Do You Need an EICR Before Selling Your House?
An EICR is not a legal requirement when selling a residential property in England. There is no legislation that compels a private homeowner to obtain one before exchange. That said, the practical reality in 2024 is that skipping it can slow your sale, raise questions with buyers, and occasionally kill a deal altogether.
Here is what I see on the ground as an electrician working across the North East — and why, in most cases, I'd recommend getting one done before you go to market rather than waiting for someone to ask.
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The Short Answer: Is an EICR Legally Required When Selling?
No — and it is worth being clear about this, because there is a lot of confusion out there. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 made EICRs a legal requirement for landlords renting out properties, but that obligation does not extend to owner-occupiers selling their homes.
There is no equivalent legislation for private sales. Your conveyancing solicitor cannot be legally compelled to produce one, and neither can you.
However, "not legally required" is different from "not expected." The goalposts have shifted considerably in recent years.
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What Is an EICR and What Does It Check?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a formal inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation in a property — the wiring, the consumer unit, earthing, bonding, sockets, switches, and any other permanently connected equipment. It does not cover portable appliances.
The inspection is carried out by a qualified electrician against the current edition of BS 7671 18th Edition Wiring Regulations. The inspector tests things like continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, and the operation of RCD protection.
At the end, every observation is coded:
- C1 — Danger present. Requires immediate action.
- C2 — Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial work required.
- C3 — Improvement recommended, but not dangerous.
- FI — Further investigation needed before a verdict can be given.
The overall certificate outcome is either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. A single C1 or C2 makes the whole report Unsatisfactory. C3 observations alone will still produce a Satisfactory certificate.
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Why Buyers and Their Solicitors Are Asking for EICRs
In my experience, this has changed noticeably over the last five or six years. Buyers — especially first-time buyers who have done their research — are increasingly asking for an EICR as a condition of proceeding. Their conveyancing solicitors are prompting them to.
Part of this relates to the TA6 property information form, which sellers must complete honestly during conveyancing. Question 7.4 asks about the electrical installation. If you have not had it tested recently, you have to say so. That absence can prompt questions.
Buyers are also more aware that rewiring an older house is not a trivial cost. If your property has a consumer unit with no RCD protection, or wiring that has not been touched since the 1970s or 80s, a buyer's surveyor may flag electrical condition as a risk anyway — and then you end up dealing with it reactively under pressure, rather than on your own terms.
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What Happens If Your EICR Reveals a Problem?
This is where sellers sometimes worry unnecessarily. Finding C2 or C3 observations on an EICR does not automatically derail a sale.
A C2 coded defect means the issue needs to be fixed, but it does not mean the property is unsellable. You have options: fix it before you market, negotiate on price to reflect the work, or get quotes and put them in front of the buyer. What it does do is give you control of the narrative rather than leaving a buyer's surveyor to flag something unspecified and alarming.
A C1 coded defect is more serious — it means there is immediate danger. That genuinely does need addressing before anyone moves in. But if you've been living in the property, a C1 is relatively uncommon. I'd rather find one early than have it come out mid-sale.
FI codes require further opening up or investigation before the report can be concluded. These tend to be the most disruptive to deal with during an active sale.
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How an EICR Compares to a Homebuyer Survey for Electrics
A homebuyer report, carried out by a RICS surveyor, will comment on the visible condition of the electrical installation but it is not a specialist electrical inspection. Surveyors are not trained electricians. They will note obvious concerns — old wiring, a dated fuse board, a lack of visible RCD protection — and will typically recommend a further specialist inspection.
That recommendation effectively triggers a request for an EICR anyway. Getting one done beforehand simply removes a step and avoids the deal going into limbo while one is arranged.
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EICR vs Building Regulations Completion Certificates: Know the Difference
These are two separate documents that people frequently mix up.
If electrical work has been carried out in your property since 2005, it should have been notified under Part P Building Regulations (which covers domestic electrical installation work). The contractor should have issued a Building Regulations Completion Certificate, or the work should have been notified to the local authority. Schemes like NAPIT and NICEIC allow registered contractors to self-certify this work.
A Completion Certificate confirms that notifiable work was done to a compliant standard at the time. An EICR assesses the current condition of the entire installation. They are not interchangeable. If a buyer or their solicitor asks for an EICR, a Completion Certificate for a kitchen circuit from 2018 does not satisfy that request.
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How Long Does an EICR Take and What Does It Cost in the North East?
For a typical three-bedroom semi, an EICR usually takes between two and four hours depending on the size of the installation and ease of access to circuits. Larger or older properties take longer.
Costs vary depending on property size, the contractor, and how accessible things are. In the North East, you are generally looking at somewhere in the range of £150 to £300 for a standard domestic property. I would be cautious of anything quoted significantly below that — a thorough inspection takes time and cannot be rushed responsibly.
If remedial work is needed, that is quoted separately.
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When You Definitely Should Get an EICR Before Selling
- The property is more than 25–30 years old and has not had any significant electrical work since
- You have an older consumer unit without RCD protection
- There is any history of electrical issues, burning smells, or tripped circuits
- The property has been extended or had a kitchen or bathroom fitted — particularly if you cannot locate the Part P certificate
- You are selling a property that was previously rented out (in which case an EICR should already exist)
- You want to avoid being caught out mid-conveyancing
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FAQ: EICRs and House Sales
Is an EICR a legal requirement when selling a house in England?
No. There is no legislation requiring private homeowners to obtain an EICR before selling. The legal requirement under the 2020 private rented sector regulations applies to landlords, not owner-occupiers selling their home.
Will my buyer's solicitor ask for an EICR during conveyancing?
Increasingly, yes — especially if the property is older, if a homebuyer survey flags electrical concerns, or if the buyer requests one as a condition of proceeding. It is not guaranteed, but it is common enough that I would not rely on it not coming up.
How old does my electrics have to be before I need an EICR?
There is no fixed age threshold. BS 7671 recommends an EICR every ten years for owner-occupied domestic properties, or at change of occupancy. If you cannot say when the installation was last tested, that in itself is a reason to get one done.
What does a C2 on an EICR mean for my house sale?
A C2 coded defect means the installation has a potentially dangerous condition that requires urgent remedial work. It makes the overall certificate Unsatisfactory. In a sale context, you will need to address it — either by fixing it and getting a re-inspection, or by agreeing how it will be dealt with with the buyer. It is not an automatic deal-breaker, but it needs managing.
Can I sell my house with an unsatisfactory EICR?
Technically yes — there is no law preventing it. But practically, many buyers and their solicitors will not proceed without either remedial work being completed or a significant price adjustment. The further you are into conveyancing when this surfaces, the more disruptive it is.
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If you are in the North East and want an honest assessment of your property's electrical installation before you go to market, the team at Energy North Ltd can carry out a thorough EICR and talk you through the findings plainly. No pressure, no upselling — just a clear picture of where things stand.
[Get in touch with Energy North Ltd](https://energynorth.uk)