Does a new-build in Wokingham need an EICR before letting?

A new-build has an Electrical Installation Certificate for its wiring. The GOV.UK guidance explains when that certificate can be used instead of an EICR; the five-year deadline still applies from its date.

Wokingham, Berkshire

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

Wokingham's rental stock runs from Georgian and Victorian houses near the town centre to new homes on the large developments around the town.

What is different in Wokingham

Wokingham Borough Council enforces the private rented sector electrical safety regulations across the borough, including the town itself, Woodley, Earley and the villages. It can ask for your report, require remedial work and issue penalties of up to £30,000.

Large new developments around Wokingham, such as those at Arborfield Green and Shinfield, mean many rented homes here are only a few years old. A new home comes with an Electrical Installation Certificate for its wiring; the GOV.UK guidance explains when that can stand in for an EICR and when the five-year clock starts. Check the date on the certificate when you first let the property.

In the older streets near the market place, homes can be well over a century old with wiring updated in stages. Those are the lets where an inspector is most likely to find a mix of standards and ask for further investigation.

Local housing authority: Wokingham Borough 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.