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Landlords and EICR testing – EIC vs EICR

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Join us as we look at the difference between the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) and Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), and how this affects the changes in legislation for landlords.

What is an EIC?

The Electrical Installation Certificate is a safety Certificate that is issued by a qualified electrician as confirmation that any new electrical installation complies with the BS 7671 (IEE Wiring Regulations). Examples of these are below:

A newly installed installation
When any new single circuit or multiple circuits are being added to any existing installation
When there is any change of distribution board (consumer unit)

The certificate declares that the installation is safe to use, in line with the BS 7671 (IEE Wiring Regulations).

What is a DEIC?

An EIC may sometimes be referred to as a DEIC – Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate. The two are the same though.

What is a BS 7671 electrical safety certificate?

An EIC may also be referred to as a BS 7671 electrical safety certificate, after the wiring regulations the work complies with.

What is EICR testing?

An EICR, or ‘Electrical Installation Condition Report’ is a formal document that is produced following an assessment of the electrical installation within a property. It must be carried out by an experienced and qualified person. This is a legal requirement for rental properties in England. From 1 April 2021, all properties must have a valid EICR in place. A guide to EICR for landlords

Do I need an EICR if I have an EIC in place?

It depends on what the EIC is for. If the EIC is for a full-house rewiring or a new build property, then you are exempt for five years after the date the EIC was issued. You need to provide a copy of this EIC to your tenant, as well as your local authority if they ask. If the EIC only covers a part of the house (for example, if you had a new distribution board installed) then you would need to get an EICR report carried out for the rest of the property.

Our Google Reviews

5.0

Based on 203 reviews

Julie Hutson

09:37 02 Apr 26

We have been using Hawkesworth for many years. They provide a first class service, with friendly knowledgeable staff.

Kealey Manvell

17:58 19 Feb 26

Great service - arrived on time to carry out PAT testing with no fuss! Would highly recommend!

Kirsty Jones

14:39 19 Feb 26

Easy communication with a reliable and efficient service.

Steve Widnell

09:55 18 Feb 26

Friendly, efficient and helpful service from the engineer

L Vaughan

14:53 11 Feb 26

Can I just say that Alistair was a great ambassador for your company and was really efficient, professional and friendly.

Paul Cowell

15:35 28 Jan 26

We had our yearly Pat Testing completed. The operative was very friendly and helpful. I would recommend to anyone who is considering using Hawkesworth and we will definitely be using them moving forward annually ...

Sophie Hodkinson

16:36 13 Jan 26

Both very professional, approachable and very well organised, which made the whole process run smoothly. Everything was explained clearly, disruption was kept to a minimum, and it was obvious they take pride in doing the job properly.

Several people commented on how efficient and pleasant you were to deal with.

Thanks again for your hard work — it was genuinely appreciated. We would be more than happy to have the same engineers again next year.

Chris Holbrow

16:04 11 Dec 25

I’ve been using Hawkesworth for over seven years across various businesses for PAT testing, and they have consistently delivered an outstanding service. The booking and planning team are always friendly, helpful, and efficient, making the process smooth from start to finish.
The engineers they send are professional, polite, and trustworthy, qualities that really matter when working on-site in financial businesses. Our regional office managers have repeatedly commented on how impressed they were with the care and consideration shown during testing, both for our property and our staff.
Hawkesworth truly go above and beyond to provide a turnkey solution that ensures PAT testing is carried out correctly and with minimal disruption. I would 100% recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable, customer-focused company.

Thank you, Hawkesworth!

Nicholas Burn

11:42 04 Dec 25

As a new customer of Hawkesworth, I wanted to share my positive experience after using multiple services. From the moment I submitted an online enquiry, I received an immediate response—Debbie was incredibly helpful in explaining all the services Hawkesworth offers.

The follow-up process was seamless, with appointments scheduled promptly and honored as agreed. Every engineer who visited our site delivered exceptional service. They kept us informed about upcoming visits, arrived on time, and throughout the work, they were attentive to our company’s needs, going above and beyond to ensure excellent customer care.
The services provided included PAT testing, fire extinguisher checks, and emergency lighting inspections.

Based on this experience, I would highly recommend Hawkesworth to other businesses.

Gaby Wilks

07:20 28 Oct 25

GeneFirst Ltd has been using Hawkesworth Appliance Testing for the last 2 years at our current site location.
Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Kobla Dogbatse the PAT engineer from Hawkesworth and he was fantastic.
Kobla, was efficient and thorough with his work, he was polite and pleasure to have on site.
He was respectful to all staff members by trying to limit any distraction or disturbance when conducting his work on any appliances that the team would be using.
This year I was lucky enough to have Kobla come back and I was thrilled to have him back as I knew the work would be done to the highest standards.
I allowed him to continue with his work without supervision and once finished he came into my office with a smile on his face and said everything is done and its all good.
I would highly recommend Hawkesworth to other companies as they are efficient with their communication and their engineers are a pleasure to have on site.
Thank you again for the great work and I hope to continue using your services in the future.

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Landlords and EICR testing – EIC vs EICR

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What is an EIC?

What is a DEIC?

What is a BS 7671 electrical safety certificate?

What is EICR testing?

Do I need an EICR if I have an EIC in place?

Our Google Reviews

Related

How Often Does Commercial PAT Testing Actually Need to Be Done?

Is Your EICR Due? How Commercial Landlords and Facilities Managers Can Stay Ahead

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