Intervals
Five years rented, ten years owner-occupied
One of those numbers is a legal duty and the other is a recommendation. People ask about the EICR validity period as though it were one figure. It is two, and they get quoted together often enough that the difference is worth stating first.
England. The rented interval is statutory; the others are guidance.
Arrange an EICR
Three questions and a postcode. We match you to a qualified local electrician.
Recommended maximum intervals
Only the rented row is a legal duty. The rest are recommendations published by Electrical Safety First, drawn from IET Guidance Note 3.
| Property | Interval | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Rented home | 5 years | Legal duty |
| Owner-occupied home | 10 years | Recommendation |
| Caravan | 3 years | Recommendation |
| Swimming pool | 1 year | Recommendation |
Source: Electrical Safety First — periodic inspection explained. The recommendations originate in IET Guidance Note 3, Table 3.2, which gives initial frequencies for new installations rather than a fixed rule.
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.
Where those recommendations come from
The table in Guidance Note 3 is titled recommended initial frequencies of inspection of electrical installations. Initial, and frequencies for new installations.
BS 7671 itself requires the interval to be determined from the type of installation and equipment, its use and operation, the frequency and quality of maintenance, and the external influences it is subject to. A number from a table is a starting point, not an answer.
What overrides the interval
- The report itself, where it specifies a shorter interval. That shorter one applies.
- A change of occupancy in rented property
- Any significant alteration or addition to the installation
- Damage, wear, or a fault that suggests the installation is deteriorating faster than assumed
Commercial premises are a different question
There is no statutory interval for commercial premises at all. The Electricity at Work Regulations require the installation to be maintained so that it does not become dangerous, and the frequency is a risk-based decision the duty holder makes, records and reviews.
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.
Standards
The standards every inspection is carried out to
An EICR is only as good as the person signing it. Every inspection here is carried out to these standards, and each one is checked against the issuing body's own register rather than taken on trust.
Qualified to inspect, not just to install
Inspecting an existing installation is a separate qualification from wiring a new one. 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.
You get the test results
Not just a pass or fail. The report lists each circuit and the readings taken, which is the part worth checking.
Working to the current standard
BS 7671 as amended in 2026. That amendment changed which findings make a report unsatisfactory, and not everyone has caught up.
Reviews you can read
Not a star rating with no detail behind it. We publish no figure of our own, because we have none to publish yet.
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
Send your postcode and get a real quote
If your current report has months left, that is what you will be told.
Questions
How often questions
Is ten years a legal requirement for my own home?
No. There is no legal requirement for an owner-occupier to hold an EICR at all. Ten years is a recommended maximum interval, not a duty.
My report says three years. Which applies?
The three years. Where a report specifies a shorter interval than the default, the shorter one is what applies, and for a rented property that is the date the duty runs to.
Does a new tenant reset the clock?
The report runs with the installation, not the tenancy, so a new tenancy does not require a new inspection while the report is current. You do have to give the new tenant a copy before they occupy.
Get a quote
Arrange an EICR
Five fields. We reply with either a fixed price or the one thing we still need to know.
- No cost, and no obligation to book anything
- We come back with a date or a question, not a sales call
- 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.