Who enforces EICR rules in Newbury?

West Berkshire Council, which also covers Thatcham and Hungerford.

Newbury, Berkshire

Landlord EICRs in Newbury: the five-year rule, locally

Newbury is West Berkshire's main town, and its rented homes range from town-centre flats to Victorian terraces and newer estates on the edges.

What is different in Newbury

West Berkshire Council is the local housing authority for Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford. It enforces the private rented sector electrical safety regulations across the district, so it is the council that can request your report.

The streets around the town centre include many Victorian and Edwardian terraces, some now converted to flats. Newer estates on the edges of the town, such as Racecourse and around Greenham, add many homes with modern installations. The inspection is the same for both, but older properties are more likely to need remedial work.

If an inspector marks part of a property as not inspected, for example a room the tenants could not clear, ask for that part to be completed. A report with large gaps is a weak defence if the council asks questions.

Local housing authority: West Berkshire Council (opens in a new tab)

The rule, in brief

If you let a home in England on a tenancy covered by the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, the fixed wiring must be inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years. The result is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the inspection, new tenants before they move in, and the council within 7 days if it asks for one. Owner-occupiers have no legal duty, but Electrical Safety First recommends an inspection at least every ten years, and whenever you buy a home.

Source: Electrical Safety First (opens in a new tab) / GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

When do you need an EICR? — the full answer

Related safety advice

Signs your consumer unit needs replacing

A consumer unit, or fuse box, is worth having checked by a registered electrician if it still has rewirable fuses, has no RCD protection, shows scorch marks, smells of burning, crackles, feels hot, or trips repeatedly. Age on its own is not proof it is unsafe: an EICR is how you find out whether it needs replacing. Replacing one is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations in England, so it is a job for a registered electrician rather than a DIY one.

Source: Electrical Safety First (opens in a new tab)

What Part P means for your electrical job

Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical safety in homes in England. All electrical work has to meet it, but only some jobs are notifiable: installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and adding to or altering circuits in a special location such as a room with a bath or shower. Notifiable work is either done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, who certifies it and notifies building control, or notified to the council's building control before it starts.