Landlord electrical safety rules in England

Who the rules cover

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 applied to new private tenancies from 1 July 2020 and to existing ones from 1 April 2021. Since 2025 they have been extended to social landlords: new social tenancies granted from 1 December 2025, and existing ones, which had to be inspected by 1 November 2026.

HMOs are covered. The government guidance lists the main exclusions as homes shared with the landlord or the landlord’s family, long leases of seven years or more, student halls, hostels and refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices, other healthcare accommodation, and mobile homes, caravans and boats.

The five-year inspection

The installation must be inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years, or sooner if the most recent report says so, by a qualified person. The guidance describes that as someone competent to carry out the inspection and testing. The report is usually an EICR.

Who gets a copy, and when

• Existing tenants: within 28 days of the inspection
• New tenants: before they move in
• Prospective tenants: within 28 days of a written request
• The council: within 7 days of a written request
• The next inspector: a copy of the last report

Keep the report until the next inspection is due.

Remedial work and written confirmation

If the report identifies remedial work or further investigation, a qualified person must carry it out within 28 days, or within a shorter period if the report says so. Within 28 days of finishing, you must confirm in writing to your tenants and the council that the work is done. The guidance accepts a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works certificate as that confirmation. See failed EICR: what to do next.

Penalties

Councils enforce the rules. The government guidance says a council can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 on a landlord who breaches them.

Appliances and alarms

For private lets the 2020 regulations cover the fixed installation only; social landlords must also have any electrical equipment they supply checked at least every five years. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms come under separate regulations, and licensed HMOs carry their own conditions on installations, appliances and alarms. See PAT testing and smoke and heat alarms.

Licensing around Harrow

Licensing schemes sit on top of the electrical rules. Brent has required a licence for almost every private let since 2 February 2026. Harrow runs selective licensing in six wards; its borough-wide licensing of smaller HMOs ended on 5 August 2026 and a renewal was consulted on. Barnet licenses smaller HMOs borough-wide. Barnet consulted on selective licensing for ten wards in 2026. The details for each place are on our area pages.