No. There is no legal requirement to have an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) to sell a house in England. But your buyer's solicitor will ask about electrical work through the TA6 Property Information Form, the standard questionnaire sellers complete during conveyancing, including whether any work has been done since 2005 and whether you have the certificates for it, and a buyer's surveyor will often recommend an EICR if the wiring looks old. Having the right paperwork ready, and sometimes an EICR, can stop the electrics becoming a late renegotiation.
The questions come up in almost every sale in Tunbridge Wells, where a lot of the housing stock is Victorian, Edwardian or interwar and has been rewired, extended or partly updated at different times. Here is what buyers ask for, and when getting an EICR before you list is worth it.
This guide covers selling a home in England. Scotland uses a different Home Report system. It is general guidance on the position in November 2026, not legal advice, so check anything specific to your sale with your conveyancer.
What Buyers' Solicitors Ask About
The TA6 form that sellers fill in asks about the electrics. In practice, the questions boil down to two things:
- Has the installation been tested? If you have had an EICR, you will be asked for a copy.
- Has any electrical work been done since 1 January 2005? That is when Part P of the Building Regulations, set out in Approved Document P, came in, so for a rewire, a new consumer unit, a new circuit or bathroom work done since then, the buyer will want the Electrical Installation Certificate and the Building Regulations compliance certificate.
Our guide to electrical certificates explained covers what each of those documents is and how to replace one you have lost.
When an EICR Before Listing Is Worth It
| Situation | Get an EICR before listing? |
|---|---|
| Rewired in the last ten years and you have the certificates | Usually not needed; hand over the EIC and compliance certificate |
| Selling with tenants in place | Yes; the tenancy legally needs a valid EICR and the buyer will want it |
| Old fuse board, no RCDs or dated sockets | Worth it; the buyer's surveyor is likely to flag it anyway |
| Electrical work done since 2005 with no paperwork | Worth it, alongside asking your solicitor about regularisation or indemnity |
| No idea when the wiring was last checked | Worth it; it is the cheapest way to avoid a surprise during negotiations |
Why Sellers Get One Early
Buyers are being told to ask. Electrical Safety First's advice for home buyers is to ask whether the electrics have been checked in the past ten years, request a copy of the EICR, and book one with a registered electrician if there is no report. When a buyer's surveyor sees an old fuse board, they normally recommend an EICR by a qualified electrician before exchange. If the buyer commissions that report, you find out what it says at the same time as they do, usually late in the process, and a list of C2 codes becomes a reason to ask for money off. Getting an EICR when you list puts you in control: you can fix anything urgent at a fixed price, or at least know what is coming. If you are asked about the electrics, always answer honestly; a report you have already acted on reads far better than a problem the buyer finds.
If You Are Selling a Rented Property
Selling with tenants in place is different. The landlord electrical safety certificate rules in the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require a valid EICR for the tenancy, renewed at least every five years, and the buyer will expect to take that over along with the tenancy. Check the date on your current report, or use our EICR due date checker, before the property goes on the market.
What an EICR Costs and How Long It Takes
An EICR for a typical house takes two to four hours, and our prices start from £150 for a smaller flat. Our guides to EICR cost in Tunbridge Wells and Kent and how long an EICR takes and lasts cover the detail. If the report comes back with codes, what C1, C2 and C3 mean explains what is urgent and what is not.
Booking an EICR Before a Sale in Tunbridge Wells
We carry out EICRs for sellers and buyers across Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and the wider Kent area, with a fixed price agreed before the visit. If you are working to a sale deadline, tell us when you book and we will do our best to fit around it. Get in touch for a free quote.