Landlords have been urged to renew their Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) for their properties as early aspossible during 2024 or face a predicted shortage in qualified inspectors to do the work during 2025 and 2026.

Repairs and maintenance platform Fixflo says its research among a sample of 90,000 properties within its database reveals approximately 90% are due to have their EICRs renewed between now and 2026.

Fixflo says property managers should renew their EICRs early to avoid the predcited rush to book up registered and qualified electricians as the deadlines loom.

The rush is taking place because the EICRs became mandatory during 2021 and most were completed that year but must be renewed after five years.

Shortages

Fixflo says the electrical services sector, which is already affected by shortages of qualified staff, is likely to see more strain put on contractors as millions of EICRs come up for renewal, leading to higher prices and lower availability.

“This predicted surge in EICRs assessments shows the importance of ensuring inspections are arranged and carried out early and well before their due date,” Fixflo’s Product Training Manager, Jessica Dubey (pictured).

“Regulations around electrical safety in properties are strict, and with fines of up to £5,000 for a first offence or £30,000 for multiple breaches, plus arisk of rental voids if a property doesn’t have an up-to-date EICR, it’s in everyone’s interest to start booking as soon as possible.”