What Happens If Your Home Fails an EICR?

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) does not pass or fail in the same way as an MOT. The report assigns a code to each observation found during the inspection. The overall result is either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, but what that means in practice depends on which codes appear on the report.

What the observation codes mean

C1 (Danger present) means there is an immediate risk of injury. A C1 observation requires action before the inspection is complete. In practice, the electrician will either make the fault safe on the spot or isolate the affected circuit until repairs are carried out. You should not use the affected circuit until the work is done. C1 observations are not common in standard residential properties, but they do occur in older installations that have had DIY alterations.

C2 (Potentially dangerous) means a fault that is not causing immediate danger but could do so. The affected circuit should not be used until the remedial work is completed. A property with C2 observations will receive an unsatisfactory certificate. Common C2 observations include missing RCD protection on kitchen and bathroom circuits, inadequate earthing arrangements, and deteriorated wiring in older consumer units.

C3 (Improvement recommended) means the observation is not dangerous but falls short of current standards. A C3 does not on its own make the installation unsatisfactory. It is a recommendation rather than a requirement, though addressing C3 items is sensible practice where it is practical.

FI (Further investigation required) means the inspector could not reach a definitive assessment and needs additional access or testing. An unresolved FI observation results in an unsatisfactory outcome until the investigation is completed.

What happens after an unsatisfactory result

If the report contains C1 or C2 observations, or unresolved FI items, the overall result is unsatisfactory. The next step is to obtain a remedial quote for the work required. The remedial work is usually carried out by the same firm that conducted the inspection, but you are not obligated to use them.

Once the work is done, the electrician issues an Electrical Installation Certificate for the new work. You can then request a re-inspection of the installation, which should result in a satisfactory EICR if no further observations are found.

Timeframes for remedial work

There is no fixed legal deadline for addressing C2 observations in an owner-occupied property. In practice, treat them as urgent and book the work within a few weeks. For rental properties, the 2020 landlord regulations require remedial work to be completed within 28 days of the EICR being issued.

How remedial work is priced

Remedial work is quoted based on the specific observations listed in the report. A list of C2 items from an inspection is usually enough to generate an accurate quote without a further site visit, though for more complex situations we will want to review the report in detail first.