Unsatisfactory EICR: what happens next

An EICR comes back unsatisfactory when it records at least one C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous). On older-format reports, an FI (further investigation required without delay) does too. It means the installation needs work before it can be considered safe. If you’re a landlord, the law gives you 28 days from the inspection to get that work done.

Don’t panic: many older homes fail on one or two items, and the fixes are often small.

Your 28-day timeline (landlords)

The clock starts on the date of the inspection — not the day the report reaches you — so start planning as soon as you know the result.

Step 1: make sure anything dangerous is already safe

If there was a C1, the electrician should have made it safe on the day — usually by isolating the circuit — and told you. Check that has happened. If a circuit has been switched off, it can’t be used again until it’s properly repaired, so put that job first.

Step 2: understand each item

Read the observations and their codes, and ask the inspector to explain anything that isn’t clear: what they found, where it is and what fixing it involves. Our guide to EICR codes explains each code in plain English, and our sample report shows how observations are laid out. Check the limitations section too — anything that couldn’t be inspected may need a return visit.

Step 3: get the remedial work quoted and booked

Ask for a written quote that lists each C1 and C2 item — and any FI to investigate — and what will be done about it. You can use the electrician who did the inspection or any other qualified electrician; it’s your choice.

Some fixes are quick, such as adding missing bonding to a gas pipe or replacing a damaged socket. Others are bigger. Replacing a consumer unit, adding a new circuit or altering the electrics in a bath or shower zone is notifiableunder Part P of the Building Regulations. It has to be self-certified by a registered competent person, certified by a registered third-party certifier, or covered by a building notice to Building Control before the work starts. Allow for that within your 28 days — see when an EICR says the consumer unit must go.

Step 4: get the work done — and any FI investigated

The remedial work or further investigation must be carried out by a qualified person within 28 days of the inspection, or within the shorter period the report specifies. If an investigation reveals that more work is needed, the regulations require you to repeat the same steps for that work: have it done, get written confirmation and send it on.

Step 5: get written confirmation

When the work is done, get written confirmation from the qualified person that the installation now meets the standards — or that more work is needed. It usually comes with a certificate for the work: a Minor Works certificate for smaller jobs, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit or consumer unit.

Step 6: send it to your tenants and the council

Within 28 days of the work being finished, send the written confirmation together with the original report to:

• each existing tenant, and
• the local council.

You must do this even if the council has never contacted you. Keep copies of everything, with the dates you sent them.

A worked example

A landlord’s three-bed Victorian terrace is inspected. The report records:

• a C1 — a cracked socket with live parts exposed, made safe on the day by isolating the circuit;
• a C2 — no main protective bonding to the gas pipe;
• an FI — a circuit that couldn’t be traced, on an older-format report, so it counts against the result;
• three C3s.

The landlord sends the tenants the report and books an electrician for the socket, the bonding and the investigation, all within the 28 days. The investigation finds a damaged cable that needs replacing, so that work goes through the same steps. Written confirmation for each job goes to the tenants and the council within 28 days of it being finished. The C3s go on the list for the next refurbishment.

Do I need a whole new EICR afterwards?

Usually not. The regulations ask for written confirmation of the work, together with the original report. The next full inspection is due on the date shown on the report — normally five years for a rented home. If a letting agent or licensing team asks for a “satisfactory” report, show them the report with the confirmation and ask exactly what they need.

What about the C3s?

C3s are recommendations, so they don’t make the report fail and the 28-day rule doesn’t apply to them. It’s still sensible to plan for them, especially if you’re having other electrical work done anyway.

If you own your home

There’s no legal deadline for owner-occupiers, but the risks are the same. Deal with any C1 and C2 items first, get any FI looked at, then plan the C3s. If you’re selling, a buyer is likely to ask about the report — see EICRs when selling or buying.

If you rent your home

You should get a copy of the report within 28 days of the inspection, and written confirmation within 28 days of any remedial work being finished. If a circuit has been switched off to make a C1 safe and it leaves you without something essential, tell your landlord straight away. If the work isn’t being done, the council can serve a remedial notice and fine landlords up to £40,000 — see landlord EICR fines.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for the report before planning. The 28 days run from the inspection date.
• Forgetting the council. Written confirmation goes to the council as well as the tenants.
• Overlooking an FI. On an older-format report it makes the report unsatisfactory, and on any report it can hide a C1 or C2.
• Leaving notifiable work too late. A building notice has to go in before the work starts.
• Paying for a new EICR you don’t need. Written confirmation plus the original report is what the rules ask for.

Key points

• Any C1 or C2 — and an FI on older forms — makes a report unsatisfactory.
• Landlords have 28 days from the inspection, or less if the report says so, to get the work done.
• Get written confirmation, then send it with the report to tenants and the council within 28 days of finishing.
• You can use any qualified electrician for the work.

How we help

If your report is unsatisfactory, we explain each item in plain English and quote for the remedial works, including consumer unit replacementwhere it’s needed — with no obligation to use us. Need a new inspection first? See your price, including VAT, before you book, or call us on 07301 010244.