England's proposed EICR changes are due on 30 November 2026, subject to the regulations being made: they would update the wiring standard, remove the statutory FI follow-up requirement for new inspections and clarify when an existing report covers a new tenancy. Inspections completed before that date keep the old FI duties, and C1/C2 remedial duties remain (draft regulations).
This guide is for private landlords in England, not Wales. It reflects the primary sources checked on 4 November 2026.
Are the EICR changes 2026 already law?
The published instrument is still a draft, although both Houses have approved it. The Parliamentary procedure record records Lords approval on 14 October and Commons approval on 20 October 2026, followed by the stage at which the instrument can be made.
On 4 November, legislation.gov.uk still supplies an unnumbered draft with no completed making date. Its regulation 1 specifies 30 November 2026, but parliamentary approval and the minister making the instrument are separate steps. The changes below describe that approved draft, conditional on it being made; check its final status before relying on the new rules.
What would BS 7671 Amendment 4 mean for landlords?
The regulations would expressly name BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, Amendment 4 of the IET Wiring Regulations. This replaces the existing reference to BS 7671:2018 in the statutory definition of electrical safety standards.
The IET's April 2026 explanation confirms Amendment 4 was published on 15 April 2026. That publication date is different from the proposed 30 November change to England's landlord regulations.
For the next inspection, ask your electrician to use the A4:2026 model forms and explain the report's overall assessment, any required remedial work and the next-inspection date. Do not assume the publication of an amendment means every property needs an immediate replacement EICR: the draft retains the five-year maximum interval and any earlier date required by the report.
Would an EICR FI code still require landlord action?
For an inspection completed on or after 30 November 2026, FI alone would no longer trigger the further-investigation and written-confirmation duties under regulations 3(4) and 3(5), if the draft takes effect. C1 and C2 would still require action.
The government's explanatory memorandum, paragraphs 5.2 to 5.4, explains that FI and C3 do not, by themselves, make the installation unsatisfactory under the updated standard. The legal change removes references to further investigative work so that the regulations mirror the standard's distinction between advisory observations and danger requiring remedial work.
| Code | Inspection completed before 30 November 2026 | Inspection completed from 30 November, if the draft takes effect |
|---|---|---|
| C1: danger present | Make safe immediately; remedial duties apply | Same urgent action and remedial duties |
| C2: potentially dangerous | Remedial work within 28 days, or the report's shorter period | Same remedial deadline |
| FI: further investigation | Required investigation within 28 days, or the report's shorter period; follow-up evidence required | FI alone no longer triggers regulations 3(4) and 3(5) |
| C3: improvement recommended | Advisory improvement | Remains advisory |
This is not permission to ignore a dangerous installation. The underlying duty to meet electrical safety standards during occupation remains. Ask the inspector what an FI observation means in that property, and do not treat an FI entry as cancelling a C1 or C2 elsewhere on the report. Our EICR codes guide explains the code meanings in more detail.
What if my existing EICR already contains FI?
Keep working to the old duties if the inspection and test were completed before 30 November 2026. Regulation 9's saving provision preserves those duties for inspections completed under regulation 3 before the changeover.
The relevant date is when the inspection and test were completed, not when the PDF arrived or when the electrician can return. Waiting until December does not remove an existing obligation. Under current regulation 3(4) to (6), complete the required work within 28 days starting with the inspection date, or sooner if specified, obtain written confirmation and supply it with the report to the tenant and council within 28 days of completion. Further required work after investigation triggers the follow-up process again.
Keep the original report, booking correspondence and completion evidence together. If access is difficult, document the steps taken and seek advice promptly; a planned rule change does not pause a deadline.
Is a fresh EICR needed for every new tenancy?
The draft explicitly says no fresh inspection is required solely because a tenancy starts where a qualifying inspection took place no more than five years earlier and its report is still current. The report's next-inspection date must not have passed.
New regulation 3(1A) would also recognise an inspection by a qualified person carried out outside these regulations, where its report was provided to the landlord and remains current. A report commissioned before a home became a rental could therefore qualify; check the actual report and inspector, rather than accepting an estate agent's description of an "electrical certificate".
Illustrative date check: an inspection completed on 20 June 2024 has a next-inspection date of 20 June 2029. At a new tenancy starting on 10 December 2026, it is less than five years old and the next date has not passed, so it meets those timing conditions. If the same report instead required the next inspection by 20 June 2026, it would fail the currency test despite being less than five years old. Outstanding remedial duties still matter.
Before occupation, give the incoming tenant the report. Our EICR cost guide covers inspection budgeting; a tenant change alone should not drive an unnecessary booking.
Which electrical safety deadlines would stay the same?
The inspection cycle, report-sharing duties and C1/C2 remedial obligations remain. Regulation 3 sets the key requirements:
- Inspections: no more than five years apart, or by an earlier date required in the report.
- Existing tenants: supply the report within 28 days of the inspection and test.
- New tenants: supply the latest report before occupation.
- Council requests: supply the report within seven days of a written request.
- Remedial work: complete within 28 days starting with the inspection date, or the shorter period specified. C1 danger needs immediate attention.
- Completion evidence: obtain written confirmation from a qualified person and send it with the original report to existing tenants and the council within 28 days of completing the work. This council copy is not conditional on a request.
Use the landlord compliance checklist for the wider diary. The draft also clarifies pre-tenancy appliance checks for social landlords under regulation 3B; that separate provision is outside this private-landlord guide.
What is the current penalty, and has GOV.UK caught up?
The electrical-safety financial penalty maximum is £40,000 as at 4 November 2026, and the current GOV.UK guidance still describes the existing FI investigation requirement.
The cap is in regulation 11(2)(b), amended by regulation 10 of SI 2025/1043. For private landlords that amendment commenced on 1 November 2025. It is not a new penalty introduced by this November 2026 draft, nor should it be confused with the separate Renters' Rights Act regimes in our landlord fines guide.
GOV.UK's electrical-safety guidance, checked on 4 November, still says landlords must arrange FI work. The memorandum promises an update before commencement. Until then, read the guidance alongside the draft's status and saving provision.
Padlord lets you record EICR completion and next-due dates against a property. Check those dates against the actual report, separate pre-change FI cases from upcoming inspections, and confirm the final regulations before applying the new approach.
General information as at 4 November 2026, not financial or legal advice.
