EICR timing for Deal landlords

Guides · Deal, Kent CT14 · Last updated July 2026

The statute in one paragraph.

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came fully into force on 1 April 2021. Every private-rented residential property in England must have an Electrical Installation Condition Report at least every 5 years, and at every new tenancy where the current EICR is over 5 years old. Where the report is unsatisfactory (containing C1, C2 or FI observations), remediation must be completed within 28 days or a shorter period if specified in the report, and the local authority notified. Dover District Council enforces in Deal, Walmer and Kingsdown. Penalty for non-compliance is a civil sanction of up to £30,000 per breach.

Reading the report codes.

Every EICR observation is coded:

• C1 - Danger present. Risk of injury exists. The property is not compliant. Immediate isolation of the affected circuit is required. Examples: exposed live conductor, missing consumer-unit cover, broken RCD test button on a bathroom circuit.
• C2 - Potentially dangerous. No immediate danger but a fault or condition that could lead to danger. Examples: missing supplementary bonding in a bathroom, no RCD protection on a socket circuit likely to feed outdoor equipment, damaged fixed cable in an accessible location.
• C3 - Improvement recommended. Not compliant with current standards but not itself dangerous. The property remains "satisfactory" with C3s only. Example: plastic consumer unit compliant when installed but not to current Amendment 2 metal-enclosure requirement.
• FI - Further investigation required. Something the inspector couldn't determine on the day - hidden cable route, an outbuilding without safe access. Treated as unsatisfactory pending investigation.

A report with any C1, C2 or FI is "unsatisfactory" - the 28-day clock starts. A report with only C3s is "satisfactory" - no remediation required but the observations should be noted for future works.

What happens in the 28 days.

The landlord must arrange remediation of the C1/C2/FI observations. On completion, either a further EICR or written confirmation from the remediating electrician that the observation has been resolved must be issued to the local authority and the tenant.

Common Deal-town remediations: fitting an SPD to an older non-Amdt-2 board (or upgrading the board entirely), adding supplementary bonding in bathrooms, RCD-protecting socket circuits that will feed outdoor equipment, replacing damaged cabling in accessible spaces.

Portfolio timing.

For landlords with multiple Deal, Walmer and Kingsdown properties, we run a portfolio inspection cycle. Book in a batch (three-plus properties on nearby streets) to align survey visits and keep every property on the same cycle. Reports issued as portable PDFs, with a schedule of when each 5-year cycle repeats. On sale or new tenancy we re-issue an updated report.

What owner-occupiers should know.

Not statutory for owner-occupied homes - but BS 7671 recommends every 10 years, or at change of occupancy. Practically, if your Deal property was rewired in the 1990s or earlier, an EICR is due. Insurance renewals increasingly ask for evidence.