Yes. If you rent out a home in Scotland, the law requires a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), renewed at least every five years. The inspection has to be carried out by a competent person and the installation tested to the national wiring standard, BS 7671. It is not optional, it is part of keeping the property to the legal standard a rented home must meet.
What does Scottish law actually require?
Under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and the Repairing Standard that sits within it, a private landlord has to keep the electrical installation in the property in a safe condition. In practice that means three things:
- A valid EICR at least every five years. The fixed electrical installation must be inspected and tested by a competent person at least once every five years, and again if the certificate has lapsed before a new tenancy.
- Testing to BS 7671. Every circuit is inspected and tested to the current wiring regulations, and each finding is graded so you know what is safe and what needs work.
- Appliance safety too. Any electrical appliances the landlord provides should also be safety checked (a PAT), alongside the fixed-wiring EICR, as part of meeting the Repairing Standard.
The inspection is the landlord’s responsibility, and a tenant cannot be charged for it.
How often do I need to renew it, and when does the clock start?
Every five years from the date on the report, as a minimum. Some installations get flagged for re-inspection sooner, for example an older board that passed but is close to the end of its life. The electrician states the recommended next-inspection date on the certificate itself, so you are never guessing.
A few practical triggers that mean you should not wait the full five years:
- You are taking on a new tenant and the existing certificate is more than a year or two old.
- You have had electrical work done since the last test (a new fuse board, an extension, an EV charger).
- The property has had a fault, a flood, or signs of overheating at the board.
What happens if a fault is found?
If the report comes back unsatisfactory, with a C1 or C2 fault, the remedial work has to be put right so the installation meets the Repairing Standard. Where that work replaces the consumer unit or involves new circuits, you are given an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for the work, which sits alongside the EICR as proof the installation is now safe and signed off. You will always get a clear, plain-English explanation of what was found and a written quote to fix it, with no invented problems.
Who can carry out a landlord EICR?
A qualified electrician who is competent to inspect and test. The same person who quotes the job, Jack Snelling, is the one who carries out the inspection and signs the certificate. There is no call centre and no subcontractor you have never met turning up at your tenant’s door.
For landlords with a single buy-to-let or a small portfolio across Dunfermline, Dalgety Bay, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Edinburgh, that matters: you deal with one person, you get one consistent report format, and you know exactly who has been in the property.
What does it cost and how fast is the report back?
A landlord EICR with Snelling Electrical is £200 per property. Every circuit is tested, the work is photographed, and the report is returned quickly so you have it in good time before a new tenancy or a renewal deadline. You can read more on the landlord EICR page.