Electrical Installation Condition Reports — better known as EICRs — are one of the compliance categories that regularly cause confusion in blocks of flats. The requirements differ depending on whether you're looking at individual rented flats or the communal areas of the building, and the responsible party isn't always obvious.

If you're a managing agent, RMC director, or freeholder responsible for a residential block, this guide explains what's required, who is responsible, and how to stay compliant.

What is an EICR?

An EICR is a formal report on the condition of a property's fixed electrical installation — the permanent wiring, sockets, light fittings, fuse boxes (consumer units), and distribution boards. A qualified electrician inspects and tests the installation, then issues a report grading any deficiencies found.

The grading codes are:

C1 — Danger present. Immediate remedial action required.
C2 — Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action required.
C3 — Improvement recommended. Not a legal requirement to fix, but advisable.
FI — Further investigation required. Additional inspection needed without delay.

A property with any C1, C2, or FI findings is classified as "unsatisfactory" and remedial work or further investigation must be carried out.

EICRs for rented flats: the landlord's obligation

Since June 2020, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 have required landlords of privately rented properties to:

Have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years
Obtain a satisfactory EICR before a new tenancy begins and within 5 years for existing tenancies
Supply a copy of the report to tenants within 28 days
Complete any remedial work for C1, C2, or FI findings within 28 days (or a shorter period if specified)

This applies to individual flats that are let out. The responsibility sits with the landlord of each flat — typically the leaseholder who is subletting. This is not the RMC's or managing agent's responsibility for individually let flats.

EICRs for communal areas: the building's obligation

This is where it gets more complex. There is no single regulation that explicitly mandates an EICR for the communal areas of a block of flats in the same way the 2020 Regulations cover rented flats. However, several overlapping legal duties make communal EICRs effectively mandatory:

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a fire risk assessment for the common parts of any building with two or more domestic premises. A competent fire risk assessor will almost certainly recommend that the electrical installation in communal areas is inspected and tested — and will note the absence of a current EICR as a deficiency.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 impose a general duty to maintain electrical systems in a safe condition. Communal areas of a block of flats fall within scope.

The LACORS Housing Fire Safety guidance (Section 32.11) states that electrical installations should be inspected periodically by a competent electrical engineer. Fire risk assessors and local authorities routinely reference this guidance.

In practice, any block without a current communal EICR is likely to fail a fire risk assessment review, face questions from building insurers, and be exposed to enforcement action.

How often should communal EICRs be carried out?

The recommended inspection interval depends on the type of installation:

Communal areas of residential blocks — every 5 years is the standard recommendation, though some assessors recommend every 3 years based on the age and condition of the installation
The qualified electrician carrying out the inspection will specify the recommended interval for the next inspection on the report itself — and may set a shorter period if the installation shows signs of deterioration

Always check the "next inspection date" on the report rather than assuming a fixed 5-year cycle.

Who pays for the communal EICR?

The communal electrical installation is part of the building's common infrastructure. The cost of inspection, testing, and any remedial work is typically recovered through the service charge, apportioned according to the lease.

For self-managing RMCs, this is a building expense managed by the directors. For blocks with a managing agent, the agent will typically arrange the inspection and charge it to the service charge account.

What about PAT testing?

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT testing) covers portable electrical equipment — things like vacuum cleaners, power tools, and appliances in communal laundry rooms. PAT testing is separate from an EICR.

For communal areas of privately managed blocks, PAT testing is not a specific legal requirement, though it is considered good practice for any equipment provided in shared spaces. Note that since 2025, the Electrical Safety Standards regulations have been extended to the social rented sector, where in-service inspection and testing of landlord-supplied electrical equipment is now a legal requirement.

Common compliance gaps

Several issues come up repeatedly in blocks we've worked with:

No communal EICR exists — some blocks, particularly smaller self-managed ones, have EICRs for individual rented flats but have never tested the communal installation. Stairwell lighting, entry systems, communal power sockets, and distribution boards all need to be covered.

Expired reports — the EICR was done years ago and has lapsed. Because there's no explicit "you must have this by date X" regulation for communal areas, it falls off the radar until the fire risk assessor flags it.

Remediation not tracked — the EICR identified C2 findings but there's no record of what was done about them, when, or by whom. Insurers and fire risk assessors will expect to see evidence that deficiencies were addressed.

Confusion over responsibility — in blocks with a mix of owner-occupiers and rented flats, there's often disagreement about who should arrange and pay for the communal EICR. The answer is straightforward: it's a building-level obligation, recovered through the service charge.

Staying on top of electrical compliance

Electrical safety is one of seven compliance categories that affect most UK residential blocks. Alongside fire safety, gas safety, asbestos, lift maintenance, water hygiene, and estate compliance, it needs to be tracked systematically — with clear records of inspection dates, certificate expiry, remediation actions, and responsible parties.

Block Guardian tracks all of these in one place, with automated reminders when inspections are due, document storage for certificates and reports, and case management for linking remediation work back to the inspection that triggered it. If you're managing a block and want to get electrical compliance — and everything else — under control, start a free 45-day trial.