Sale and mortgage
Where does an EICR sit in a mortgage or property sale?
A sale file can collect several electrical papers, and they do not do the same job. This page separates the condition report from the lender, valuation and conveyancing documents around it. It is not conveyancing advice.
Reviewed 5 October 2026 by Michael (Technical Supervisor) and George Opsenica (Director, Codeex Maintenance Ltd). General guidance, not a reading of your own report and not legal advice.
Review details
- Michael: electrical guidance within the recorded review scope.
- George Opsenica: service information and presentation.
- George Opsenica: service information and presentation.
No universal sale rule is stated here
A property purchase does not by itself create the private-rented inspection duty.
Ask your lender or conveyancer which electrical records they require for your transaction; requirements vary.
An EICR is not a valuation, a mortgage offer, or a conveyancing document.
A path through the file
1. Look for an existing report
An EICR already in the pack describes the installation on the date printed on it. It does not update itself because a sale has started.
2. Name who asked
The request may come from a buyer, a seller, a lender, a solicitor or conveyancer, or a surveyor. Confirm who needs the report and why before arranging the inspection.
3. Read the document they named
A survey line about the electrics is not an EICR. An Electrical Installation Certificate certifies the new installation, addition or alteration within its stated scope. It is not a periodic condition report for the rest of an existing installation.
4. What an EICR can answer
It describes the fixed installation on the inspection day. It does not value the property, make a mortgage offer, or interpret the contract.
5. Choosing to commission one
A buyer or owner may still ask for an inspection while there is access. That is a choice about the installation, not a duty created by the mortgage.
How the report can turn up, and what it is not
If a buyer, seller or broker asks for an electrical report, read which document they named. A survey line about the electrics is a reason to consider an inspection. It is not already an EICR. Whether to instruct one is a choice about the installation, dealt with on the buyer pages, not a duty created by the mortgage.
| Document | What it can be | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| EICR | The condition of the fixed installation on the inspection day | A valuation or a mortgage offer |
| Valuation or survey | The surveyor's comment on the property | An EICR |
| Lender request | That lender's own question, if one is made | A rule this page states for every lender |
| Solicitor or conveyancer pack | A request to see what electrical papers exist | An order that an EICR must be commissioned |
| Installation certificate | A record of the new work it covers | A condition report for the whole installation |
| The contract | The parties' agreement | Something this page interprets |
If you want the installation inspected
A homeowner or buyer who wants the installation inspected uses EICR testing or the homeowner EICR service. When a buyer may want a report is a separate article: when an EICR helps a buyer.
Related pages
Read which document was actually requested.
An EICR is the condition of the installation. It is not the valuation, the offer, or the contract.
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