Quick Answer 💡
No. If you are selling your own home in England or Wales, there is no legal requirement to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report before you sell. You can market the property and complete the sale without one.
That is the short version. The longer version matters, because plenty of sellers get asked for one anyway, and how you handle that can cost you time or money on the sale.
Is an EICR Legally Required When Selling? ⚖️
Selling your own home in England or Wales: no
There is no law requiring a homeowner to produce an EICR when selling. Nobody can compel you to have one done.
Selling a property with tenants in it: yes, and this catches people out
If the property is currently let, the rules are different. Landlords in England must hold a valid EICR and renew it at least every five years, under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations. Wales has an equivalent requirement. So if you are selling a tenanted property you should already have one, and the buyer will almost certainly ask to see it.
Scotland works differently
Selling a home in Scotland requires a Home Report, which includes a survey. That is not an EICR and does not automatically include an electrical inspection, but the surveyor can raise electrical concerns which then need answering.
If you are not sure which applies to you, ask your solicitor early rather than at the point of exchange.
EICR or EIC? Check Which One You Are Being Asked For 📄
These two get mixed up constantly, and “have you got an electrical certificate?” is an ambiguous question.
- An EICR, an Electrical Installation Condition Report, is an inspection of the existing installation. It reports on its condition. This is what a buyer usually means.
- An EIC, an Electrical Installation Certificate, is issued when new work is carried out. If you have had a rewire, a new consumer unit or a new circuit put in, you should have an EIC for that specific job.
If a buyer’s solicitor is asking about recent electrical work, the EIC is the document they want. If they are asking about the condition of the whole installation, that is an EICR.
Why Buyers and Solicitors Ask For One Anyway 🔍
Not legally required is not the same as never comes up. It comes up regularly, usually because:
- The buyer’s surveyor has flagged an older consumer unit, a lack of RCD protection, or wiring of unknown age
- The property was built before the 1980s and has not been rewired since
- There is visible DIY electrical work
- The buyer’s mortgage lender wants reassurance following a survey comment
- The buyer’s conveyancer is being thorough
Once it has been raised it becomes a negotiating point. That is the real reason to think about it before you list rather than after.
What an EICR Actually Checks 🔌
A qualified electrician inspects and tests the fixed electrical installation. That means the consumer unit, the wiring, socket outlets and lighting circuits, earthing and bonding, and the protective devices such as RCDs and RCBOs. You get a written report at the end setting out the condition.
We go through what happens during an inspection in more detail in our full guide to EICRs.
What If the EICR Finds Problems? ⚠️
Anything found is recorded against standard codes:
- C1, danger present. Something is unsafe right now and needs making safe immediately.
- C2, potentially dangerous. Not an immediate danger, but it needs putting right.
- FI, further investigation required. Something needs looking at more closely before the installation can be called satisfactory.
- C3, improvement recommended. No danger. It would be better if it were upgraded, but a C3 on its own does not make a report unsatisfactory.
A report comes back unsatisfactory if it contains any C1, C2 or FI observations. Older consumer units are one of the most common reasons a report comes back with something on it.
Can You Sell a House With an Unsatisfactory EICR? 🏡
Yes. An unsatisfactory EICR does not stop you selling, and it does not oblige you to fix anything.
What it does is put the information in front of the buyer. Buyers then tend to do one of three things:
- Ask you to have the remedial work carried out before completion
- Ask for money off so they can arrange it themselves
- Accept it and carry on
The thing worth avoiding is finding out late. If a C1 or C2 appears two weeks before exchange, you are getting it fixed in a hurry, at whatever price you can get, with the sale hanging on it. Knowing before you list gives you time to get quotes and decide calmly.
How Much Does an EICR Cost? 💷
Ours start from £150 for a typical domestic property. The final figure depends on the size of the property and how many circuits there are. Most three-bedroom homes take around three to four hours to inspect and test properly.
If someone quotes you a figure well below the going rate, ask how long they intend to spend on site. A proper EICR is a few hours of testing, not a walk round with a clipboard.
How Long Does an EICR Last? ⏱️
For a privately rented property in England, an EICR must be renewed at least every five years. For an owner-occupied home the usual recommendation is every ten years, or on change of occupancy.
If you have a report from the last few years and nothing has changed since, that is normally enough to answer a buyer’s question. We cover this in more detail in our guide to how long an EICR lasts.
Should You Get One Before You Put the House on the Market? ✅
There is no single right answer, but it is usually worth it if:
- The property is older and has not been rewired in the last 25 years or so
- The consumer unit is a rewireable fuse box, or has no RCD protection
- You have no paperwork for electrical work that has been done
- You want to head off questions before they slow the sale down
It is probably not worth it if the house has been rewired recently and you still have the certificate.
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
Is an EICR a legal requirement to sell a house?
No, not for an owner-occupied property in England or Wales. It is a legal requirement for privately rented property, where it must be renewed at least every five years.
Can I sell my house without an electrical certificate?
Yes. There is no obligation to provide one. A buyer can ask and you can decline, though it may become part of the negotiation.
Do I need an EICR if the house is being sold with tenants in it?
Yes. A tenanted property in England needs a valid EICR regardless of whether it is being sold.
Who pays for an EICR when selling a house?
There is no rule. Sellers often pay to keep the sale moving, and buyers sometimes pay to satisfy themselves. It is a matter for negotiation.
What happens if the buyer’s survey flags the electrics?
An EICR is the usual way to answer it. It either confirms the installation is satisfactory or tells you exactly what needs putting right, which turns a vague worry into a specific and quotable job. If the report points to an intermittent problem, our fault finding service can trace it.
Need an EICR Before You Sell? 📞
We are NICEIC approved and carry out EICRs across Worksop, Retford, Mansfield, Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Chesterfield. You get a clear report, an explanation in plain English of anything we find, and a quote for any remedial work with no obligation to use us for it.
Call 01909 261231 or 07922 110678, or send us the details and we will come back to you.
