BS 7671 Amendment 4 Is Now in Force: What It Means for Landlords and Businesses
BS 7671 Amendment 4, the latest update to the IET Wiring Regulations, was published on 15 April 2026 and became the only current version on 15 October 2026, when the previous version was withdrawn. If you hold a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), the amendment does not make it invalid. Your next inspection is still due on the date your report gives. The change you are most likely to notice is on the report itself: an FI (further investigation) code no longer makes an EICR unsatisfactory on its own.
What is BS 7671 Amendment 4?
BS 7671 is the British Standard for electrical installations, published by the IET and BSI and known as the Wiring Regulations. The current edition is the 18th Edition, BS 7671:2018. Amendment 4 updates that edition rather than replacing it. Its full title is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
According to the IET's publication announcement, the standard applies to new low voltage installations, to additions and alterations to existing installations, and to periodic inspection and testing of existing installations. That last point is the one that matters most to landlords, because periodic inspection is what produces an EICR.
Date | What happened |
15 April 2026 | Amendment 4 published and available for immediate use |
15 October 2026 | Previous version (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022+A3:2024) withdrawn. Amendment 4 becomes the only current version |
From 15 October 2026 | EICRs carried out to Amendment 4, and new work started on or after this date certificated to Amendment 4 |
Source for the dates and certification rules: NICEIC's Amendment 4 guidance.
Do existing EICRs and electrical certificates stay valid?
Yes. An amendment to the Wiring Regulations does not cancel reports and certificates issued under the earlier version.
Landlords of rented homes in England
Under regulation 3 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, the installation must be inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years, or sooner if the latest report says so. Nothing in the regulations requires a fresh inspection because the standard has been amended. Keep working to the next inspection date on your current report.
Older installations are not automatically unsafe either. Electrical Safety First's Best Practice Guide 4 (issue 7.4, August 2026), which inspectors use when coding EICRs, accepts that installations built to earlier editions may not meet the current edition in every respect, and states: "This does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use or require upgrading."
Businesses and other workplaces
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that, as may be necessary to prevent danger, electrical systems are maintained so as to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable. The HSE does not set a fixed interval for inspecting fixed installations. It says they should be tested "often enough that there is little chance of deterioration leading to danger". Amendment 4 does not change that duty or reset your inspection schedule.
New work and installation certificates
NICEIC tells its contractors that work started on or after 15 October 2026 must be certificated to Amendment 4. Work designed to the previous version before that date can be completed to it, and NICEIC recommends the contractor tells the client. If you are part-way through a job, ask your electrician which version your certificate will refer to.
The EICR change landlords need to understand: FI codes
Every observation on an EICR is given a code. Amendment 4 has split the observations section into two parts. Part 1 holds C1 and C2 observations, which make the report unsatisfactory. Part 2 holds C3 and FI observations, which do not affect the overall outcome. Under the previous version, a single FI code was enough to make the installation unsatisfactory.
Code | Meaning | Overall result before Amendment 4 | Overall result under Amendment 4 |
C1 | Danger present. Immediate remedial action required | Unsatisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
C2 | Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action required | Unsatisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
C3 | Improvement recommended | Does not affect the result | Does not affect the result |
FI | Further investigation. The inspector could not decide on a code without investigating further | Unsatisfactory, investigation "without delay" | Does not affect the result, investigation "advised" |
The IET explains the reasoning in its Wiring Matters article on further investigation (July 2026). The aim is to separate observations that need remedial work from those that are advice. The article also says FI should be used rarely: only where an apparent deficiency could not be fully identified because of the extent or limitations of the inspection, and where further investigation might reveal a C1 or C2. An unidentified circuit, for example, should be given a code rather than an FI.
Can a landlord ignore an FI now?
No, and this is where landlords should be careful. The Government's guidance on electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors (published 1 November 2025) still says an FI means further investigation is required "without delay" and that the landlord must make sure it is carried out. It groups FI with C1 and C2 as items to deal with within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. That guidance does not mention Amendment 4.
Regulation 3(4) of the 2020 Regulations requires a landlord to have further investigative or remedial work done within 28 days, or any shorter period the report specifies, where the report shows it is needed. The landlord must then get written confirmation from a qualified person and give it, with the report, to each tenant and to the local housing authority within 28 days of the work being completed. Councils can impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 for breaches (regulation 11).
Until the guidance catches up, the sensible course is to treat any FI on a rented property's EICR as an action item with a 28-day deadline, even though the report is marked satisfactory. If your current report was issued before 15 October and was marked unsatisfactory because of an FI, the new coding does not rewrite it. The further investigation still needs doing. This is our reading of the regulations and guidance, not legal advice. If you are unsure, ask your local housing authority.
Other changes to the report
The EICR model forms in Appendix 6 have been revised, the guidance notes for the person receiving the report have been rewritten, and photographs or thermal images can now be attached to a report (SELECT's Amendment 4 overview). NICEIC says Amendment 4 forms carry the reference 18.4 and the declaration date "BS 7671 2026". If you receive a report after 15 October with an older reference, ask the contractor why.
New sections you may come across
Most of Amendment 4 is detail for designers and installers. These are the parts property owners are most likely to hear about (sources: NICEIC, the IET and SELECT, linked above).
Change | What it covers | Who it affects |
Power over Ethernet (new Section 716) | Low voltage DC power sent over data cable to devices such as CCTV cameras and lighting. Sets limits including 60 V DC in dry locations and 750 mA per conductor | Businesses and landlords with networked CCTV, access control or PoE lighting |
Stationary secondary batteries (new Chapter 57) | Battery storage design, inverters that handle two-way power flow, battery location, ventilation and fire risk | Anyone adding battery storage, often alongside solar panels |
Arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) | Required in high-rise residential buildings, a term that replaces "higher risk residential buildings". Existing requirements for HMOs, purpose-built student accommodation and care homes are unchanged. Recommended for socket-outlet circuits up to 32 A elsewhere | HMO landlords, block owners and managing agents |
Functional earthing for IT equipment (new Section 545) | Earthing and bonding for IT and communications systems. Functional earthing conductors identified in pink | Offices and sites with server or communications cabinets |
EV charging | Changes to the protective devices permitted on charge point circuits | Homes and businesses installing charge points |
Power over Ethernet is the change most relevant to security systems. Many modern CCTV systems power their cameras through the same cable that carries the video. NICEIC notes this is the first time BS 7671 has covered PoE, so that cabling now falls within the Wiring Regulations as well as data cabling standards.
What landlords and business owners should do now
Find your current EICR and note the next inspection date. You do not need a new report just because of Amendment 4.
Check the observations, not just the overall result. C1 and C2 items need remedial work within 28 days or sooner for rented homes. Treat any FI the same way until the Government guidance changes.
Keep the paperwork moving. Landlords in England must give a copy of the report to existing tenants within 28 days, to new tenants before they move in, and to the local housing authority within seven days of a written request.
Social landlords: for social tenancies granted before 1 December 2025, the first inspections and checks are due before 1 November 2026, according to the Government guidance.
Commissioning new work? Ask which version of BS 7671 it will be designed and certificated to. From 15 October 2026 that should be Amendment 4 for new jobs.
Businesses: set an inspection frequency that will catch deterioration before it becomes dangerous, as the HSE advises, and record the decision.
For more on what an inspection involves, read what happens during an electrical safety check. If you are choosing a contractor, our guide on how to check an electrician is registered explains what to look for.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an EICR last?
For rented homes in England, no more than five years, or less if the report recommends an earlier date. For businesses there is no fixed legal interval. The HSE says installations should be tested often enough that there is little chance of deterioration leading to danger. Ask your inspector to recommend a date for the next inspection.
Does Amendment 4 mean I need a new consumer unit?
Not automatically. An installation built to an earlier edition does not have to be upgraded simply because the standard has changed. Remedial work is needed where an EICR records a C1 or C2. A C3 is a recommendation, and under the Government guidance landlords are not required to act on it.
Is there a 19th Edition of the Wiring Regulations?
No. Amendment 4 is an amendment to the 18th Edition, BS 7671:2018. NICEIC says there will always be future editions and amendments, but no date for a 19th Edition has been announced.
Book an EICR or electrical work
Advanced Protection carries out EICRs for landlords and letting agents, and electrical work for homes and businesses across Colchester, Clacton and the rest of Essex. We also work on rental accommodation including blocks and HMOs. Every job starts with a consultation and a written quote, and we finish with a walkthrough so you know how everything works.
To book an inspection, see our electrical services, call 01255 860018 or use our contact page.
Comments