Electrical safety rules for landlords changed significantly in 2025 and 2026. Here is what is new, who is affected, and what landlords must do to comply.
Keeping up with legislation as a landlord is rarely straightforward, and the past couple of years have brought some of the most significant changes to electrical safety requirements that the rental sector has seen. If you have not reviewed your compliance position recently, now is the time to do it.
The 2025 extension to social housing
The biggest change is the extension of mandatory electrical safety inspections to social housing landlords. The Electrical Safety Standards regulations have applied to private landlords since 2021, but social housing was excluded from that original framework. The 2025 amendment closed that gap. From 1 November 2025, the requirements apply to new social housing tenancies. For existing tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the obligations came into force on 1 May 2026, with a deadline of 1 November 2026 for all initial inspections to be completed.
Higher financial penalties
The maximum civil penalty for failing to comply with electrical safety duties increased from £30,000 to £40,000 per property from 1 November 2025. These increased penalties apply to offences recorded from 1 May 2026 onwards under the Renters' Rights Act framework. Local authorities now have a strengthened statutory duty to issue remedial notices when an EICR shows a property's electrical installation falls below the required standard, and landlords then have 28 days to complete the necessary work.
Electrical equipment is now in scope for social landlords
One of the notable additions in the 2025 amendment is a requirement for social landlords to check any electrical equipment they provide as part of the tenancy — built-in cookers, integrated appliances, lighting fixtures, and the like — at least every five years. This is separate from the EICR requirement, which covers the fixed installation.
Private landlords are not currently subject to a mandatory equipment check, but it is worth being aware of, and some insurers are beginning to ask about it.
The Renters' Rights Act transition
May 2026 also brought the transition under the Renters' Rights Act, which converted most fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies to periodic ones. The electrical safety obligations themselves did not change under this conversion, but the wider increase in regulatory scrutiny on landlords that the Act brings means having a current, valid EICR is more important than ever as a piece of basic compliance documentation.
Many private landlords are now in their renewal window
Private landlords who arranged their first EICR when the rules came into force in 2021 are now five years on, meaning those certificates are expiring. This is not a small number of properties. The volume of renewals falling due at the same time has pushed up demand for qualified electricians, and availability is tighter than it would normally be. If your certificate is due, getting it arranged promptly is the sensible approach.
How I can help
I carry out EICR inspections and landlord electrical safety checks across Bedfordshire. I am familiar with the requirements for both private and social rented sector properties and can handle both the inspection and any remedial work that follows. Take a look at the landlord services I offer, or get in touch to get a date in the diary.
