The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply across Essex as they do nationally. They came into force for new tenancies on 1 July 2020 and for existing tenancies on 1 April 2021, and they require the fixed electrical installation to be inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years.

The Essex rental market is shaped by its railways. The c2c line through Grays, Basildon and Southend and the Elizabeth line and Greater Anglia services through Brentwood, Shenfield and Chelmsford carry a rental market that changes hands quickly, and the obligation that catches landlords here is supplying the current report to a new tenant before they move in, and to a prospective tenant within 28 days of them asking for it.

Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the inspection and the council within seven days of a request; the penalty for a breach is up to £30,000. If the report specifies a retest sooner than five years that date binds, and on 1960s new-town stock inspectors do specify it.

Southend and Thurrock are among the Essex authorities that have operated selective licensing in parts of their area, and several districts have used or consulted on additional licensing for smaller shared houses. Where a property sits inside a designated area, a satisfactory EICR is normally a condition of the licence and is expected to be produced on request.

Schemes are time-limited and drawn at street level. A designation covering central Southend does not reach Leigh-on-Sea, and a scheme that applied at renewal may not apply at the next one. Confirm the current position with the council for your postcode before relying on it.

In Colchester the licence most landlords meet is the mandatory HMO licence for a house shared by five or more people from two or more households. The EICR forms part of the application, and the timing that works is the summer vacation, before the September intake, so that any remedial work is done in an empty house.

We cover the whole county, including Canvey Island, Mersea and the Dengie. The inspecting electrician needs access to the consumer unit, to the meter position and to every room. If the property is a park home or sits on a site with a shared supply, say so when you book so that the right inspector and equipment are sent.

Parts of the testing are done with the supply off, so tenants need to be told in advance. A typical two or three bedroom property takes between two and four hours. New-town maisonettes are usually at the quick end; extended bungalows with loft conversions and unlabelled boards are at the slow end, because tracing what feeds what is most of the job.

Where the property is tenanted, arranging access is the usual delay. Chelmsford and Brentwood lets are mostly handled through managing agents, so tell us which one holds the keys; Colchester student houses are best inspected during the vacation.