Houses in multiple occupation
HMO EICR in Chesterfield
An HMO is a rented home, so the five-yearly duty applies as it does anywhere. Everything around it differs: more circuits, more occupants, a licensing authority with its own conditions, and harder access.
England. The electrical duty is the same as for any rented dwelling; licensing conditions sit on top of it.
Where is the property?
The postcode tells us whether we cover you.
What you are getting
An HMO adds circuits, occupants and a licence
The same statutory duty
Inspection at least every five years. Report to tenants within 28 days, to the authority within seven days of a written request. Being an HMO changes none of it.
Licensing conditions on top
Chesterfield Borough Council licenses HMOs. Its enforcement policy covers the electrical safety regulations and the HMO management regulations. Separate offences, separate penalties.
More installation to inspect
Shared houses accumulate circuits: separate cooking arrangements, extra bedroom sockets, door entry. More circuits means a longer inspection.
Access across several occupants
Every occupied room must be reachable, and the supply isolated in a house where several people live independently. This is the constraint, not the electrical work.
What you get
A report records circuits, codes and limitations
The verdict is the least useful part. What matters is the schedule of test results behind it, the coded observations, and an honest record of anything the inspection could not reach.
A ticked box and nothing else is a verdict with no working shown. Worth knowing before you accept one, whoever arranged it.
What the law says
Landlord duties carry fixed deadlines
England, privately rented homes. Every line is from the regulations themselves rather than from somebody's summary of them, and the sources are listed underneath.
| Inspection interval | No more than 5 years, or shorter where the report specifies |
|---|---|
| Report to existing tenants | Within 28 days of the inspection |
| Report to a new tenant | Before they occupy |
| Report to a prospective tenant | Within 28 days of a written request |
| Report to the local housing authority | Within 7 days of a written request |
| Remedial or further investigative work | Within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies |
| Written confirmation the work is done | To tenants and the authority within 28 days of completion |
| Maximum financial penalty | £40,000, raised from £30,000 in 2025 |
This describes the law in England. The Welsh and Scottish positions differ, Scotland's repairing standard also covers portable appliances, which the England duty on private landlords does not. It is general information, not legal advice. Last checked against the primary sources on 27 August 2026.
How it works
Access decides whether an HMO inspection works
An inspection that cannot get into two bedrooms produces a report full of limitations. Planning access is the job.
Tell us the property and the occupancy
How many lettable rooms, whether it is licensed, how notice to occupants works, and when any current report expires.
Notice goes to every occupant, not just the lead tenant
Everyone loses power, so everyone needs telling. In a house of five that is five conversations. Skip one and you get a no-access note.
The inspection, with limitations recorded honestly
Anything unreachable is recorded as a limitation. That is proper practice, and a reason to get access right first time.
Report, and the licensing copy if you need it
With the schedule of results, ready for the authority within seven days of a written request.
Areas covered
We cover eight towns across north Derbyshire
Chesterfield and the surrounding towns. HMO licensing is the local authority's, so which council you are dealing with depends on where the property sits.
Do we cover your postcode?
Type the first part, like S40 or DE45. No need for the whole thing.
Who does the work
Every electrician clears six checks
We do not carry out the inspection. We put you in touch with an electrician who does. An EICR is worth what the person signing it is worth, so these checks are the product. Each is verified against the issuing body's own register, not taken from a logo.
Competent to inspect and test
Inspection and testing carries its own qualification. A good installer is not automatically the right person to sign a report.
Registered with a competent person scheme
Checked on the scheme's own public register, not a badge on a website.
Public liability insurance, in date
We check the certificate and the expiry date, not just that one exists. A lapsed policy is the most common reason to turn someone away.
Reports that carry their schedule
We look at an electrician's reports before sending them a job. The schedule of results is the part worth checking.
Working to the current standard
BS 7671 as currently amended. The 2026 amendment changed what makes a report unsatisfactory, and not everyone has caught up.
A public record worth reading
We read what previous customers wrote instead of counting stars. We publish no figure of our own, because we have none.
Scheme registration and insurance details come with your quote, so you can check them against the public register yourself. How we choose electricians sets out every check, including what gets someone turned away.
Next step
Arrange an HMO inspection
Lettable rooms, licensed or not, and how access to occupied rooms works.
Questions
HMO questions
Is the electrical duty different for an HMO?
No. It is the same five-yearly duty that applies to any privately rented home in England, with the same deadlines. Licensing conditions sit on top of it rather than replacing it.
Does the licensing authority need a copy?
The regulations require you to supply the report to the local housing authority within seven days of a written request. Separately, your licence may carry conditions of its own, those come from the authority, so check the licence.
What if an occupant will not give access?
The inspection records it as a limitation and the report is weaker for it. It does not remove your duty, which is why access is worth planning properly rather than hoping on the day.
Who licenses HMOs in Chesterfield?
Chesterfield Borough Council. Its private sector housing enforcement policy covers the electrical safety regulations, HMO management regulations and licensing offences, three separate things with separate consequences.
Get a quote
Arrange an HMO EICR
Address, number of lettable rooms, whether it is licensed, and when any current report expires.
- No cost, and no obligation to book anything
- Your details are never sold on or passed around
- A fixed price for the work described, in writing
Would rather talk it through? Leave a number in the form and say so in the details, and we will ring you rather than emailing back.
Other situations
The same inspection carries different duties
The inspection is the same piece of work whoever asks for it. What changes is the duty attached, and whether there is one at all.
Landlord EICR
The five-yearly report every privately rented home in England must hold.
Read moreSocial landlord EICR
Extended to registered providers in 2025. First inspection due before 1 November 2026 for existing tenancies.
Read moreHomeowner EICR
No legal requirement if you own and live in your home. Useful when buying, selling, insuring, or when the board keeps tripping.
Read moreCommercial EICR
No statutory five-year interval exists for commercial premises. There is a duty to maintain the installation, and a frequency you set from risk.
Read moreLetting agent EICR
Managed portfolios, staggered renewal dates, one point of contact.
Read more