When should you look again at an existing EICR?

A general interval and the next inspection date printed on a particular report are not the same thing.

The date on that report can be sooner than a general interval.

Check the report’s validity and the current tenancy rules before arranging a replacement.

On the report, look at the extent and limitations, the outcome, the observations, and the next inspection date.

Read the next inspection recommendation on the report you hold before you assume that report is still current.

• Extent and limitations

  The report applies to the parts of the installation it says it covered.

• Outcome

  Satisfactory or unsatisfactory is the outcome of that inspection, not a promise about a later tenancy.

• Observations

  Codes describe what the inspector recorded. They are not a renewal timetable.

• Next inspection date

  Use the date that report recommends. It can be sooner than five years.

An existing report may still be the current one if its own next inspection date has not passed and the installation it describes has not been altered in a way the report did not cover.

Damage, alteration, or wording on the report that asks for an earlier inspection is a reason to act on that report, not a London-wide renewal day.

For a specified tenancy in England, arrange inspection and testing by a qualified person at least every five years, or by an earlier date stated in the report. Provide the required report before a new tenant moves in. Government guidance explains when an existing valid report can be used on re-letting; check its findings, next-inspection date and any changes to the installation rather than assuming that every new tenancy needs a new EICR.

That duty is explained on the landlord service. This page does not replace it, and it does not add a renewal rule for every other kind of occupation.

If the date on the report has passed, or the report says an earlier inspection is required, arrange the inspection through EICR testing in London. The wider validity explanation is validity and renewal. The specified-tenancy duty is EICR certificates for landlords.