York › Landlord Compliance
The York landlord electrical compliance calendar Every deadline in one place
The electrical inspection duties on a rented home in England, with each deadline written out in full rather than summarised. Dated, so you can see how current it is before you act on it.
Last checked: 7 September 2026
Most landlords I deal with do not have a compliance problem. They have a diary problem. The duties are short and specific. They just fall due on different triggers, and nobody sends you a reminder when one of them lands.
So here they are on one page, with the deadlines in the wording that matters and a visible date at the top.
What this page covers, and what it does not
This is the electrical inspection side of letting a home in England: the interval, who has to be given the report and by when, the deadline for putting things right, and what a council can do if you miss one. It is not the whole of a landlord's compliance picture, and it is not legal advice. Where a duty has a deadline attached, I have written the deadline out rather than paraphrasing it, because the exact wording is where landlords come unstuck.
The deadlines
| What triggers it | The deadline |
|---|---|
| The inspection itself | A rented home must be inspected at least every five years, or sooner if the report says so. |
| A new tenant moving in | A new tenant must have the report before they move in. |
| A prospective tenant asking for a copy | A prospective tenant who asks in writing must have it within 28 days. |
| The council asking for a copy | If the council asks for the report in writing you have 7 days to send it. |
| The report calling for work | Where the report calls for remedial work or further investigation, it has to be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. The 28 days runs from the date of the inspection itself, not from the day the report lands in your inbox. |
| The remedial work being finished | After remedial work, written confirmation plus the report goes to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion. |
Note the two request-triggered duties above. Both of them turn on a request in writing. A conversation on the doorstep is not what starts either clock.
The one that catches people out
The 28 days runs from the date of the inspection itself, not from the day the report lands in your inbox.
That is the deadline I see missed most, and it is missed honestly. The report arrives, the clock feels like it starts there, and by the time the work is booked a week or two has already gone. So when a report comes in calling for work, take the inspection date off the front of it, count forward from that, and put the resulting date in the diary rather than the date you opened the email.
If you want a hand reading what the report is actually asking you to do, I have written up what the EICR codes mean in plain terms.
What happens if you miss one
A council can fine up to £40,000 for a breach, and it can impose more than one penalty where the failure carries on. If you have taken all reasonable steps you are not in breach, and since November 2025 a tenant refusing you access does not by itself count as a failure to take reasonable steps, so you are not expected to take them to court to get in.
That last part is worth knowing if you have a tenant who will not let anyone in. Keep the written record of what you tried, because that record is the whole of the defence.
Common questions
How often does a rented home in York need an electrical inspection?
A rented home must be inspected at least every five years, or sooner if the report says so.
How long have I got to do the remedial work?
Where the report calls for remedial work or further investigation, it has to be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. The 28 days runs from the date of the inspection itself, not from the day the report lands in your inbox.
Who has to be given a copy of the report, and by when?
If the council asks for the report in writing you have 7 days to send it. A prospective tenant who asks in writing must have it within 28 days. A new tenant must have the report before they move in.
What happens once the remedial work is finished?
After remedial work, written confirmation plus the report goes to the tenant and the council within 28 days of completion.
What is the penalty for missing one of these?
A council can fine up to £40,000 for a breach, and it can impose more than one penalty where the failure carries on. If you have taken all reasonable steps you are not in breach, and since November 2025 a tenant refusing you access does not by itself count as a failure to take reasonable steps, so you are not expected to take them to court to get in.
How I keep track of it for you
Every inspection I carry out goes on my renewal register with its retest date against it, and I get in touch with you before it falls due rather than after. It costs you nothing and it does not tie you to booking the work with me. The diary is the part that goes wrong, not the electrics, so that is the part I take off your hands.
You can read how the reminders work on the EICR reminders page, or start with the landlord hub if you want the wider picture of what I do for rented property in York.
Want the dates taken off your hands?
Tell me how many properties you have and where they are, and I will come back with an estimate and put the retest dates on the register for you.