What is the difference between an EICR and an EIC?

These two are constantly confused because both relate to BS 7671 and both involve testing. The distinction is simply old work versus new work. The sections below make it clear.

What each document is for

Both relate to BS 7671, but they answer different questions.

• EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report: a periodic inspection and test of an existing installation. It checks the condition of the wiring, accessories, earthing and consumer unit, lists any issues against the classification codes (C1, C2, C3, FI), and gives an overall result of satisfactory or unsatisfactory. It is essentially a health check.
• EIC — Electrical Installation Certificate: a certificate issued when new electrical work is completed. It confirms that the new installation or alteration was designed, constructed, inspected and tested to BS 7671, and records who is responsible for each of those stages. It is proof that the work was done to standard.

The simplest way to remember it: an EICR looks backwards at the condition of what exists; an EIC looks at what has just been installed and certifies it.

EICR vs EIC at a glance. Source: BS 7671 model forms; Electrical Safety First guidance.

When you need each one

The two arise at different moments in a property's life:

• You get an EIC whenever new fixed electrical work is carried out — a full or partial rewire, a new circuit, or a new consumer unit. The electrician issues it on completion. For smaller alterations, a Minor Works Certificate (MWC) is used instead of a full EIC.
• You get an EICR periodically to check an existing installation: typically up to every 10 years for an owner-occupied home, every 5 years (or at change of tenancy) for a privately rented home in England, and often when buying a property.

A practical example ties them together: after a rewire, the new wiring is signed off with an EIC, not an EICR — because it is new work. Years later, that same installation would be checked with an EICR to confirm it is still in good condition.

The timing also explains why the two are never produced together for the same piece of work. An EIC is issued at the moment work finishes, when the installer can certify exactly what they designed and tested; an EICR only makes sense later, once the installation has been in service and its condition can meaningfully be assessed. Asking for an EICR on brand-new work would be premature — there is nothing yet to report on but the installer's own freshly certified job.

Why the distinction matters

Getting the right document matters for compliance, sale and insurance. After notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations, the EIC (or MWC) is the evidence that the work was done and certified to standard, and notifiable work is registered with Building Control — usually automatically through the electrician's competent person scheme. When you sell, a buyer's solicitor may ask for the EIC for recent work and may want to see a recent EICR for the installation's overall condition.

Keeping both types of paperwork together — EICs for any work done, and the most recent EICR — gives a clear record of the installation's history and condition. They complement each other: one proves the work, the other proves the ongoing condition.

The distinction also affects who carries responsibility, which is easy to overlook. An EIC is issued by the people who designed, installed and tested the new work — it is a self-declaration that the work they did meets BS 7671, and it names them against each of those roles. An EICR is issued by an inspector who, ideally, had no hand in building the installation they are assessing; their job is to give an independent opinion on its current condition, not to vouch for their own work. That independence is part of what gives an EICR its value to a buyer or a local authority. It also explains why an EICR cannot stand in for an EIC after new work: an inspection report can tell you an installation appears to test safely, but only the certificate from the installer records that the work was actually designed and constructed to standard, and notified where Part P required it. Asking for the wrong one leaves a genuine gap in the paperwork that can surface awkwardly at the point of sale.

Where the Minor Works Certificate fits in

Once the EICR-versus-EIC distinction is clear, the remaining source of confusion is usually the Minor Works Certificate (MWC), which is the third document people encounter. It belongs on the same side as the EIC — it certifies new work — but is used for smaller jobs.

The rule of thumb is about the scale of the work:

• An EIC is issued for a new installation or a substantial addition — a rewire, a new circuit, or a new consumer unit. It covers design, construction, inspection and testing of that work.
• An MWC is issued for an alteration or addition that does not extend to a new circuit — for example adding a socket or a light to an existing circuit, or replacing an accessory. It confirms that the minor work did not impair the safety of the existing installation.
• An EICR, by contrast, is never a certificate for work — it is a report on existing condition, and the only one of the three that produces a satisfactory or unsatisfactory result with coded observations.

Putting all three together: when work is done, you receive an EIC (larger work) or an MWC (minor work) certifying it; over the installation's life, an EICR periodically reports on its condition. Knowing which document applies prevents the common errors of asking for an EICR to sign off a rewire, or expecting a Minor Works Certificate to cover a whole new consumer unit. The right paperwork for the right job keeps your records clean and your compliance evidence straightforward.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Electrical Safety First — electrical certificates explained
• NICEIC — EIC, EICR and Minor Works certificates

Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific property. They are guidance, not a quotation. Legal duties are summarised for guidance — confirm the current position on GOV.UK.