Who Is Responsible for the EICR in a Block of Flats?
If you let a flat, there are two separate electrical installations in play and they usually belong to two different people. Miss that and you end up either paying for something that was never yours, or assuming someone else has covered something that nobody has. It comes up constantly. A landlord gets an EICR done […]
How to Spot a Fake or Invalid EICR
There is a trade in worthless EICRs, and landlords are the target. Some are outright forgeries. More often they are real documents produced by someone who was not competent to produce them, or who did not do the testing they claim to have done. Either way the outcome is the same. You are holding a […]
Do You Need a New EICR for Every New Tenancy?
This is one of the most common things landlords get wrong, and it costs them money. A tenancy ends, a new one is about to start, and someone, often an agent, says you need a fresh EICR. So it gets booked, and the landlord pays for a full inspection on an installation that was tested […]
How Long Does an EICR Take?
Usually two to four hours for a normal house. But that range hides a lot, and if you are planning a void period or arranging access with a tenant, you want something firmer than that. The honest version is that time on site is driven by the number of circuits, not the number of bedrooms, […]
How Much Does an EICR Cost? A 2026 Guide for Landlords
Ask three electricians what an EICR costs and you will get three different answers. That is not because anyone is being cagey, it is because the job genuinely varies. A one bed flat with six circuits and a modern board is a couple of hours. A six bed HMO with two boards, added extensions and […]
Is PAT Testing a Legal Requirement for Landlords?
This one causes more confusion than almost anything else in landlord compliance, and the reason is that the honest answer is not a clean yes or no. If you let property in England, there is no law that says “you must PAT test every appliance every twelve months”. Plenty of agents and inspection companies will […]
How Long Does a Landlord Have to Fix an Electrical Fault?
A tenant rings on a Friday night to say half the sockets have stopped working and there is a smell of burning near the fuse box. How long have you got? The law is less precise here than most landlords expect. There is no single statute that says “electrical faults must be repaired within X […]
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules Every Landlord Should Know
The alarms on the ceiling can feel like a small detail next to everything else you sort as a landlord. They are not. Since the rules were updated in October 2022, there is a clear duty on landlords in England around smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and a council can fine you up to £5,000 […]
Emergency Lighting in HMOs: What Landlords Need to Know
Emergency lighting is the set of lights that kick in when the power drops, the ones that keep a stairwell or corridor lit long enough for everyone to get out. In a normal house it is rarely needed. In a house of multiple occupation, or a block with shared hallways, it is often a legal […]
Liverpool Selective Licensing: The Electrical Checks Landlords Need
If you let out a property in Liverpool, there is a fair chance it needs a licence. The city runs one of the largest selective licensing schemes in the country, covering a big slice of privately rented homes, and electrical safety is built into it. So before you renew a tenancy or take on a […]