Landlord EICR in Dartford

For Dartford 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

A landlord EICR is the same fundamental inspection as any EICR — a visual check of the consumer unit and accessible accessories, plus dead and live testing on every circuit — but commissioned to satisfy the 2020 PRS regulations. The output is a written report against BS 7671:2018+A2:2022, with observation codes (C1/C2/C3/FI) on anything that doesn’t meet the regulations. What’s specific to the landlord version is the documentation flow: the certificate must be supplied to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection, to new tenants before they take occupation, and to Dartford Borough Council on request within 7 days. Reports formatted to the standard BS 7671 layout are accepted across the industry.

When you need Landlord EICR in Dartford

The legal cycle: every 5 years, plus the start of any new tenancy. The practical cycle: book a couple of months early so any remedials don’t bring you up against the deadline. Dartford Borough Council can serve a remedial notice requiring work within a fixed timescale if a property is found non-compliant during enforcement; civil penalties up to £30,000 apply for landlords who ignore the notice. For new-build or fully recircuited property, the first 5-yearly EICR is due 5 years after the original Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) was issued — not 5 years after the property was let. That distinction occasionally catches landlords out on properties that were rented mid-way through the original install warranty.

Standards and what compliance looks like

Two regulatory references apply: BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 (the technical standard the inspection works to) and the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (the law requiring the inspection in the first place). BS 7671 sets out what gets tested, what passes, what fails, and how observations are coded. The 2020 PRS regulations set the cycle, the documentation requirements, and the consequences for non-compliance. Reports formatted to BS 7671 Appendix 6 are accepted by Dartford Borough Council and across the private rented sector industry.

Testing schedule and remedials

The testing process on a landlord EICR is the same as any other — visual inspection first, then dead testing (continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, ring final continuity), then live testing (earth fault loop, RCD operation). What’s different on rental property is just the access logistics: we coordinate with the agent or tenant to schedule a single visit when they can be in, work around the brief power-downs during dead testing, and leave the property exactly as we found it. Most Dartford rental property comes in as a half-day visit for a typical three-bed home, with the report supplied as a PDF inside 48 hours of testing completing. For larger HMOs or multi-occupancy conversions, the on-site time can extend to a full day.

Why Dartford property owners book CJA Electrical

The repeat business that drives most CJA Electrical landlord work in Dartford comes from agents and portfolio landlords who use us across multiple properties. Once we’re set up on a portfolio diary, the rolling 5-yearly cycle handles itself — the agent gets a heads-up a couple of months ahead of each expiry, the inspection is booked direct with the tenant, and the certificate goes to the agent for landlord and council distribution. For private landlords with a single property or two, the process is the same just at smaller scale: book the inspection, do the work, supply the certificate, handle any remedials. Same-day quotes for new bookings, same-week appointments, transparent pricing.

How the work runs

Booking, inspection, certificate, remedials. Booking is a quick call or message to the office, normally with the agent or landlord providing the property and tenant contact details. Standard properties are quoted on the call as a fixed price; unusual ones get a brief site visit before the quote firms up. Inspection is normally inside the working week. Half a day on site for most domestic property. Tenants don’t need to stay in for the whole visit — just to provide access at the start. Certificate goes out as a PDF inside 48 hours, formatted to BS 7671 Appendix 6. Agents typically distribute to the landlord and tenant from there; we can also supply directly to either party as needed.

What affects the price

Landlord EICR pricing is fixed-price for most Dartford domestic rental property. The price is driven by circuit count more than floor area — a small flat with 6-8 circuits is at one end, a larger detached house with multiple consumer units and 20+ circuits is at the other. Portfolio landlords and letting agents get bulk pricing where it makes sense — same-day testing of multiple properties near each other, or scheduled blocks of work across a portfolio where we can build a route. Remedial work is always quoted separately so the EICR price stays clean and predictable.

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 Dartford 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 Dartford Borough Council on request within 7 days.

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

Dartford 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. Dartford Borough Council accepts the standard BS 7671 Appendix 6 format, as do all the major letting agents and managing agents we’ve worked with.

What if the report is unsatisfactory?

An unsatisfactory report just means there are C1 or C2 observations that need clearing before the property is compliant. CJA Electrical can quote separately for the remedial work, and once it’s done a re-test confirms the installation is satisfactory. A fresh certificate is issued documenting the post-remedial state.