 2026
Electrical certificates: EIC, EICR, minor works and what to keep
An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) certifies new work: a new installation, a new circuit or a replacement consumer unit. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate covers additions and alterations that don't add a circuit, like an extra socket. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is not a certificate at all: it reports on an existing installation. Keep a copy of each with the job.
What's the difference between an EIC and an EICR?
An EIC says new work you did meets BS 7671. An EICR says what condition someone else's existing installation is in. You issue an EIC when you install; you issue an EICR when you inspect.
The IET's model forms make the split clear. The EIC is for a new installation, or an addition or alteration that introduces new circuits or replaces a consumer unit or distribution board. It is not for periodic inspection, which needs an EICR. The EIC is only valid with its Schedule of Inspections and Schedule of Test Results attached.
The EICR's job is to confirm, as far as reasonably practicable, whether the installation is in a satisfactory condition for continued service. Each observation gets a code:
| Code | Meaning | Effect on the report |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present, risk of injury | Unsatisfactory. Urgent remedial work. |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous | Unsatisfactory. Remedial work as a matter of urgency. |
| C3 | Improvement recommended | Doesn't make it unsatisfactory |
| FI | Further investigation required without delay | Unsatisfactory until investigated |
The IET's current model forms are for BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. Use the forms that match the edition you designed and tested to.
When can you use a minor works certificate?
When the job adds to or alters an existing circuit without providing a new one. The IET form's own guidance gives examples: adding socket outlets or lighting points to an existing circuit, or moving a light switch. It can also cover replacing accessories or light fittings.
It can't be used for replacing a distribution board or consumer unit, and it isn't right if the customer asked for more extensive work. Then you issue an EIC.
Code every observation C1, C2, C3 or FI. Any C1, C2 or FI means an unsatisfactory overall result.
With the Schedule of Inspections and Schedule of Test Results. If it's notifiable work in a home, you also need Building Regulations sign-off.
If the work is in a bathroom or shower area in a home in England, it is still notifiable under Part P even though no circuit is added.
Which jobs also need Building Regulations sign-off?
In a home in England, three kinds of work are notifiable under Approved Document P: a new circuit, a replacement consumer unit, or any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location, such as the area around a bath or shower. Everything else is non-notifiable, though it still has to be safe and certified.
For notifiable work there are three routes: self-certify through a registered competent person scheme, use a registered third-party certifier, or notify building control before you start. A registered installer completes a BS 7671 certificate for every job and gives it to the person who ordered the work. Within 30 days of completion, the occupier must get a copy of the Building Regulations compliance certificate, and building control gets the information too. Your scheme usually handles that once you register the job.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building regulations. Check with the local building control body or your scheme before relying on the England rules.
What does a landlord need, and by when?
In England, private and social landlords must have the installation inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person, and act on the result. The report is usually an EICR. The rules now cover social housing too: they came into force in that sector on 1 November 2025, and tenancies granted before 1 December 2025 have until 1 November 2026 for the first inspection.
Landlord EICR comes back unsatisfactory: the deadlines
A two-bed rental in England, inspected on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The report has one C2 (no RCD protection on the socket circuits) and one C3.
| Copy of the report to the existing tenantwithin 28 days of the inspection | 1 Dec 2026 |
| Remedial work for the C2within 28 days, or sooner if the report says | 1 Dec 2026 |
| Written confirmation of the work to tenant and councilwithin 28 days of completing it | by 29 Dec 2026 if done 1 Dec |
| Copy to the council if it askswithin 7 days of the request | 7 days |
| Next inspectionat least every 5 years | by 3 Nov 2031 |
Councils can fine landlords up to £40,000 for breaches. The landlord also has to give the report to a new tenant before they move in, and to a prospective tenant within 28 days of asking. The landlord keeps it until the next inspection and gives a copy to whoever does that one.
Other nations differ. In Wales, landlords must have the installation tested every five years and make the report available within 14 days of the occupation date. In Scotland, the repairing standard requires inspection at intervals of no more than five years and PAT testing of appliances the landlord provides. Northern Ireland's rules apply to all new private tenancies from 1 April 2025, with existing ones given until 1 December 2025.
Who gets which document?
| Document | Give to | Also |
|---|---|---|
| EIC with schedules | The person who ordered the work | Passed to the owner if that's someone else; in the health and safety file on CDM jobs |
| Minor works certificate | The person who ordered the work | Keep a copy |
| EICR | The person who ordered it | Landlord passes copies to tenants and council |
| Building Regs compliance certificate | The occupier, within 30 days | Building control gets the information |
The IET's guidance tells recipients to keep the original EIC safe and show it to anyone who later works on or inspects the installation.
How long should you keep certificates?
No single rule for contractors, so keep them long enough to defend your work. The IET calls the EICR a valuable document that should be retained for future reference, and the EIC shows the installation met BS 7671 when you handed it over. Landlords in England keep an EICR until the next one supersedes it; in Scotland, landlords keep a copy for six years.
A practical approach: store every certificate as a PDF against the job and the address, named so you can find it in a year. If a customer calls about a tripping RCD three years later, your test results are the evidence of what you left.
If your admin only gets done on Monday mornings, a week of landlord EICRs and minor works waiting for that slot is where certificates go missing. The RAMS master template guide covers the safety paperwork side, and health and safety for small firms covers what you must write down.
This guide is a summary. For a specific installation, BS 7671 and your competent person scheme's rules take priority.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
For certificates, Nexley files each EIC, minor works certificate and EICR against the address and job, reminds you of registration deadlines for notifiable work, and drafts the cover email to the customer or landlord. You send test results or a photo of the form on WhatsApp, and you approve anything before it goes out.
Common questions
Is an EICR a legal requirement for homeowners?
Not for owner-occupiers. It is required for rented homes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland under each nation's own rules. Homeowners often get one when buying or selling, or when the last report recommends it.
Can I use a minor works certificate for a consumer unit change?
No. The IET form says it can't be used for replacing distribution boards or similar items. A consumer unit change needs an EIC, and in a home in England it is also notifiable under Part P.
Does a C3 make an EICR unsatisfactory?
No. C3 means improvement recommended. Only C1, C2 or FI observations make the overall condition unsatisfactory.
Can a new EIC replace a landlord's EICR?
Yes, in England. GOV.UK guidance says an EIC for a newly built or fully rewired home can be provided, which avoids further checks for five years. Scotland's guidance allows an EIC from the last five years if its next-inspection date hasn't passed.
Sources
- IET: BS 7671 model forms
- IET: Electrical Installation Certificate model form, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
- IET: Electrical Installation Condition Report model form, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
- IET: Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
- GOV.UK: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors
- GOV.UK: Approved Document P, electrical safety in dwellings
- GOV.WALES: Fitness for human habitation, guidance for contract holders
- gov.scot: Repairing standard, installations for the supply of electricity
- NI Department for Communities: Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations 2024
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
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