How long an EICR lasts for a Welsh rental

If you let a home in Wales, one of the first questions after an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is: how long does it last? The short answer is usually five years from the day of the inspection — unless the report itself sets an earlier date. That earlier date is the one that counts.

This page is practical information for landlords and agents dealing with Welsh occupation contracts in and around Wrexham. It is not legal advice. Chester is in England and sits under a different statute; do not copy Welsh clocks onto an English tenancy. For the full EICR overview, see our Electrical Installation Condition Reports page.

Stewart Rawson Electrical is an NICEIC approved contractor, founded in 2010, based at Jubilee Manor on the Wrexham Industrial Estate.

The Welsh five-year rule — in plain English

Under regulation 6(2) of the Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, an electrical condition report is valid:

until the end of five years beginning with the day of the inspection, or
if the report says the next inspection should be done sooner than five years, until that earlier date on the report.

So if the electrician writes “next inspection due in three years”, you do not get to ignore that and wait five. The shorter interval on the report is the legal limit for that report.

That five-year period is a Welsh statutory rule. It happens to match the usual English private-rented interval. It does not come from the English 2020 regulations. Describe it as Welsh law, not as “the same as England”.

Change of contract-holder

Rent Smart Wales asks landlords to watch for report wording such as “five years or on change of tenancy”. That phrase is not automatic permission to skip an inspection when someone moves out. Check with the electrician who wrote the report whether a further inspection is actually required when the contract-holder changes. Do not invent a local custom.

New-build certificates vs EICRs

For a newly built dwelling, an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) covering the whole installation can stand in place of an EICR in some cases. Once the dwelling is let, Rent Smart Wales is clear that the certificate is then only valid for five years — even if the EIC itself shows a longer domestic reinspection date. After that, you need a current electrical condition report in the usual way.

Copying the report is a separate clock

How long the report lasts is not the same as how quickly you must give a copy to the contract-holder. In Wales those copy periods are typically 14 days (occupation date, or inspection date after occupation, and confirmation of remedial work). England’s private-rented copy and remedial periods are different. Details sit on the main EICR page.

If the report is unsatisfactory

An unsatisfactory report does not “last” as a green light to let. C1 and C2 items need attention. Until there is a valid electrical condition report in place, the fitness rules can treat the dwelling as unfit for human habitation. See what happens after an unsatisfactory EICR, what the codes mean, and our estate agent checklist if you are managing the file.

Where we work

We inspect and test from Jubilee Manor, Sun Lane, Wrexham Industrial Estate, LL13 9RW, across Wrexham, Chester and nearby towns including Gresford, Ruabon, Holt and Penycae.

Get a quote

Call 07789 264398 or 01978 664757, email info@stewartrawsonelectrical.co.uk, or use the contact page.

Stewart Rawson Electrical, Jubilee Manor, Sun Lane, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL13 9RW.