Landlord EICR in Aylesford

For Maidstone landlords, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 made the 5-yearly EICR legally non-negotiable. Every privately rented home in England needs a satisfactory report at least every five years, plus a fresh one at the start of any new tenancy. CJA Electrical does the inspection, the report, and (separately) any remedial work to clear an unsatisfactory report.

What Landlord EICR actually is

Landlord EICRs are governed by the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The inspection and the technical standards are the same as any other EICR — BS 7671:2018+A2:2022, observation codes, dead and live testing — but the regulations layer on top a defined cycle (5 years), a defined documentation flow (tenants and council get copies), and defined consequences (civil penalties up to £30,000 for non-compliance). The inspector’s job is the same regardless of who’s commissioning the work. What’s different is the paperwork and the deadlines — keeping the cycle on schedule, getting the certificate to the tenant inside 28 days, supplying it to the council if asked.

When you need Landlord EICR in Aylesford

The 5-yearly cycle plus new-tenancy rule is the headline. The practical scheduling reality for most Aylesford landlords is a rolling diary — set a reminder a couple of months before the certificate expires and book the re-test in good time so any remedials don’t bump the property into out-of-compliance territory at the renewal date. Letting agents typically manage this on behalf of the landlord via a portfolio diary; private landlords often track it via the expiry date on their last certificate. Either way, getting the inspection done a couple of months ahead of expiry gives breathing room for any remedials needed before the deadline actually bites.

Standards and what compliance looks like

The technical standard is BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 — the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations with Amendment 2. Any landlord EICR signed off after January 2023 should reference that version. The 2022 amendment introduced changes around surge protection (now required on most domestic installations), arc fault detection in some circumstances, and updated requirements for outdoor and EV charging circuits. For landlord property specifically, the additional layer is the 2020 PRS regulations — the document supplied to tenants needs to be the standard EICR format (BS 7671 Appendix 6) signed by a qualified inspector, with the schedule of inspections and test results attached.

Testing schedule and remedials

What gets tested on a landlord EICR: every circuit running off the consumer unit (lighting, sockets, immersion, cooker, shower, boiler), every accessible accessory (sockets, switches, light fittings, fan isolators), the consumer unit itself (visual inspection of devices and connections), and the main earthing and bonding at the intake. Common findings on Aylesford rental property: ageing consumer units missing RCD protection on lighting circuits; loose backbox screws on tenant-occupied properties (where wear and tear has shifted faceplates); unprotected cable runs in lofts where tenants have been into the loft for storage; cracked switch plates from impact damage. Most are C2 or C3 — fixable, not catastrophic.

Why Aylesford property owners book CJA Electrical

CJA Electrical works with private landlords and letting agents across Maidstone. Aylesford sits within the 25 -minute working radius of our Rochester base, so scheduling around tenant availability is straightforward and re-tests after remedial work happen quickly. What landlords and agents tell us matters: same-week appointments, certificates inside 48 hours, reports formatted to satisfy Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council requests, and remedial work quoted clearly so the budget decision is straightforward. Same person on site, same person signing the certificate, no subcontracting.

How the work runs

Step one — the booking. We need property details (address, bedrooms, rough age of installation, any known issues) and the contact for tenant access (agent or tenant direct). Quote confirmed on that call for standard property; site visit first for unusual installations or HMO conversions. Step two — the testing visit. Half a day for most Aylesford three-bed rental property; longer for HMOs and larger conversions. Brief power-downs during dead testing flagged in advance to the tenant. Property left exactly as found. Step three — the report. PDF inside 48 hours, supplied to landlord and agent. Remedials, if needed, quoted separately. Re-test scheduled once remedials are complete.

What affects the price

The two factors that move Aylesford landlord EICR pricing are circuit count (more circuits = more testing time) and access (single visit with full tenant cooperation versus multiple return visits). For straightforward domestic rental property with cooperative tenant access, the price is well-established and quoted up-front. What we don’t do: deposits, hidden charges, or fees beyond the quoted price. The fixed price is what’s invoiced on completion. Remedials are separate so the EICR price is the EICR price.

FAQs

What about EICRs for HMOs?

HMO landlord EICRs follow the same 5-yearly cycle as ordinary rented homes, but typically also align with the HMO licence cycle issued by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. HMOs often have shared common-parts circuits (corridor lighting, fire alarm interface, escape route lighting) that get tested separately. We work to whatever the council specifically requires for the licence renewal.

Do I have to do an EICR every 5 years on a rental?

Yes. Since June 2020, every privately rented home in England must have a satisfactory EICR every 5 years and at the start of each new tenancy. The certificate must be supplied to tenants within 28 days of the inspection and to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council on request within 7 days.

What happens if I don’t have a current EICR?

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council can serve a remedial notice requiring you to bring the installation into compliance within a fixed timescale, and can issue civil penalties of up to £30,000 for non-compliance. Insurers may also refuse to honour claims related to electrical incidents on properties without current certification.

How is tenant access arranged?

Either through your letting agent or directly with the tenant — whichever is easier for you. We coordinate the visit a few days in advance, confirm the appointment with the tenant, and work around their schedule for the testing visit itself. Most testing visits take a single morning or afternoon.

Can the certificate be sent direct to my agent?

Yes. The PDF can go to you, your letting agent, your council, or all of the above. Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council accepts the standard BS 7671 Appendix 6 format, as do all the major letting agents and managing agents we’ve worked with.