EICR and electrical safety

The short answer

A private let in Scotland needs an Electrical Installation Condition Report at least every five years, carried out by a suitably qualified electrician, together with a check of any appliances the landlord provides. Codes C1 and C2 mean remedial work is required before the installation is satisfactory; C3 is an improvement recommendation. The report must be given to tenants.

What the work involves

Testing and inspection of the consumer unit, circuits, earthing and bonding, sockets and fixed equipment, plus visual and electrical checks of supplied appliances, ending in a written report and any remedial certificate.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Required under Scottish private rented sector duties and reflected in the Repairing Standard, which since 2024 also expects residual current device protection. Reports go to new tenants at the start of the let and to existing tenants on completion.

What commonly goes wrong

Accepting a report with unresolved C1 or C2 codes as though it were a pass, and using an electrician without the qualifications to inspect and test rather than just install.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Cost rises with the number of circuits, so a large house costs more than a one-bedroom flat.
• Remedial work after the report is a separate cost and is the usual surprise.
• Consumer unit replacement is common in pre-1990 stock and should be budgeted for.

What to do, in order

1. 1Use an electrician registered with SELECT, NICEIC or NAPIT and qualified for inspection and testing.
2. 2Arrange access with proper written notice — testing means the power goes off for a period.
3. 3Read the codes rather than the summary line.
4. 4Complete C1 and C2 remedial work and obtain the certificate for it.
5. 5Give the report to the tenant and file it with the compliance pack.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Pre-1919 Edinburgh flats frequently show rewirable fuseboards, no RCD protection and mixed-era wiring at first inspection.
• Stone walls and lath and plaster make rewiring more disruptive than in modern stock, so plan it between tenancies.
• Common stair lighting in a tenement is shared and is inspected separately from the flat.

When you need a professional

Only a qualified and registered electrician should carry out an EICR; ask for the scheme membership number and check it on the scheme's register.

Common questions

How often is an EICR needed in a Scottish let?

At least every five years, and sooner if the report itself recommends an earlier date or the installation is altered.

Does the landlord's furniture need electrical checks too?

Appliances the landlord supplies need to be checked for safety, which is usually done as portable appliance testing at the same visit.

Related pages

• Appliance testing in a let

  Checking landlord-supplied appliances, what needs testing and what only needs a visual check.

• Meeting the Repairing Standard

  The legal condition test every private let in Scotland has to meet, and how landlords evidence it.

• Landlord gas safety checks

  The annual gas safety check, what it covers, and the records a landlord has to hold.