Andrew Heppinstall, founder of Leeds-based agency Unavoidable Marketing, offers ten practical ways electricians can secure more landlord and letting agent contracts
Rented homes are one of the steadiest sources of work an electrician can have. In England, private landlords have had to get the fixed electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years since the Electrical Safety Standards came in for new tenancies in 2020.
Social landlords now have the same duty: it applied to new social tenancies from 1 December 2025 and to existing ones from 1 May 2026, with the first round of checks due to be completed by 1 November 2026. Wales and Scotland have their own five-yearly rules too.
That means a regular flow of EICRs, and the remedial work that follows them. Much of it is given out by letting agents, who manage properties for landlords and keep a short list of contractors they trust. Getting onto that list, and staying on it, is less about price than about making the agent’s life easy.
Here are ten practical ways to do it.
1. Know the rules better than the agent does
Agents are busy, and many are not electrical specialists. If you can explain the regulations clearly, you become the person they ring for advice as well as for work. In England, the landlord must give the report to existing tenants within 28 days, to new tenants before they move in, and to the council within seven days if asked. Remedial or further investigation work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and the landlord must then send written confirmation to the tenant and the council within 28 days. Councils can fine private landlords up to £30,000. An agent who knows you understand all this will trust you with their portfolio.
2. Make your credentials easy to check
Most agents want to see the same things before adding a contractor: membership of a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, proof of public liability insurance, and evidence that the person doing the inspection is qualified to do so. Keep these in one short pack, as a PDF you can attach to an email, and update it when your insurance renews. Agents often have to show landlords, or their own compliance checks, that every contractor is properly qualified. Make that the easiest part of their week.
3. Code honestly, and explain your codes
This is the single biggest thing agents talk about. Landlords worry that some EICRs are used to sell work, and an agent who gets complaints from landlords will drop a contractor quickly. Only C1, C2 and FI observations require action under the regulations, while C3 is a recommendation for improvement. Be clear about that difference in your report and in your quote. A contractor who codes fairly, and can explain why each item is coded as it is, is worth far more to an agent than one who is a few pounds cheaper.
4. Photograph everything
A photo of each observation removes most of the arguments before they start. The agent can forward it to the landlord, the landlord can see why the work is needed, and approval comes faster. Photos also protect you if a finding is questioned later, or if a different contractor is brought in for a second opinion. Taking them as you go adds a few minutes to the job and saves hours of back and forth.
5. Quote remedials quickly and in plain English
The 28-day clock starts when the landlord receives the report, so speed matters. Send the remedial quote with the report, or within a day of it, itemised against each code so the agent can see exactly what is mandatory and what is optional. Write each line so a landlord with no electrical knowledge can understand it. “Replace damaged socket in kitchen (C2, exposed live parts)” is far easier to approve than a list of regulation numbers.
6. Take tenant access off the agent’s plate
Arranging access is one of the hardest parts of rental work. If you contact the tenant directly, with the agent’s permission, offer a choice of times and send a reminder the day before, you save the agent a lot of phone calls. Keep a simple record of every attempt to arrange access. If a tenant refuses or does not reply, that record helps the landlord show they took reasonable steps, and the agent will remember that you thought of it.
7. Send certificates the same day, in a format they can use
Agents work from a compliance system, a spreadsheet or both. Send the report as a PDF on the day of the inspection, named clearly with the property address and date, so it can be filed without anyone retyping it. Once remedials are done, send the written confirmation promptly so the landlord can meet their own 28-day deadline. A contractor whose paperwork arrives complete and on time quickly becomes the default choice.
8. Offer simple, fixed prices
Agents like knowing what a job will cost before they book it, because they often need landlord approval first. A clear fixed price for an EICR by property size, with the price for common remedials listed alongside, saves them a round of emails on every job. Be upfront about what is included and what would cost extra, such as further investigation or a return visit if access fails.
9. Remind them before the five years are up
Every EICR you complete has a natural renewal date, and many landlords and agents lose track of them. Keep a list of the properties you have inspected and the date each report was issued, and contact the agent a couple of months before each one is due. It is a genuinely useful service, and it puts you first in line for the repeat work. If you are contacting private landlords directly, make sure you have their permission and give them an easy way to opt out.
10. Be easy to find and easy to recommend
Agents check contractors online before they call, and landlords often search for an electrician themselves. Make sure your Google Business Profile lists landlord services such as EICRs and remedial work, and that your website has a page explaining your process for landlords and agents. Ask the agents and landlords you work for to leave a review. A few detailed reviews from people who manage rented property tell the next agent far more than a general rating ever could.
The bottom line
Letting agents are not just looking for the cheapest EICR. They want a contractor who codes fairly, sorts out access, gets the paperwork back quickly and helps them keep their landlords compliant. Get those basics right, keep in touch, and one agent can turn into dozens of properties, year after year.
Andrew Heppinstall is the founder of Unavoidable Marketing
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