Certificate comparison
EIC vs EICR: which certificate do I need?
Two BS 7671 documents are easy to confuse. An EIC certifies new electrical work; an EICR reports on the condition of an existing installation. Here is how to tell which one a job needs.
The short answer
An EIC certifies new electrical work, or a significant alteration, once it is finished. An EICR reports on the condition of an installation that already exists and gives an overall Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory result. You issue an EIC once. An EICR repeats, at intervals of no more than five years for a privately rented home in England.
EIC vs EICR at a glance
| Aspect | EIC | EICR |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Certifies new electrical work is safe to put into service | Reports on the condition of an existing installation |
| When it is issued | At completion of a new installation or a significant alteration | Periodically, while an installation is in use |
| Outcome recorded | A declaration that the work complies with BS 7671 | An overall Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory result |
| Defect coding | Not applicable — the work is certified as compliant | C1, C2, C3 and FI classification codes for observations |
| Who commissions it | The party having the new work carried out | The duty holder, landlord or building owner |
| Typical recurrence | One-off, at the end of the work | Recurring: no more than five years for a privately rented home in England, otherwise at intervals suited to the premises |
Convert between an EIC and an EICR in CertSync
- From a signed EIC to an EICR
- When an installation you certified comes round for its periodic inspection, open the signed EIC and choose Create EICR from this. CertSync starts a new EICR draft that already holds the client, installation, supply, earthing and bonding, boards, circuits and the test results you recorded, so you start from what is already on record rather than a blank form.
- From a signed EICR to an EIC
- When an inspection leads to new work at the same installation, open the signed EICR and choose Create EIC from this. The installation details, boards, circuits and recorded readings carry across; the EICR observations, condition codes and overall assessment do not, because they have no place on a certificate for new work.
- Always a draft you check and sign
- Conversion never issues a certificate. The new one is a draft with its declarations and signatures left blank: you review the copied details, retest and record what the new work or inspection needs, and sign it yourself. A test that was never recorded stays blank, and the original certificate is not changed.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between an EIC and an EICR?
- An EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate) certifies new electrical work — it is issued when an installation, or a significant alteration to one, is completed. An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) assesses the condition of an existing installation and records an overall Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory outcome. In short: you issue an EIC for new work and commission an EICR to check work that already exists.
- Do I need an EIC or an EICR for a rented property?
- For an existing rented home in England, the periodic inspection duty under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 is met by an EICR, not an EIC. An EIC is needed when new work is carried out at the property, such as a rewire or a consumer unit change; the EICR is what evidences the installation’s ongoing condition between such works.
- Can the same job produce both an EIC and an EICR?
- It can, but they serve different purposes. If you carry out new work you issue an EIC for that work. If, during the visit, you also inspect and test the wider existing installation, that assessment is recorded separately on an EICR. They are not interchangeable documents.
- How often is each one required?
- An EIC is a one-off certificate issued when new work is complete. An EICR recurs. For a privately rented home in England the interval is no more than five years, or sooner if the last report says so (regulation 3 of the 2020 Regulations). A change of tenancy does not restart that clock and does not require a new inspection; the landlord gives the new tenant the latest report before they move in. Other premises follow risk-based intervals suited to their use.
- Which certificate proves my installation is safe?
- At the point of installation, the EIC is the evidence the new work was designed, built and tested to BS 7671. Over time, the EICR is the document that confirms the installation remains in a safe condition. Both have a role; neither replaces the other.
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