Electrical Safety Certificates for Landlords in Faversham

Published July 2026 | Electrical Safety Certificates

A homeowner in Faversham notices a message from their tenant flagging two things: intermittent flickering on the upstairs landing light, and a socket in the kitchen that's been running warm to the touch. The property is a 1960s mid-terrace, rewired somewhere around 2002, but the landlord can't find any paperwork to confirm the exact date or what the inspection covered. With one tenancy ending and new tenants due to move in within six weeks, the question of a valid electrical safety certificate suddenly becomes very pressing. What starts as a quick query to a local electrician turns into a full reckoning with compliance requirements the landlord wasn't entirely across.

What Was Actually Going On

An EICR - Electrical Installation Condition Report - is the formal document that certifies the condition of the fixed electrical installation in a property. That means everything from the consumer unit (the fuse box) and the wiring in the walls, to the sockets, switches, light fittings and any permanently connected appliances. A qualified electrician works through every circuit systematically, testing for faults, degradation and anything that falls outside the requirements of BS 7671, the UK Wiring Regulations.

In this particular case, when our engineers carried out the inspection on the Faversham property, three issues came to light that had been invisible to the naked eye:

• A C2 code - classified as potentially dangerous - against the upstairs ring main. Tracing revealed a cable damaged inside a wall cavity, almost certainly caused by a nail from a picture hook that had been driven in at some point over the years.
• A C2 code against the consumer unit itself. The board had no RCD protection on the circuits serving the kitchen or bathroom - a requirement under current standards that hadn't existed when the property was last rewired.
• A C3 code - improvement recommended - against three older sockets showing signs of internal wear and arcing on their contacts.

The warm socket the tenant had flagged was directly connected to the second finding. The absence of RCD protection on the kitchen circuit meant that minor earth faults were going undetected, and the socket in question had been carrying more current than was safe. Neither issue was on the verge of causing an immediate disaster on the day of inspection, but both represented real risk that would have continued to develop unnoticed.

This scenario plays out regularly across Faversham and the wider Kent area. Properties that look and function fine often carry faults that only show up under proper testing. A valid EICR from more than five years ago - or worse, no EICR at all - tells you nothing about what the installation looks like today.

How the Problem Was Resolved

The EICR came back with an "Unsatisfactory" result. That classification is triggered by any C1 or C2 code in the report. It means the landlord cannot legally certify the property as compliant until remedial works are completed and a re-inspection confirms they've been done correctly.

The remedial works were planned and carried out in the following order:

1. Locate and repair the damaged cable in the upstairs wall. This required cutting out a section of plasterboard to access the cable run, replacing the affected length, and making good the wall afterwards. Messy, but not technically complex once the fault was located.
2. Replace the consumer unit with a modern dual-RCD split-load board. The old single-pole MCB board was removed and the new unit installed, with RCD protection now covering all circuits including kitchen and bathroom. This is among the most common upgrades our engineers carry out on properties built or rewired before 2008.
3. Replace the three flagged sockets. The landlord chose to have these done during the same visit, even though C3 codes don't carry a mandatory 28-day remediation requirement. Given the engineers were already on site, it made practical and financial sense.

After the works were completed, the re-inspection took approximately 45 minutes. The report was reissued with a "Satisfactory" result, valid for five years. The landlord was then legally able to hand a copy to the incoming tenants before move-in, retain a copy on file, and supply one to Swale Borough Council if ever requested.

What This Cost and How Long It Took

EICR pricing in the UK varies depending on the size of the property and the number of circuits involved. For a standard two or three-bedroom house in Faversham, an EICR inspection typically costs between 150 and 250 pounds. Larger properties - four bedrooms or more, or those with outbuildings that have an electrical supply - can run to 300 or 400 pounds.

In this case the inspection came to 195 pounds. The remedial works are where the costs accumulated:

• Consumer unit replacement: typically between 400 and 650 pounds for a standard domestic installation, depending on the number of circuits and the type of board specified.
• Cable repair in a wall cavity: typically between 150 and 350 pounds, depending on how much access work is required.
• Socket replacements: typically 30 to 60 pounds per socket, including materials.

Total spend, including the re-inspection charge, came to around 1,100 pounds. In isolation that feels like a significant sum. In context it's worth remembering that the fine for failing to comply with the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 can reach up to 30,000 pounds. Insurers are increasingly scrutinising whether landlords can demonstrate compliance when electrical faults contribute to a claim. And the cost of a house fire - to the tenants, to the property and to the landlord - is not something that can reasonably be quantified.

On timing: the initial inspection took around three and a half hours. The remedial works were completed in a single full-day visit approximately a week after the report was issued. The re-inspection followed two days later. From the first call to a valid certificate, the entire process took eleven days - well within the landlord's six-week window before the new tenancy began.

How to Spot Electrical Problems Before They Become Expensive

You don't need a qualified electrician's eye to notice the warning signs that suggest an EICR is overdue. These are the things our engineers ask landlords about when they discuss a property before booking an inspection:

The consumer unit: If the fuse box still uses ceramic fuses or old-style rewirable fuses rather than modern MCBs (miniature circuit breakers), the installation is almost certainly going to generate findings. Equally, if there's no RCD device visible on the board - usually a larger switch with a "test" button - the installation is likely to fall short of current requirements for kitchen and bathroom circuits.

Warm or hot sockets and switches: Any faceplate that's noticeably warm to the touch when no high-draw appliance is plugged in is worth flagging immediately. This points to internal arcing, overloading or a wiring fault at that point in the circuit.

Scorch marks or discolouration: Yellowing or brown marks around a socket or switch indicate that arcing has already occurred. This should be treated as urgent.

Flickering or intermittent lights: Often a loose connection somewhere in the circuit. Loose connections generate heat over time and can damage the surrounding cable insulation.

Age of the wiring: Properties built before the late 1960s sometimes still have rubber-insulated wiring. Rubber insulation degrades over time, becoming brittle and cracked. If you can see the incoming cable to the consumer unit and it has a dull, aged-looking outer sheath, it's worth having the type confirmed during an inspection.

Missing paperwork: If you can't immediately produce the last EICR for your Faversham rental property, that's itself a signal to get one booked. Completion certificates from a rewire certify the installation was correct at the point of installation - they don't confirm current condition.

What Every Faversham Landlord Needs to Know

The legal framework is not ambiguous. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, all private landlords letting residential properties in England - including those in Faversham and across Kent - are required to meet a specific set of obligations:

• Have the electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified electrician
• Obtain a written EICR from the inspector following the inspection
• Provide a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection
• Provide a copy to any new tenant before they move in
• Provide a copy to any prospective tenant who requests one, within 28 days of the request
• Provide a copy to the local authority - Swale Borough Council for most Faversham properties - within 7 days if requested
• Complete any required remedial works within 28 days of the report date, or sooner if the report specifies
• Obtain written confirmation from the electrician that remedial works have been satisfactorily completed

Enforcement sits with the local authority. Swale Borough Council can issue a remedial notice to any landlord found to be non-compliant. If the landlord fails to act on that notice, the council has the power to arrange for remedial work to be carried out and recover the costs, or issue a financial penalty of up to 30,000 pounds per breach.

HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) in Kent have been subject to electrical inspection requirements for longer than standard private rentals, but the 2020 regulations brought all private rented properties into the same framework. If you let any residential property privately - even a single room in a shared house that doesn't meet the HMO threshold - the rules apply to you.

Choosing the right electrician

The person carrying out the EICR must be what the regulations call a "qualified person" - in practice, someone registered with an approved competent person scheme. NICEIC and NAPIT are the most widely recognised in the UK. If you're using Voltrade to source a contractor, the GoFIX diagnostic tool can help identify the appropriate type of engineer for your property and flag whether additional investigation is likely to be needed before the main inspection visit - which can save a wasted trip if access to specific areas is required.

Common mistakes landlords make

Several patterns come up consistently when our engineers work with Faversham landlords who haven't navigated the EICR process before:

• Assuming a building survey or an Energy Performance Certificate includes an electrical assessment. It doesn't.
• Treating a completion certificate from a rewire as an ongoing proof of compliance. A completion certificate records that the installation met the standard at the time. It says nothing about what five, ten or fifteen years of use has done to the installation since.
• Failing to pass the EICR copy to the new tenant before move-in, even when the inspection itself was done well in advance.
• Ignoring C2 codes because the property appears to be functioning normally. The 28-day window is a legal deadline, not a guideline.
• Using an unregistered electrician to save cost. The report won't be legally valid, and you'll have to pay for another inspection anyway.

Related Questions

How often do landlords in Faversham need to renew their EICR?

Under the 2020 regulations, an EICR must be carried out at least every five years. If the electrician specifies a shorter recommended interval on the report - which can happen with older or more complex installations - you must follow that shorter timescale rather than defaulting to five years. Some mortgage lenders and insurers operating in Kent are now routinely asking for a valid, in-date EICR as a condition of cover, so keeping yours current protects your position beyond just regulatory compliance.

Can a tenant refuse entry for an EICR inspection in Faversham?

A tenant can refuse access, but a landlord who has given proper notice - at least 24 hours in writing - and documented each attempt to arrange access is in a significantly stronger position if enforcement action follows. If a tenant persistently refuses, take legal advice and keep a paper trail of every contact. The regulations require landlords to take all reasonable steps to comply, and demonstrating that you have done so is important if the local authority becomes involved.

What happens if my EICR result is unsatisfactory?

You have 28 days from the date of the report to complete remedial works, or sooner if the report specifies - C1 codes, which indicate immediate danger, should be addressed without delay. Once works are complete, you need written confirmation from the electrician, and you then provide that confirmation alongside the original report to your tenants and to the local authority if requested. You cannot commission a second EICR from a different electrician hoping for a different result - the coding criteria are standardised.

Does an EICR cover outbuildings and garages at a rental property?

If an outbuilding, garage or annexe has an electrical supply that's part of the fixed installation connected to the main consumer unit, it should be within the scope of the inspection. Clarify this when you book - if your Faversham rental property has a workshop, converted garage or separate studio with power, it needs to be included in the inspection schedule. Leaving it out creates a gap in your compliance that could become significant if a fault occurs in that structure during the tenancy.