The short answer: no, an EICR is not a legal requirement when you sell
If you are selling your own home in London, there is no law that says you must provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). The only energy or safety document you are legally obliged to supply is a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Anyone telling you an EICR is mandatory for a straightforward owner-occupier sale is overstating it.
That is the honest answer. The useful answer is a bit longer, because “not legally required” and “not worth having” are two very different things — and in London, where a large share of the housing stock predates modern wiring standards, the gap between them is wide.
What you are actually legally required to provide
- An EPC — legally required before the property is marketed.
- Building Regulations paperwork for notifiable electrical work — if you have had a rewire, a new consumer unit or new circuits installed since 2005, your buyer’s solicitor will ask for the Part P compliance certificate or a Building Control completion certificate. If you cannot find it, that is usually what triggers the request for an EICR instead.
- Gas Safety records where relevant, and any FENSA or window certificates.
Notice what is doing the work there: it is rarely the EICR itself that a solicitor asks for first. It is proof that past electrical work was done properly. An EICR is simply the cleanest way to answer that question when the original paperwork has gone missing — which, on a London property that has changed hands three or four times, it usually has.
The one case where it genuinely is the law
If you are selling a tenanted property — a buy-to-let with tenants still in place — the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector regulations still apply right up to completion. A valid EICR, no more than five years old, is a legal requirement for that property regardless of the sale, and your buyer will need it to continue letting. Selling does not suspend the obligation.
The same applies if the property is an HMO. See our HMO EICR guide for what changes there.
Why London sellers get one anyway
1. It removes the single most common late-stage renegotiation
The pattern is predictable. The survey comes back, the surveyor notes that the electrical installation “appears dated” and recommends further investigation by a qualified electrician, and the buyer’s solicitor asks for a report. You are now four to six weeks into a sale, and the buyer has a written excuse to reopen the price. A clean EICR in the pack before that happens closes the door on it entirely.
2. London housing stock is old
Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Hackney, Islington, Camden, Tower Hamlets and Southwark commonly still carry pre-2008 consumer units, rewireable fuses, or circuits that were part-rewired at some point by someone whose paperwork nobody kept. None of that is necessarily dangerous. But it is exactly the kind of thing that reads badly in a survey and well in an EICR, because an EICR grades it properly instead of leaving it to guesswork.
3. Cash buyers and lenders are getting fussier
Some lenders now specifically ask about electrical safety on older properties before releasing funds. A report costing £140 that prevents a two-week delay on a London sale is not really a cost.
The TA6 form — where the question actually comes up
The standard conveyancing questionnaire, the TA6 Property Information Form, asks whether electrical work has been carried out and whether you hold safety certificates for it. A recent EICR (or an Electrical Installation Certificate from a rewire or consumer unit change) answers that cleanly and keeps the buyer’s solicitor moving. “No certificates available” on a TA6 for an older property is precisely what triggers the buyer to commission their own inspection — on their timetable, not yours.
What an EICR actually checks
An EICR is a physical inspection and test of the fixed wiring — consumer unit, circuits, earthing and bonding, sockets, switches and accessible cabling. It does not cover appliances (that is PAT testing) and it is not a survey of the building.
Findings are coded. In brief:
- C1 — danger present, immediate action required.
- C2 — potentially dangerous, urgent remedial work required.
- C3 — improvement recommended. A C3 does not make a report unsatisfactory.
- FI — further investigation required.
This matters more than sellers expect, because a report can come back covered in C3s and still be satisfactory. We explain all of it in what C1, C2 and C3 mean on an EICR.
What it costs and how long it takes
Our EICRs start at £140 for a typical London flat or small house. Larger properties and those with more circuits cost more, and we will tell you the figure before we start rather than after. All our prices are labour only — materials are charged separately — and our minimum charge is £108 (£90 + VAT).
| Property | EICR price (labour only) | Time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bed flat | from £140 | 1.5–2 hrs |
| 2-bed flat | from £160 | 2–2.5 hrs |
| 3-bed house | from £200 | 2.5–3.5 hrs |
| 4-bed house | from £260 | 3.5–4.5 hrs |
Full breakdown in our London EICR cost guide. Minimum charge £108 (£90 + VAT), labour only, materials itemised separately.
Most inspections take two to four hours, and you will have the report, usually within 48 hours, as a PDF you can forward straight to your solicitor. For a fuller cost breakdown see how much an EICR costs in London.
What if the report is unsatisfactory?
Do not panic, and do not hide it. An unsatisfactory result means one or more C1 or C2 items were found. In most London homes the culprit is a single identifiable thing — no RCD protection, a missing earth bond to the gas or water service, or a tired consumer unit. Fixing it is usually a contained job, and a consumer unit replacement starts at £450.
The strategic point is timing. Finding this out before you market the property means you fix it quietly at your own pace. Finding out during conveyancing means fixing it under time pressure while the buyer watches. The report costs the same either way; the negotiating position does not.
When to get it done
Before marketing, ideally. It goes into the pack alongside the EPC, and it answers the solicitor’s enquiry before it is asked. Second best is as soon as you accept an offer. Worst is after the survey, which is when most people call us.
Buying rather than selling?
The other side of the same coin is covered in our electrical checklist for buying a property in London.
Frequently asked questions
Do I legally need an EICR to sell my house in the UK?
No. An EICR is legally required for rented property only. For an owner-occupied sale it is optional, though increasingly requested by buyers and solicitors.
Is an EICR the same as an EPC?
No. An EPC (energy efficiency) is legally required to market and sell a property. An EICR (electrical safety) is not — they are separate certificates covering different things.
How long is an EICR valid when selling?
Generally up to 10 years for an owner-occupied home (5 years for rentals), or sooner if the report specifies. A satisfactory report from the last few years will reassure most buyers.
Will the buyer’s mortgage lender need an EICR?
Most standard residential mortgages don’t require one, but if the surveyor flags dated electrics, the lender can ask for an electrical inspection before releasing funds. Having a report ready removes that delay.
How quickly can I get an EICR in London?
We can usually attend within 48 hours across North and East London and issue the certificate the same day the inspection passes. NICEIC-approved, rated 9.32/10 from 242 reviews.
Book an EICR for your sale
We are NICEIC-approved electricians working across Hackney, Islington, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and the rest of North and East London. Reports from £140, labour only, £108 minimum charge, and a PDF you can hand straight to your conveyancer.
Call 07407627542 or 07500721453, or email info@faelectrical.co.uk. See all the areas we cover.