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The short version
- An EIC covers new work: a new installation, a new circuit or a replaced consumer unit.
- Adding a socket or light to an existing circuit gets a Minor Works certificate, not an EIC.
- Notifiable work also brings a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days of completion.
- Landlords can rely on an EIC for five years only after a new build or a full rewire.
An EIC, or Electrical Installation Certificate, is the certificate an electrician issues for new electrical work: a new installation, a new circuit or a replaced consumer unit. It confirms the work was designed, built and tested to BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations. Smaller additions get a Minor Works certificate instead, and existing wiring is checked with an EICR.
An EIC, a Minor Works certificate and an EICR do three different jobs
People often call all three an electrical certificate. They are not interchangeable, and which one you should hold depends on the work that was done.
| Document | What it covers | Typical jobs |
|---|---|---|
| EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate) | New work, tested before it goes into use | A rewire, a new circuit for a cooker or shower, a replacement consumer unit |
| Minor Works certificate | An addition or alteration that does not add a new circuit | An extra socket or light on an existing circuit, moving a switch, replacing a fitting |
| EICR (condition report) | The condition of an existing installation | A landlord's five-yearly check, a check before buying |
An EICR codes problems as C1, C2, C3 or FI, and our guide to what an EICR means explains each code. An EIC has no codes: it certifies that new work was done properly.
What is on an EIC
The certificate follows the model forms published with BS 7671. It records whether the work is a new installation, an addition or an alteration, and what it covers.
The signatures
An EIC is signed for three stages: the design, the construction, and the inspection and testing. Where one person was responsible for all of them, a single signature can replace the three.
The schedules and the next inspection date
- a schedule of inspections, the checklist of what was looked at
- a schedule of circuit details, describing each circuit
- a schedule of test results, with the readings from every circuit tested
- the recommended interval to the first inspection of the new work
The job decides the certificate, not the room
Several websites still say that any electrical work in a kitchen is notifiable. That stopped in England in April 2013. Kitchen and outdoor work is now notifiable only if it adds a new circuit.
Under the Building Regulations, three kinds of work in a home in England are notifiable:
- installing a new circuit
- replacing a consumer unit
- adding to or altering circuits in the zones around a bath or shower
A new cooker, for example, is not notifiable if it connects to the existing cooker circuit. If it needs a new circuit run from the consumer unit, it is.
Notification and certification are separate questions. Every job still needs a BS 7671 certificate: an EIC for new circuits, or a Minor Works certificate for smaller changes.
Notifiable work comes with a second certificate
An electrician registered with a competent person scheme can sign off notifiable work without a separate visit from building control. Within 30 days of finishing, you receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate, and the council is notified of the work.
If the electrician is not registered with a scheme, the council's building control has to be told before the work starts, through a building notice or full plans, and it inspects the work instead.
That certificate shows up in the searches a buyer's solicitor makes, which is why missing paperwork can hold up a sale.
Replacing a consumer unit is the most common notifiable job. Our guide price starts from £400, including VAT, and our consumer unit replacement cost guide explains what it covers.
Landlords: when an EIC stands in for an EICR
The law for rented homes in England requires an inspection and test at least every five years, and a report given to each tenant within 28 days. The regulations speak of a report, not an EIC.
Government guidance adds one exception. If a property is newly built or completely rewired and has an EIC, no further check is needed for five years from the date of that EIC, and tenants can be given a copy of it.
After remedial work, the same guidance accepts an EIC or a Minor Works certificate as written confirmation that the work is done.
Our EICR and electrical safety testing starts from £120 including VAT for a 1-bed flat.
Keep your EIC, and what to do if it is lost
Keep the original with the property's documents, and show it to anyone who later inspects or works on the installation. If you ordered the work but do not own the property, pass it to the owner.
If it goes missing, ask the firm that did the work for a copy first. For the Building Regulations certificate, the contractor's scheme is the next place to ask: NICEIC, for example, supplies copies for work by its registered contractors.
For new circuits, rewiring or a new consumer unit, our London electricians issue the EIC on completion and notify the work. Call 07727 619854 or request a quote online.
Frequently asked questions
No. An EIC has no expiry date. It records the recommended interval to the first inspection of the new work, and homeowners are advised to have the whole installation checked at least every ten years.
Usually not. An extra socket on an existing circuit is recorded on a Minor Works certificate. If the socket needs a new circuit, the work gets an EIC and is notifiable under the Building Regulations.
Only after a new build or a complete rewire. Government guidance says no further check is needed for five years from the date of that EIC. After that, or after any smaller job, the five-yearly EICR still applies.
No. The EIC comes from the electrician and shows the work meets BS 7671. The Building Regulations compliance certificate, often called a Part P certificate, confirms notifiable work was signed off. Notifiable work should leave you with both.