EICR changes 2026: what the draft rules mean for landlords.

What the draft changes

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 amend the 2020 Regulations (SI 2020/312), which set the electrical safety duties for private landlords in England and, since the 2025 amendments, for social landlords too. The draft was laid for approval by resolution of each House of Parliament and, as drafted, comes into force on 30 November 2026. Its explanatory memorandum describes the changes as technical and clarifying: they keep the rules in line with the current edition of BS 7671 rather than creating a new regime.

The move to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026

The 2020 Regulations define the electrical safety standards as the 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations, "BS 7671: 2018". The draft replaces that with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. The IET, which publishes BS 7671 with the British Standards Institution, calls Amendment 4 (the Orange Book) a major update, with new material on stationary batteries, Power over Ethernet and functional earthing for IT equipment. The IET says the previous version, Amendment 3:2024 (the Brown Book), remains valid until 15 October 2026, and that installers may work to either during that transition.

The part that matters most for landlords is how reports are coded. The explanatory memorandum says the updated standard makes clear that the further investigation code is often used inappropriately and is not in itself an unsatisfactory outcome. C1 (danger present) and C2 (potentially dangerous) still require urgent or remedial action. C3 and FI do not, of themselves, make a report unsatisfactory.

The five-year check before a new tenancy

Regulation 3(1)(c) says every installation must be inspected and tested before a tenancy starts. The explanatory memorandum says that wording caused a lack of clarity, and that the long-standing policy is an inspection at least every five years, with a pre-tenancy inspection needed only where there is no current report. The draft adds a new regulation 3(1A): an inspection counts as taking place before the tenancy if, within the previous five years, an inspection and test produced a report that is still current, meaning the date it gives for the next inspection has not passed. An inspection by a qualified person carried out other than under the regulations counts too, if the landlord was given the report and it is still current.

The government's current guidance already says a new inspection is not needed before a re-let when the report is under five years old and needs no further work, and recommends at least a visual check before each new tenancy. Whatever the date, the most recent report must go to the new tenant before they move in.

Further investigation (FI) codes

At present, if a report requires further investigative or remedial work, the landlord must have it done by a qualified person within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, then send written confirmation and the report to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion. The draft removes "further investigative" from those duties, so an FI code on its own no longer triggers them.

There is a saving provision. For an inspection and test completed before 30 November 2026, the existing further-investigation duties continue to apply. A current report with an FI code on it still needs the follow-up the 2020 Regulations require.

What stays the same

• Inspection and testing by a qualified person at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so.
• A copy of the report to each existing tenant within 28 days, to a new tenant before they move in, to a prospective tenant within 28 days of a written request, and to the council within 7 days of a written request.
• Keeping a copy until the next inspection is due or done, and giving it to the next inspector.
• Remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, with written confirmation to the tenant and council within 28 days of completion.
• A landlord is not in breach if they can show they took all reasonable steps, for example when a tenant refuses access.
• Councils can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 for a breach (regulation 11).

The explanatory memorandum says the underlying duty to meet the electrical safety standards while a home is let, and the enforcement system, are unchanged. The rules apply in England.

Do existing EICRs stay valid?

Nothing in the draft cancels an existing report or requires a new inspection because the standard has been amended. A report stays current until the next-inspection date it gives, and the regulations still require an inspection at least every five years. The explanatory memorandum expects the clarification to help avoid unnecessary repeat inspections before a new tenancy where a valid report is already in place. MHCLG says it will update its guidance before the changes come into force.

What landlords and agents should do

1. List each home's EICR, the inspection date and the next-inspection date. The draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations also ask for that date: see our landlord database guide.
2. Before each re-let, check the report is under five years old and its next-inspection date has not passed, and give the new tenant a copy before they move in.
3. Where a report from before 30 November 2026 has FI codes, complete the follow-up the current rules require.
4. Act on C1 and C2 items within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and send the confirmation within 28 days of completion.
5. When booking the next inspection, ask the electrician which edition of BS 7671 the report is made against.
6. Keep copies of reports, confirmations and any correspondence about access.
7. Check legislation.gov.uk for the made regulations, and GOV.UK for the updated guidance, before 30 November 2026.

Where PropertySurvey Pro fits

• Visible electrics on record: photograph the consumer unit, sockets and any damage room by room at check-in, mid-term and check-out.
• Services wording: reusable Smart Builder wording for the electrics, including when an EICR is due or recommended. How Smart Builder works.
• Costs: add an EICR or remedial work as a line in the report's costs.
• On site and offline: the PDF is built on your device before you leave.

A condition report is not an EICR. Only a qualified person can inspect and test the installation; the app records what you can see and when.