A landlord EICR fine in England can reach £40,000 per breach, and what triggers it is not failing the inspection — it is having no valid Electrical Installation Condition Report, not acting on what the report says within 28 days, or not producing a copy when a tenant or the council asks. The report itself cannot fine you. Missing the duties around it can. Many landlords assume an unsatisfactory EICR is the problem. It is not — an unsatisfactory result is normal and fixable on older stock. What the council enforces is whether you had the inspection done, whether you acted on it, and whether you can prove both. What triggers a landlord EICR fine? Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, four separate failures can each put a landlord in breach, and each can carry its own penalty: • No valid inspection. The fixed installation has not been inspected and tested within five years by a qualified and competent person. • The report was not supplied. Existing tenants did not get a copy within 28 days of the inspection, or a new tenant was not given one before moving in. • Remedial work was not done in time. Further investigative or remedial work required by the report was not completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. • The council asked and did not get it. A local housing authority requested the report and it was not provided within seven days. Three of the four are administrative. The commonest breach is not a dangerous installation — it is a landlord who had the work done properly and never sent the paperwork on. How much is the penalty, and can you get more than one? The maximum civil penalty is £40,000, raised from £30,000 by the 2025 amendment regulations that also extended the regime to the social rented sector. It is a ceiling, not a starting point: councils publish their own penalty matrices and set the amount by the seriousness of the breach, the harm caused, and any history of non-compliance. Penalties apply per property, and the regulations allow more than one where a failure continues. Before imposing anything, the authority must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a breach occurred. Does a C1 or C2 code on the report mean a fine? No. A code is a finding, not an offence. An EICR records observations as C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), C3 (improvement recommended) or FI (further investigation required). Any C1, C2 or FI makes the report unsatisfactory; a C3 does not, and need not be actioned. The exposure comes from the 28-day clock that starts when an unsatisfactory report lands. Our landlord guide to EICRs covers the codes in detail. What happens after a council decides you are in breach? Enforcement follows a set sequence. The authority must serve a remedial notice within 21 days of deciding it has reasonable grounds, and the landlord can make written representations against it within 21 days of service. If the notice is not complied with, the authority can arrange the work itself with the tenant's consent and recover its costs, payable within 21 days of the demand. It can also impose a financial penalty, and it has a separate power to take urgent remedial action where there is immediate danger. Is there a defence if the tenant will not let anyone in? Yes. A landlord is not in breach of the specified duties if they can show they took all reasonable steps, and Government guidance is explicit that a landlord is not treated as having failed solely because they did not bring legal proceedings to secure entry. Keep dated copies of everything sent while trying to arrange access; whether that is enough in a given case is for your own adviser. Your five-minute landlord compliance check Run this on your records, without going near the electrics. Work down it in order and stop where a professional is needed: • Find the report for each let property. If there isn't one, treat it as due now. • Check the inspection date , not the date you received it. Over five years, or past any shorter interval the report set, and it is out of date. • Check the overall result. Satisfactory means no further action. Unsatisfactory means step 4. • Check the remedials were closed out. For any C1, C2 or FI, look for written confirmation the work was done. A verbal assurance is not evidence. • Check the tenant got a copy — within 28 days, or before a new tenant moved in. If you cannot show it was sent, send it again and keep the record. • Check you could produce it in seven days if the council asked this afternoon. • Stop and book an electrician if anything is missing, out of date, or unresolved. Everything past that last step — the inspection, the testing, and any remedial work — is for a qualified, registered electrician. Nothing here is an instruction to open a consumer unit or attempt repairs yourself. Does Nottingham's selective licensing scheme change anything? It adds a second set of teeth in part of the city. Nottingham City Council has run a selective licensing scheme since 1 December 2023, covering an estimated 30,000 privately rented homes, and a valid EICR forms part of a licence application. A licensing breach is enforced separately, so one missing report can cost twice. Which authority you deal with depends on the postcode: a landlord in West Bridgford is in Rushcliffe Borough, outside the city scheme, but the five-yearly duty applies just the same. Frequently asked questions How long does an EICR last for a rented property? Five years at most, measured from the inspection date. The inspector can specify a shorter interval, and where they do, that shorter period binds you. A change of tenancy does not reset the clock, and a new tenancy part-way through does not require a fresh report if the existing one is still valid. Who is allowed to carry out a landlord EICR? A qualified and competent person. The regulations do not name a single qualification, but in practice that means an electrician registered with a recognised competent person scheme such as NAPIT or NICEIC. Check the registration number against the scheme's own register before booking — the report is only as good as the person signing it. Do I need an EICR for a home I live in myself? No. The five-yearly duty applies to rented accommodation, not owner-occupiers. Electrical work in your own home is still governed by Part P of the Building Regulations and BS 7671, so notifiable work must be certified and notified. An EICR before buying an older property is sensible, but it is a choice rather than a legal requirement. Does an EICR cover the appliances in the property? No. An EICR assesses the fixed installation — wiring, consumer unit, sockets, switches, lighting points, earthing and bonding. Free-standing appliances such as kettles, washing machines and fridges are not part of it. In England those fall under your general duty to keep supplied equipment safe; in Scotland, appliance testing is a specific requirement. My EICR has already expired. What should I do? Book the inspection now and record when you booked it. The duty is continuing, so acting promptly is better than waiting, and evidence that you moved as soon as you realised is the kind of thing that supports a reasonable-steps position. Tell your tenant what is happening and when access will be needed. Landlord EICRs and remedial work with Somo Electrical Somo Electrical is a NAPIT-registered electrical contractor carrying out landlord EICRs and electrical safety certificates across Nottingham, including West Bridgford, Beeston and Arnold. We issue the report promptly, so the 28-day clock is not eaten by admin, and quote separately for remedial work. To book an inspection, or to talk through an unsatisfactory report, call Somo Electrical on 07733 666004 or use our online quote form . Every property is different, so we look at the installation before quoting. Sources checked 31 July 2026: the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/312), the 2025 amendment regulations (SI 2025/1043), and GOV.UK guidance. This describes the duty and is not legal advice.