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Completed work is not automatically an EICR
Completed electrical work is not automatically certified by an EICR. An Electrical Installation Condition Report describes an existing installation at the time of the inspection. It is not the certificate for the job that has just been finished, and not every job needs a new one.
Updated 27 October 2026. General guidance, not a reading of your own report and not legal advice.
Match the document to the question
| Document | The question it answers | What it does not answer |
|---|---|---|
| EICR | The condition of an existing installation on the inspection date | That new work was certified |
| Electrical Installation Certificate | New installation work that the certificate covers | The condition of the rest of the installation |
| Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate | The minor work that the certificate covers | A survey of every circuit |
When people ask for another condition report
Ask for an EICR when someone needs the condition of the existing installation: a landlord's inspection duty, a buyer who has chosen to commission one, or a workplace that is planning an inspection. Do not ask for one merely because a socket was added, and do not treat the condition report as the paperwork for that socket.
If the job came with an installation certificate or a minor-works certificate, keep that certificate with the job. A later EICR does not replace it, and it does not rewrite the day the work was done. The detailed difference between an installation certificate and a minor-works certificate is not this page. This page only stops the condition report being used as either of them.
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.
If the worry is the job that has just been finished, keep the certificate for that job. If the worry is the rest of the installation, the question is a condition report. A socket added in one room does not, by itself, describe the other circuits. A landlord duty, a buyer who has chosen to commission a report, or a workplace inspection plan can still justify an EICR. The fact that work happened is not that justification.
| Question | Start with | Do not start with |
|---|---|---|
| Was this job certified? | The certificate that came with the job | A new EICR |
| What is the condition of the rest of the installation? | An EICR, if that is the inspection being asked for | The minor-works certificate for one alteration |
| Does a landlord duty apply? | Whether there is a specified tenancy | The fact that someone did some wiring |
| How do an installation certificate and a minor-works certificate differ in detail? | Not this page | A comparison this article is not going to finish |
Where the other explanations sit
The wider document names are on the report and certificate page. An inspection of the existing installation starts on the testing page.
Related pages
Keep the job certificate
An EICR describes the existing installation. It does not certify the work that has just been finished.
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