The Landlord’s Electrical Playbook, Part 1 of 6
The £40,000 EICR Fine — What Every York Landlord Needs to Know
By Frankie · April 2026 · 7 min read
Last month I carried out an EICR on a two-bedroom terrace in Holgate. The landlord had owned it for eleven years and never had the electrics tested. Not once. He didn’t know he was required to, and he didn’t know that the maximum fine for failing to comply had just increased to £40,000.
That conversation, the one where I explain what the regulations actually say and what happens if they’re ignored, is one I have more often than you’d expect. So I’m putting it here, clearly, for every landlord and letting agent in York who needs the facts.
The Law: What Landlords Must Have in Place
Every private rented property in England must have an Electrical Installation Condition Report carried out by a qualified electrician at least every five years. That’s not guidance. It’s law, and it has been since 1 April 2021.
The regulations apply to all private landlords, including those who let through agents. They apply to houses, flats, HMOs, and rooms let individually. If you take rent for a property, you need a valid EICR.
What the regulations require you to do
Have an EICR carried out before a new tenancy begins, and at least every five years during a tenancy (or sooner if the report specifies a shorter interval).
Complete any remedial work that the report codes C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) within 28 days of the report, or sooner if the electrician specifies a shorter timescale for C1 defects.
Provide a copy of the report to your tenant within 28 days of the inspection. For new tenancies, before they move in.
Supply a copy to the local authority within seven days if they request one.
The Fine: Up to £40,000
If you let a property in England, your council can fine you up to £40,000 for breaching the electrical safety rules, a maximum that rose from £30,000 on 1 November 2025 (or on 1 May 2026 for social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025).
That £40,000 is the ceiling, not the starting point. The actual penalty depends on the severity of the breach, the landlord’s history, and whether the non-compliance was deliberate. But it’s worth understanding what “breach” looks like in practice, because it’s broader than most landlords realise.
What Actually Triggers Enforcement
It’s not just about having no EICR at all. Enforcement can be triggered by any of these situations:
No EICR exists. The property has never been tested, or the previous report expired more than five years ago. This is the most straightforward breach and the most common one I see in York, particularly with landlords who bought before 2020 and didn’t realise the law had changed.
The EICR identified defects but no remedial work was carried out. If the report flagged C1 or C2 codes and the landlord didn’t arrange the work within 28 days, that’s a separate breach. The report exists, but the obligation wasn’t fulfilled.
The tenant wasn’t given a copy. Even if the EICR is up to date and the electrics are fine, failing to provide the tenant with a copy of the report is itself a breach of the regulations.
The local authority requested a copy and didn’t receive it within seven days. City of York Council has the power to request your EICR at any time. If you can’t produce it within a week, you’re non-compliant.
The 28-Day Remedial Deadline
This is the part that catches people out. When an EICR identifies a C1 or C2 code, the clock starts immediately. You have 28 days from the date of the report to have the remedial work completed by a qualified electrician and to obtain written confirmation that the work has been done.
That confirmation then needs to go to the tenant and the local authority (if they’re involved) within 28 days of the work being completed.
Twenty-eight days sounds generous until you factor in finding an available electrician, ordering parts if needed, and coordinating access with the tenant. On a property with multiple C2 defects, which isn’t unusual on older terraces in areas like Acomb, Bishopthorpe, or Tang Hall, the work itself might take a full day. I’d always recommend booking the remedial work as soon as the report is issued, not waiting until week three.
What Happens During Enforcement
If a tenant complains to City of York Council, or if the council identifies a non-compliant property through its own checks, the process typically follows this path:
The council requests a copy of the EICR. You have seven days to provide it. If you can’t, that’s already a breach.
If no valid EICR exists, the council can issue a remedial action notice. This requires you to arrange an inspection within 28 days. If you don’t, the council can arrange one itself, and charge you for it.
The council can arrange urgent remedial work if there’s an immediate risk to tenants, and recover the cost from the landlord.
A financial penalty notice of up to £40,000 can be issued for each breach. This is a civil penalty, it doesn’t require a criminal prosecution, and there’s no court hearing unless you appeal. The council decides the amount based on the severity of the breach, your compliance history, and whether the failure was deliberate or negligent.
What I See in York
Most of the non-compliant landlords I come across aren’t negligent, they genuinely don’t know the regulations exist. These rules came into force during Covid, and the communication to smaller landlords was poor. Many were used to the old system where gas safety certificates were the main compliance item, and electrics were largely optional unless the property was an HMO.
That doesn’t make them exempt. The law applies regardless of whether you knew about it, and “I didn’t know” isn’t a defence against a civil penalty.
If you’re a landlord in York and you’re reading this wondering whether your properties are compliant, the answer is straightforward: check when your last EICR was carried out. If it was more than five years ago, or if one has never been done, you need to book one now. Not next month. Now.
How I Price EICRs for Landlords
I price every EICR by circuit count, not by the number of bedrooms. A two-bedroom flat with twelve circuits is a completely different job from a two-bedroom flat with six circuits, and pricing by bedrooms doesn’t reflect that. If you want a clear estimate before I start, I need to know the number of circuits, which is usually written on the consumer unit door, or I can confirm it on arrival. If the board itself turns out to be the problem, my guide to what a consumer unit does and when it needs replacing covers what that work involves.
For more on how EICR pricing works, read my guide: Why I Price EICRs by Circuits, Not Bedrooms.
If you’re interested in what actually happens during the inspection itself, I’ve written a separate walkthrough: What Happens During an EICR.
Frankie Sewell
NICEIC Approved Contractor • YRLA Recognised Service Provider • Bright Sparks of York
Need an EICR for your rental property in York?
I carry out EICRs across York and the surrounding villages. Transparent pricing by circuit count, with the report issued the same day.
Questions
What is the maximum EICR fine for landlords?
If you let a property in England, your council can fine you up to £40,000 for breaching the electrical safety rules, a maximum that rose from £30,000 on 1 November 2025 (or on 1 May 2026 for social housing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025).
How often do landlords need an EICR?
The installation must be inspected and tested at least every five years, or sooner if the last report sets an earlier date. A copy of the current report goes to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, and to a new tenant before they move in. It does not have to be a brand new report for a new tenancy, it has to be a valid one.
What happens if remedial work is needed after an EICR?
Where the report calls for further investigation or remedial work, it has to be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report sets a shorter period. The 28 days run from the date of the inspection and testing, not from the date the report lands in your inbox, which is the detail landlords most often get caught by. You then get written confirmation from the electrician that the work is done, and that goes to the tenant and to the council within 28 days of completion.
Do I need to give my tenant a copy of the EICR?
Yes. A copy goes to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, and to a new tenant before they move in. If the council asks for a copy in writing, you have seven days to supply it. A prospective tenant who asks in writing gets one within 28 days.
Who enforces EICR compliance for landlords?
The local housing authority, which in York is City of York Council, enforces the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. It can serve a remedial notice, and if that is ignored it can arrange the remedial work itself and recover the cost from the landlord, with the tenant's agreement to let them in. It can also impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000.
Does the £40,000 fine apply per property or per breach?
The £40,000 maximum applies to each penalty, not to your total. A council imposes a penalty in respect of a breach, and where the failure continues it can impose more than one. So several breaches, or several non-compliant properties, can each carry their own penalty. The council sets the amount, and deliberate or repeated non-compliance sits at the higher end of the range.
The Landlord’s Electrical Playbook, Part 1 of 6 · All parts →