EICR Copy to Tenant and Council: Every Deadline Landlords Must Meet

Having a valid EICR is only half the compliance picture. Under SI 2020/312, landlords must also distribute copies to specific people within specific timeframes — and missing these deadlines is a separate penalty-carrying breach, independent of whether the installation itself is safe.

The Distribution Schedule

Existing tenants: within 28 days of the inspection date. Every current tenant in the property gets a copy of the EICR, whether the report is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

New tenants: before they move in. A tenant should not occupy the property without having received a copy of the current valid EICR. This applies whether the report is brand new or an existing one from earlier in the five-year cycle.

Prospective tenants: within 28 days of receiving a written request. A prospective tenant has the right to request the EICR before signing a tenancy agreement, and you must supply it within 28 days.

Local housing authority: within 7 days of receiving a written request. When a council enforcement officer formally requests your EICR, the response window is much tighter than the tenant deadline.

After remedial work: within 28 days of the work being completed. Copies of the written confirmation and completion certificates (MEIWC or EIC) go to all tenants and the local authority.

Next inspector: before the next inspection. When you commission the next five-year EICR, the incoming inspector should receive a copy of the previous report so they can compare the installation's condition over time.

How to Deliver

The regulations do not mandate a specific delivery method, but you need evidence of service. Email with a PDF attachment works well — it creates a timestamped delivery record. If you use post, send it by recorded delivery and keep the postal receipt.

Handing a paper copy to a tenant in person is fine as long as you get a signed receipt with the date. A text message acknowledging receipt also serves as evidence, though it is harder to dispute email timestamps.

The Most Commonly Missed Deadline

The seven-day council request deadline catches more landlords than any other. You might have the report ready — but if it is buried in a filing cabinet and the council request lands while you are on holiday, seven days disappears fast. Keep a digital copy of every EICR, completion certificate, and written confirmation in an accessible location so you can respond to any request within hours, not days.

What Happens If You Miss a Deadline

Each missed distribution deadline is a separate breach of SI 2020/312, carrying its own civil penalty of up to £40,000. The council can penalise you for failing to supply the report even if the underlying installation is perfectly safe and the EICR is satisfactory.

The Electrical Safety (EICR) Compliance Guide includes a report distribution matrix that maps every recipient, deadline, and evidence requirement so nothing falls through the gaps.

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