If you are letting out a house or flat in England, the short answer is yes: you must have a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) before your tenants move in. This has been a legal requirement since 2020, and Manchester City Council actively enforces it. Here is what the rules actually say, what an inspection involves and what it is likely to cost you.
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require every privately rented property to have its fixed electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. You must give a copy of the report to your tenants within 28 days of the inspection, to any new tenant before they move in, and to the local authority within 7 days if they ask for it.
This applies to almost all private tenancies, including houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). It covers the fixed wiring: the consumer unit, circuits, sockets, switches and light fittings. It does not cover appliances you supply, such as a washing machine or fridge, though PAT testing those is sensible and often done on the same visit.
If you ignore it, Manchester City Council can serve a remedial notice, arrange the work themselves and recover the cost, and issue a financial penalty of up to £30,000 per breach. An invalid or missing EICR can also cause problems with landlord insurance and with regaining possession of the property.
An electrician inspects and tests the installation against the current wiring regulations (BS 7671) and records any defects using standard codes. C1 means danger present, C2 means potentially dangerous, and FI means further investigation is needed. Any of these three makes the report unsatisfactory, and you then have 28 days (or less if the report says so) to get the remedial work done and obtain written confirmation.
A C3 code is an improvement recommendation only. It does not fail the report and you are not legally obliged to act on it, although some C3 items, such as adding RCD protection to older circuits, are genuinely worth doing.
For a typical two or three bedroom Manchester terrace or semi, expect the inspection to take two to four hours. The power will be off in stages while circuits are tested, so it is easier to arrange between tenancies or with the tenant's cooperation.
For a standard house, an EICR in Greater Manchester typically costs somewhere in the region of £150 to £300, depending on the size of the property, the number of circuits and how accessible the consumer unit and wiring are. Larger properties and HMOs cost more because there is simply more to test.
Remedial work is where costs vary most. Minor fixes such as replacing a damaged socket or securing loose connections might be under £100. Replacing an old fuse board with a modern consumer unit with RCD protection commonly falls in the £450 to £800 range. A full rewire of an older terrace, which is rare but does come up with pre-1970s wiring that has never been updated, is a four figure job. Be wary of very cheap EICRs advertised online; some are priced as loss leaders to generate remedial work, so it pays to use a firm that will stand behind its coding decisions.
The regulations require a 'qualified and competent person'. In practice that means an electrician with the inspection and testing qualification (commonly City and Guilds 2391 or equivalent) and, ideally, registration with a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT. Ask to see evidence of both before booking. Anyone can print a certificate; not everyone can defend the codes on it if the council or your insurer queries them.
Keep the report safe once you have it. You will need it for new tenancies, for your letting agent's records, and as your starting point when the five year re-test falls due. If you own several rental properties around Manchester, it is worth staggering the inspection dates so remedial costs do not all land in the same month.
If there is a formal tenancy and rent is paid, the regulations apply regardless of who the tenant is. Informal arrangements with no tenancy can fall outside the rules, but you would still be wise to have the installation checked.
Yes, the tenancy can continue, but you must complete the remedial work within 28 days (or sooner if the report specifies) and get written confirmation from the electrician that the installation is now satisfactory. A C1 danger should be made safe on the day it is found.
People use the terms interchangeably, but the EICR is the specific report the regulations require for rentals. An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) issued after new work, such as a rewire or new consumer unit, can stand in for an EICR for five years from the date of the work.
A quick call with Gary is usually enough to establish scope. For anything more involved, we’ll come out to measure up at a time that suits you.