On this page
- What does the law ask of someone selling a house?
- Which electrical papers will a buyer's solicitor ask for?
- Does electrical work since 2005 mean you need an EICR?
- What if the certificates for past work are missing?
- Should you get an EICR before selling anyway?
- Can you sell a house with an unsatisfactory EICR?
- Do landlord EICR rules apply when you sell a let property?
The short version
- No law requires an EICR to sell a house in England; the EPC is the certificate a seller must have.
- Notifiable electrical work since 2005 needs its own certificate, and an EICR can't stand in for it.
- Work that was never notified can be put right with a council regularisation certificate.
- An unsatisfactory EICR doesn't stop a sale, but its C1 and C2 items will come up with the buyer.
No law requires an EICR to sell a house in England. A buyer's solicitor may instead ask for proof that notifiable electrical work done since 2005 met the Building Regulations. An EICR is optional, though a recent one answers a buyer's electrical questions before they slow the sale.
What does the law ask of someone selling a house?
The law asks a seller for an Energy Performance Certificate, not an EICR. Gov.uk says you must have an EPC before you market a property for sale, and it lasts ten years. Electrical Safety First's answer on the EICR is just as plain.
"You do not need to provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) in order to sell a property, although it will give your buyer peace of mind that the property they are buying is electrically safe." Electrical Safety First
The same answer carries a warning. Notifiable electrical work should have been done by a registered electrician, who issues a certificate, or reported to the council's building control. Without that paperwork, ESF says selling can get harder.
Which electrical papers will a buyer's solicitor ask for?
A buyer's solicitor may ask for papers showing that past electrical work met the Building Regulations. Government guidance on building work warns that the council holds no record of work that was never notified, and that you may be asked for compliance certificates when you sell.
| Document | What it shows | Needed to sell? |
|---|---|---|
| EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) | The home's energy rating | Yes, by law, before you market it |
| Building Regulations compliance certificate | Notifiable work since 2005 met the Building Regulations | Not by law, but a solicitor may ask for it |
| EIC or Minor Works certificate | A specific job was tested when it was finished | Not by law; keep it with the compliance certificate |
| Regularisation certificate | The council has checked work that was never notified | Only if you apply to put unnotified work right |
| EICR (condition report) | The condition of the whole installation today | No, it's optional |
The EIC and the compliance certificate arrive as a pair after notifiable work. Our guide to the EIC certificate and when you get one explains how they differ.
Does electrical work since 2005 mean you need an EICR?
No: electrical work since 2005 needs its own certificate, not an EICR. Electrical Safety First's Part P guide says notifiable work leaves you with an EIC or Minor Works certificate and a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. Some websites claim the work makes an EICR compulsory, but the certificate belongs to the job.
Which electrical work has to be notified today?
Three kinds of electrical work have to be notified in England today, under regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010:
- installing a new circuit, such as a dedicated circuit for an electric shower
- replacing a consumer unit (the fuse box)
- adding to or altering a circuit in a special location: the zones around a bath or shower, or a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater
Was more work notifiable before 2013?
Yes, more electrical work was notifiable between 2005 and April 2013. ESF notes that the 2013 update removed some requirements in kitchens and outdoor spaces, so kitchen or garden work from those years may have needed a certificate the same job wouldn't need now.
What if the certificates for past work are missing?
Missing certificates for past electrical work can often be traced, and the route depends on whether the work was ever notified. Work through these in order:
- Ask the electrician or firm that did the job for copies of the EIC and the compliance certificate.
- If a registered installer never sent the compliance certificate, contact their competent person scheme. Government guidance says to do this if it hasn't arrived within 30 days of completion.
- Ask your council's building control team whether it holds a record of the work.
- If the work was never notified, apply to the council for a regularisation certificate.
Regulation 18 covers unauthorised work carried out since 11 November 1985. You apply in writing with a description and plans, and the council may ask for the work to be opened up or tested. If it's satisfied, it can issue a regularisation certificate, which counts as evidence the work complies but not conclusive proof.
Should you get an EICR before selling anyway?
Getting an EICR before you sell is optional, but Electrical Safety First recommends a periodic inspection before selling a property, and every ten years in a home you live in. Buyers hear the other half of that advice.
ESF's advice to home buyers is blunt: "Don't rely on the standard home survey as this will not cover electrical safety." It tells buyers to ask whether the electrics were fully checked in the past ten years, and to book an EICR if they weren't.
A report before you list helps most when:
- the wiring or fuse box is old, or the board has no RCD
- you've had work done and can't find the certificates
- you already know about a fault, such as a breaker that keeps tripping
- the home is let, where the inspection is a legal duty anyway
Our guide price for an EICR starts from £120 for a one-bedroom flat and from £200 for a three-bedroom house, VAT included. It covers the inspection and the written report; any remedial work is quoted once the report is written. Our EICR price breakdown by home size lists the other sizes.
If you're selling in London and want the report in hand before buyers ask, book an EICR before you list or call 07727 619854.
Can you sell a house with an unsatisfactory EICR?
Yes, you can sell a house with an unsatisfactory EICR, because no EICR is needed to sell at all. The report will still shape the talks once a buyer has seen it.
Under ESF's Best Practice Guide 4, any C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) finding makes the report unsatisfactory. A report with only C3 items (improvement recommended) can still be satisfactory. Our page on what each EICR code means goes through them one by one.
With an unsatisfactory report, you have three choices:
- fix the C1 and C2 items before you list, and keep the certificates for the repairs
- give the buyer the report and agree the repairs or the price
- leave it, and let the buyer commission their own inspection
Do landlord EICR rules apply when you sell a let property?
Yes: while a property is let, the landlord rules apply whatever your plans to sell. Regulation 3 of the 2020 Regulations requires the installation to be inspected and tested at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so.
The same regulation says the landlord must give a copy of the latest report to each new tenant before they move in, and to the council within seven days if it asks in writing.
Our landlord EICR service for East London covers rented homes, and our page on how often an EICR is needed sets out the intervals.
Frequently asked questions
No rule says who pays, because no EICR is required to sell. Whoever books the inspection pays the electrician: a seller who wants a report ready for buyers, or a buyer who wants their own check. The two sides can agree otherwise.
No rule sets an age, since the report isn't required. Each EICR gives a recommended date for the next inspection, and Electrical Safety First tells buyers to ask whether the electrics were fully checked in the past ten years.
Yes. Electrical Safety First advises buyers to book one with a registered electrician if there's no recent report. The seller has to agree to the visit, because the electrician needs access to the home and the consumer unit.