Renters' Rights Act 2025: What Landlords Need to Know About Electrical Safety

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Phase 1 kicked in on 1 May 2026, and the private rented sector is now operating under a different enforcement regime — one that hits harder and reaches further than what came before.

Here's what matters for electrical safety specifically: the Act doesn't rewrite your EICR obligations. The 2020 Regulations still govern what needs inspecting, how often, and what the codes mean. What the RRA changes is the enforcement framework around those obligations — higher penalties, a new compliance database, blocked possession claims, and a pathway from civil fine to criminal offence.

This article breaks down what actually changed, what didn't, what's coming in Phase 2, and what you should be doing now to prepare.

What the Renters' Rights Act Actually Changes About Electrical Safety

The EICR rules that stayed the same

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 remain the backbone. None of the core EICR requirements changed under the RRA:

• 5-yearly inspection: Electrical installations must be inspected and tested at least every 5 years.
• EICR report: You need a satisfactory EICR (or one with only C3 codes) from a qualified inspector.
• Copy to tenant: Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the inspection. New tenants get a copy before they move in.
• Copy to council: Your local authority gets a copy within 7 days if they ask.
• 28-day remedial: Any C1, C2, or FI code requires remedial work within 28 days, with confirmation in writing to the tenant within a further 28 days.
• EICR codes: C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous), and FI (further investigation) make the report unsatisfactory. C3 (improvement recommended) doesn't require remedial work but flags it. For a full breakdown, see our EICR Codes Explained guide.

If you were compliant before 1 May 2026, the underlying requirements haven't moved. What's changed is what happens when you're not.

The enforcement framework that changed

The RRA replaces the old penalty regime with a tougher, two-tier system:

• Old maximum: £30,000 civil penalty under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.
• New maximum: £40,000 for serious or repeated offences, £7,000 for first or minor breaches — effective from 1 May 2026.

The GOV.UK statutory guidance confirms that breaches of the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations (specifically Regulations 3, 3B, 3C, and 3D) fall under the £40,000 offence category — not the lower £7,000 tier. That's a critical distinction. Electrical safety breaches are treated as serious from the start.

The RRA also introduces the PRS Database, new written statement requirements, the abolition of Section 21, and the eventual extension of Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector. All of these intersect with electrical safety compliance.

The Penalty Escalation Pathway

From £7,000 to £40,000 to criminal offence

The enforcement escalation for electrical safety breaches works in stages:

The 28-day escalation is the part most landlords miss. If you're fined for breaching your electrical safety duties and the breach continues for more than 28 days after the penalty is imposed (or after any appeal concludes), it stops being a civil matter. You've committed a criminal offence.

That's a fundamentally different risk profile from the old regime, where the worst case was a £30,000 fine. Now the worst case is a criminal record.

How penalties apply per property, per breach

Penalties apply per property and per breach. A landlord with 10 properties and lapsed EICRs on all of them isn't looking at one fine — they're looking at up to 10 separate £40,000 offences.

The RRA also doubled the maximum rent repayment order from 12 to 24 months. Tenants can claim back up to two years' rent for serious non-compliance. On a property renting at £1,500/month, that's £36,000 per property — on top of any civil penalty.

Possession blocked by non-compliance

Here's another lever most articles don't mention: if you're not registered on the PRS Database, you cannot apply for a possession order. The only exceptions are anti-social behaviour or nuisance/annoyance grounds.

So if your tenant stops paying rent and you want your property back, but you haven't uploaded your EICR to the database, you're stuck. Non-compliance with database registration blocks your access to the courts for possession.

The PRS Database: What It Means for Your EICR

What you'll need to upload

The PRS Database will require landlords to upload safety compliance information, including:

• Gas Safety Certificates
• EICRs
• EPCs

Signing up to the database is mandatory for all private landlords, with an annual fee (amount still to be confirmed by government). The implementation roadmap, published by MHCLG on 13 November 2025, explicitly lists "safety information — Gas, Electric and Energy Performance Certificates" as required uploads.

The exact operational details of the EICR upload — whether you'll need to submit the full document or just a reference number — haven't been confirmed yet. August App suggests a reference number will suffice, but this isn't official guidance. Treat it as expected, not confirmed.

When the database goes live

The PRS Database rolls out in two stages under Phase 2:

• Stage 1 (from late 2026): Regional rollout of the database for landlords and local councils. Landlords in early rollout areas will need to register first.
• Stage 2 (after Stage 1): Public access added, plus the PRS Landlord Ombudsman.

Full mandatory registration across all areas is expected by 2027, though the government hasn't confirmed a specific date. The regional rollout means landlords in different parts of the country will face different compliance deadlines depending on when their area goes live.

The expected EICR upload window

Based on secondary sources, landlords will likely need to upload EICR compliance information to the PRS Database within 28 days of the inspection. This 28-day window aligns with the existing requirement to provide EICR copies to tenants within 28 days.

However, the official PRS Database operational rules haven't been published in full. The 28-day upload window should be treated as expected rather than confirmed until the government publishes the detailed guidance.

The 2026 EICR Renewal Wave

Why millions of EICRs expired in April 2026

The 2020 Regulations came into force for new tenancies on 1 July 2020 and for all existing tenancies by 1 April 2021. That means the first 5-yearly EICR cycle hits its expiry point in April 2026.

OpenRent reports that millions of EICRs reached their expiry dates on 1 April 2026. This isn't a small administrative task — it's a volume surge that puts pressure on an already stretched inspection market.

Combined pressure: renewal wave + RRA enforcement

The renewal wave would be challenging on its own. But it's hitting at the same time as the new RRA enforcement framework, which means:

• Higher penalties for lapsed EICRs (£40,000 instead of £30,000)
• PRS Database upload requirement coming in late 2026
• Section 21 abolished, making tenant access for inspections harder
• Shrinking inspector pool due to EICR qualification changes in October 2026, which tighten who's qualified to carry out inspections

The combined pressure means booking a qualified electrician for an EICR renewal is going to get harder, not easier, over the next 12 months. Landlords who wait until the last minute will pay more and wait longer.

Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard: The Electrical Connection

Electrical hazards in the Awaab's Law framework

Awaab's Law, already in force in the social rented sector, will be extended to the private rented sector through the RRA. It includes electrical and explosion risks as hazard categories requiring time-limited landlord response.

What this means in practice: if a tenant reports an electrical hazard, you'll have a defined timeframe to investigate and remedy it — similar to the existing damp and mould requirements. The electrical hazard category creates a direct link between EICR compliance and the new property standards framework.

The extension date for the private rented sector has not been confirmed. Multiple sources indicate the government is consulting on the timeline, with 2027 frequently cited as the expected window. Don't treat that as a fixed date.

When the Decent Homes Standard extends to the PRS

Under Phase 3 of the RRA, the Decent Homes Standard will extend to the private rented sector. This includes freedom from category 1 hazards under the HHSRS, which covers fire and electrical safety.

The NRLA suggests this is proposed for 2030 onwards, but the consultation response hasn't been published yet. This is forward-looking — it won't affect your compliance obligations tomorrow, but it's part of the trajectory toward tighter electrical safety enforcement in the PRS.

The practical takeaway: a satisfactory EICR is already your strongest evidence of electrical safety compliance. When Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard extend to the PRS, having a current EICR and a clean compliance record will be more important, not less.

Tenant Access for EICR Inspections Post-Section 21

The access challenge without Section 21

Since 1 May 2026, Section 21 no-fault evictions are abolished. Tenants can no longer be evicted without grounds.

This creates a practical problem for EICR inspections. Before the RRA, landlords who faced repeated access refusals could — in theory — use the threat of a Section 21 notice as leverage. That option is gone.

Landlords on Property118 and other forums report increasing difficulty booking inspections, with tenants refusing access or scheduling conflicts dragging the process out. The 28-day remedial clock doesn't pause because a tenant won't let you in.

Building the paper trail

This is where the "reasonable steps" defence becomes critical. The regulations include a defence where a landlord can show they took all reasonable steps to carry out the required checks and remedial work. If you can evidence that you tried — booking confirmations, communications with the electrician, written requests to the tenant for access — you're in a much stronger position than a landlord who simply let the EICR lapse.

Practical steps for building that paper trail:

• Written access requests: Send dated, written requests for access (email or letter, not just a text).
• Booking confirmations: Keep evidence that you scheduled the inspection in good time — before the EICR expired.
• Follow-up reminders: If the tenant refuses or cancels, document every follow-up attempt.
• Electrician correspondence: Keep the quote, booking confirmation, and any cancellation/rescheduling emails from your electrician.
• Tenant communications: Save any replies where the tenant declines access or proposes dates that don't work.

If you end up in front of a council enforcement officer or a tribunal, this paper trail is what separates "I tried everything" from "I didn't bother."

Practical Preparation Checklist

What to do now

1. Check your EICR expiry date. If it expired or is expiring in 2026, book the renewal now — not in October. The renewal wave is already squeezing availability.

2. Use a qualified inspector. The EICR qualification changes in October 2026 are tightening who can carry out inspections. Verify your electrician's qualifications before booking.

3. Remediate any C1, C2, or FI codes within 28 days. Don't sit on an unsatisfactory EICR. The 28-day remedial window is already the law — and the penalties for missing it are now higher.

4. Start your paper trail for tenant access. If you anticipate access difficulties, begin documenting your requests now. Written, dated, and kept somewhere you can find them.

5. Provide EICR copies to current tenants. If you've had an inspection recently and haven't given the tenant a copy within 28 days, do it now. This is a current obligation, not a future one.

6. Include the electrical safety compliance statement in written tenancy terms. The RRA requires a written statement of terms that includes a statement that the landlord is under a statutory obligation to ensure the property is compliant with relevant gas and electrical safety standards.

What to do when the PRS Database launches in your area

1. Register promptly. Don't wait until the last minute. Registration will be mandatory, and you can't apply for possession without it.

2. Upload your current EICR. Have your latest EICR document (or reference number, depending on what the system requires) ready to upload when you register.

3. Set a renewal reminder. The 5-yearly cycle doesn't go away. Build a system — calendar reminder, property management software, whatever works — to track EICR expiry dates across your portfolio.

4. Budget for the annual fee. The amount hasn't been confirmed yet, but factor in a recurring cost for database registration.

5. Keep copies of everything. EICR reports, remedial completion certificates, tenant access correspondence, and database confirmation of upload. If there's a dispute, the landlord with the better records wins.

How TestFast Helps Electricians Serve Landlords Who Need Compliant Certificates Fast

The compliance landscape is getting more complex, but the workflow doesn't have to be. TestFast sits in the gap between the electrician producing the EICR and the landlord who needs to upload it to the PRS Database.

Our EICR software helps electricians produce compliant EICR reports quickly and cleanly — with the right codes, the right format, and the documentation landlords need for the new compliance framework. When the PRS Database launches, landlords will need certificates they can upload without reformatting or chasing missing information.

If you're an electrician serving landlords in the private rented sector, electrical certificate software that streamlines the inspection-to-certificate workflow isn't a nice-to-have anymore. The renewal wave is here, the penalty regime is tougher, and your clients need compliant certificates faster than ever.

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Sources: This article draws on official guidance from GOV.UK on electrical safety standards, GOV.UK on civil penalties under the RRA 2025, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (c.26), and the NRLA's Renters' Rights Act hub. The GOV.UK guide to the Renters' Rights Act provides the official overview.