How to check an EICR or electrical certificate is genuine
To check an EICR or EIC is genuine, make sure it is complete and signed, that its dates and address match the job, that it includes the schedules of circuits and test results, and that the business named on it appears on its registration scheme’s public register. If the certificate came from CertSync and has a QR sticker, scanning it lets you check the certificate online.
Last updated 27 October 2026. Written by the CertSync team and checked against the standards.
The short answer
Checking a certificate means checking two things: the document and the person who issued it. A genuine EICR names the person who ordered it, the installation, the extent of the inspection and any limitations, an overall assessment and a next inspection date, and every observation with its code. It carries signed declarations and schedules of the circuits and test results. Then look up the business named on it on its scheme’s register, and confirm with them, using contact details you found yourself, that they issued that report.
What a genuine EICR contains
An EICR follows the model report format published alongside BS 7671. Whatever software or stationery produced it, expect to find: who ordered the report and why; the address and a description of the installation, including the estimated age of the wiring; the parts that were inspected and tested and any limitations agreed; the overall assessment, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory; a recommended date for the next inspection; the supply and earthing details; and each observation with its C1, C2, C3 or FI code.
It also states the edition of BS 7671 the inspection was carried out against, and it ends with a declaration signed by the person who inspected and tested the installation and by the person who authorised the report for issue, each naming the business they signed for. Behind it sit the schedules: an inspection checklist, the details of each circuit, and the test results recorded for each one.
An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is for new work rather than an existing installation, but the same principle applies: it should carry declarations for design, construction and inspection and testing, plus the schedules of circuits and test results for the work it certifies.
Check the electrician, not just the paper
The government’s landlord guidance points to the Registered Competent Person Electrical register, which lists electricians registered with competent person schemes for work in homes in England and Wales. You can search it by company name to see whether the business on the report is listed.
Then contact the business using a phone number or email address you found independently, not one printed on the report, and ask them to confirm they issued a report with that number, for that address, on that date.
Scheme registration is a useful check rather than a legal requirement for an inspection. The rented-sector regulations require the inspection to be done by a qualified person, meaning someone competent to carry it out, so an unlisted electrician is a reason to ask more questions rather than proof the report is false.
Warning signs
Missing schedules. A one-page pass sheet with no schedule of test results is not an EICR. Neither is a schedule with blank columns, or identical readings copied down every circuit.
No signatures, or a declaration with names typed in but nobody signing. Dates that do not hang together: an issue date before the inspection date, a next inspection date more than five years away on a rented home, or an edition of BS 7671 that had not been published on the date of the inspection.
An address, occupier or description that does not match the property. A limitations section saying most of the installation was not inspected. And no observations at all on an installation the report itself describes as decades old with no previous records: not proof of anything, but worth a question.
Checking a CertSync certificate online
When an electrician using CertSync prints a QR sticker for a certificate, usually fitted to the consumer unit, scanning it opens a CertSync verification page. Once the certificate has been approved and sent, entering the property postcode shows a copy of it with names, signatures, personal contact details and photos removed. Before then, the page says the certificate is genuine but not yet issued.
If the certificate has since been corrected, the page says so and links to the replacement; if the issuer withdrew it, the page says that instead. The page confirms the certificate exists in CertSync and matches what the contractor issued. It does not check the contractor’s registration or the installation itself.
Only certificates the electrician has created a sticker for can be checked this way. A CertSync certificate without one is not suspect for that reason: ask the electrician for the sticker, or check the paperwork as described above.
If you think a report is not genuine
Do not rely on it. A landlord should have the installation inspected again by an electrician they have checked, since the duty is to have the inspection actually done, not to hold a document. A tenant in England with doubts about the report they were given can raise it with the local housing authority, which enforces the rented-sector rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I check an EICR online?
- You can check the electrician who issued it on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register. A CertSync certificate that has a QR sticker can also be checked by scanning the sticker and entering the property postcode. Otherwise, check the document itself and confirm with the business that issued it.
- How do I know an electrician is registered?
- Search for the business by name on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register, which lists electricians registered with competent person schemes for work in homes in England and Wales.
- Does an EICR have to be signed?
- Yes. The report ends with a declaration signed by the person who inspected and tested the installation and by the person who authorised it for issue. An unsigned report is a reason to go back to the electrician.
- Should an EICR include test results?
- Yes. A genuine EICR includes schedules of the circuits and the test results recorded for each one. A certificate without them is not a complete report.
- Does the CertSync verification page prove the work is safe?
- No. It confirms that the certificate exists in CertSync and matches what the contractor issued. It does not check the contractor’s registration or inspect the installation.
- Does every CertSync certificate have a QR code?
- No. Online checking is switched on when the electrician creates a QR sticker for that certificate. If there is no sticker, ask the electrician, or check the document and the electrician as you would any other certificate.
- What should a tenant do with a suspect EICR?
- Ask the landlord about it first. In England, the local housing authority enforces the rented-sector electrical safety rules, so a tenant can also raise concerns with the council.
Disclaimer
This guide is general information, not professional advice, and is not a substitute for the current gov.uk guidance or independent legal advice. It cannot tell you whether a particular document is genuine; if in doubt, have the installation inspected again. The contractor named on a certificate is responsible for what it certifies.
Sources & official guidance
- Registered Competent Person Electrical — find or check an electrician
- gov.uk — Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance
- legislation.gov.uk — The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/312), regulation 3
- gov.uk — Competent person schemes
Related certificates and guides
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