Landlords in the private and social rented sectors are required to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. They must provide a copy of the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) to their tenants within 28 days.

The EICR explains the outcomes and any investigative or remedial work required. The Electrical Safety Roundtable’s Electrical Safety in Social Housing Sub-Group discussed whether routinely providing full reports directly to tenants will significantly improve residents’ understanding of the electrics in their home and electrical safety.

While Reports demonstrate technical compliance, they are often complex documents that can be difficult for residents to interpret and may lead to confusion or misinterpretation of findings. The ESR has already seen examples of unintended consequences where measures intended to improve electrical safety have added additional costs and administration to social housing providers.

To help support landlords and tenants, the Electrical Safety in Social Housing Sub-Group has created an EICR fact sheet. The fact sheet explains what an EICR is, satisfactory and unsatisfactory outcomes, details on C1, C2, C3 and FI codes and examples that a tenant may see in the report.

It is key that tenants receiving this report can fully understand what this means for their home and, more importantly, know their home is safe. The EICR Fact sheet can be distributed to the tenant alongside the EICR.

ESR Social Housing Chair Martin Simmonds said: “The new standards in the social housing sector are a key step in making homes safer. The EICR Fact Sheet is a resource that social housing landlords can use to strengthen resident safety and confidence.”

View the EICR Fact Sheet here.