If you rent out a property in Exeter, the question isn’t whether you need an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — it’s when the next one is due, and what happens if you get the timing wrong. With the Renters’ Rights Act fully in force as of 1 May 2026, the cost of getting this wrong has climbed sharply. This guide breaks down the legal frequency, the practical triggers that bring it forward, and the specific issues Exeter landlords run into.
The five-year rule, explained simply
Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, every private rented property in England — including everything in Exeter from a Pennsylvania terrace to a Heavitree HMO — must have its fixed electrical installation inspected and tested at least once every five years. The inspection produces an EICR, which is the certificate you must be able to produce on demand.
That five-year ceiling is the maximum interval. The inspecting electrician can — and often does — recommend a shorter interval if the installation shows wear, has older wiring (anything pre-2008 is worth a closer look), or shows signs of overloading. If the EICR recommends re-inspection in three years, that recommendation becomes your new legal deadline. You do not get to override it.
When the next EICR is due — three scenarios
Scenario 1: existing tenancy, EICR not yet expired. You must hold a valid certificate at all times. Diary the expiry date and book the next inspection at least a month before. Inspectors in Exeter book up quickly in late summer — student turnover season.
Scenario 2: change of tenancy. The Regulations don’t strictly require a fresh EICR at every change of tenancy, but the new tenant must be given a copy of the most recent EICR within 28 days of moving in. If your certificate is more than four years old at handover, most professional landlords now book a fresh one — it’s a small cost for total peace of mind through the next AST cycle.
Scenario 3: new tenancy in a property you’ve never let before. A valid EICR must be in place before the tenancy begins, and a copy must be supplied to the tenant before they take occupation.
What’s changed in 2026: the Renters’ Rights Act effect
The Renters’ Rights Act came fully into force on 1 May 2026 and it has materially changed the enforcement landscape. Three things matter for EICR compliance in Exeter:
First, civil penalties for electrical safety breaches now sit at a maximum of £40,000 per offence, up from £30,000. The statutory starting point in the new guidance is £4,000 — that is now the floor for a first offence in many cases, not the ceiling.
Second, local authorities (in your case Exeter City Council) can now issue a Civil Penalty Notice without first going through the magistrates’ court. The process is faster, the burden is on the landlord to appeal, and the council retains the penalty income — which means councils have an active financial incentive to enforce.
Third, Rent Repayment Orders have been extended to a maximum of two years’ rent (it was one), and they now reach superior landlords in a sub-let chain. A tenant in an unlicensed or unsafe property in Exeter can apply to the First-tier Tribunal to claw back up to 24 months of rent — without needing the council to have prosecuted first.
A landlord in St Thomas with three flats, each at £950pcm, looking at a worst-case RRO across all three units, is exposed to over £68,000 before the council’s civil penalty even lands. That is the real number that should be driving compliance decisions.
The 28-day and 7-day rules
Two deadlines that catch landlords out:
- 28 days: existing tenants must receive a copy of any new EICR within 28 days of the inspection.
- 7 days: if Exeter City Council’s housing enforcement team requests a copy, you have seven days to provide it. Not seven working days — seven calendar days.
Keep PDFs in a clearly named folder. “EICR — 12 Sidwell Street — 2025-09-14.pdf” beats “scan_001.pdf” when you’re scrambling to email it on a Friday afternoon.
Remedial work: the C1, C2, C3 codes
An EICR uses four observation codes:
- C1 — danger present, immediate risk. The electrician will isolate the issue on the spot.
- C2 — potentially dangerous. Must be remedied within 28 days of the report (the same 28-day window).
- C3 — improvement recommended. Not legally required, but worth doing.
- FI — further investigation needed.
If your EICR comes back “unsatisfactory” because of C1 or C2 codes, you have 28 days from the report date to complete the remedial work and obtain written confirmation that the work brings the installation up to standard. That confirmation — usually a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate plus a written declaration — is what you must then supply to tenants and (if requested) to the council.
A “satisfactory” EICR with only C3 codes is legally fine to keep in place for the full five years. The C3 items are worth addressing at the next maintenance window, not in a panic.
Exeter-specific factors
A few things Exeter landlords need to think about that don’t apply uniformly across the country.
The student rental cycle. University of Exeter handovers cluster around late June through early September. EICR demand spikes in July and August, and good electricians stop taking new bookings by mid-July. If your tenancy turns over in August, book your EICR in May or June — not the week before move-in.
Older properties in Newtown, St Leonards, and Pennsylvania. Many of the terraced houses in these areas still have lighting circuits that were extended piecemeal in the 1980s and 90s. Inspectors frequently recommend three-year (not five-year) re-inspection intervals on these properties. Don’t argue — accept the shorter interval and budget for it.
HMO additional licensing. Properties licensed under Exeter City Council’s HMO scheme typically have EICR conditions written into the licence itself, including shorter intervals and tighter remediation deadlines. Read your licence — the conditions there override the general five-year ceiling.
The Article 4 direction (expanded December 2024). This affects whether you can convert a dwelling to an HMO, not the EICR itself, but it does mean Exeter has more pre-existing HMOs than councils realise, and enforcement of safety standards is rising as a result.
What an Exeter EICR should cost in 2026
For a typical 2-3 bedroom Exeter rental, a domestic EICR by a NICEIC or NAPIT registered contractor sits in the £180–£280 range. HMOs come in higher — £300–£550 depending on the number of circuits and the size of the consumer unit. Anything substantially under £150 is worth a second look: a fast cheap EICR usually means a tick-box inspection that won’t hold up to council scrutiny.
You’ll also pay for any remedial work flagged by C1 or C2 codes. A common Exeter outcome — adding RCD protection to a fuse board that doesn’t have it — typically runs £180–£350.
Bundling EICR with PAT and Legionella
If your property is a furnished let, you also need PAT testing on supplied appliances and a Legionella risk assessment. The pragmatic move in Exeter is to bundle all three into one visit — same engineer, one trip, one invoice — which is exactly what we organise. It avoids the three-trip-per-property problem that drives up costs and tenant disruption.
Quick checklist for Exeter landlords
- Do you know the expiry date of your current EICR? (If no, this is the first job.)
- Is the certificate file labelled with property + date + electrician?
- Have you given a copy to your current tenants?
- If you renewed in the last five years, did you keep the original report — not just the cover certificate?
- For HMOs: does your licence specify a shorter interval or specific conditions?
- Is your next inspection booked at least four weeks before expiry?
Getting your Exeter EICR sorted
We arrange EICRs across Exeter and the surrounding Devon area with NICEIC and NAPIT registered electricians. Pricing from £60 per service when bundled — get a quote with no obligation.
This article is general guidance for landlords in Exeter and Devon. It is not legal advice. Where your circumstances are complex — multi-unit HMOs, leasehold flats, or properties under additional licensing — take professional advice. Last updated: May 2026.