Receiving an unsatisfactory EICR is unsettling, but it is not a disaster and it is far more common than most landlords expect. An unsatisfactory EICR simply means the electrician who tested your property found something in the fixed wiring that falls short of the current safety standard, and it now needs putting right within a defined window. This guide explains what the C1, C2, C3 and FI codes on your report actually mean, why three of them fail a report and one of them does not, and exactly what the law expects you to do next.

What an Unsatisfactory EICR Actually Means

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a periodic inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation in a property: the consumer unit, the circuits, sockets, switches and lighting points, and the earthing and bonding arrangements. The inspector assesses everything against BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations, and records each departure from that standard as a coded observation.

On the front page of the report there is a single assessment box marked either SATISFACTORY or UNSATISFACTORY. An unsatisfactory EICR does not mean your property is uninhabitable, and it is not a judgement on you as a landlord. It means the installation, in the condition the inspector found it, cannot be certified as safe for continued use until specific work is carried out.

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, private landlords in England must have the fixed installation inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years, and must ensure it meets the standards in BS 7671. The duty applied to new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and to all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021. An unsatisfactory EICR is what triggers the further, time-limited duties set out below.

EICR Observation Codes: C1, C2, C3 and FI Explained

Every issue an inspector finds is given one of four classification codes. Understanding them is the difference between panicking about a report and dealing with it calmly, because the codes tell you both how urgent a problem is and whether it affects the overall outcome.

C1 — Danger Present, Risk of Injury

A C1 is the most serious code. It means someone could be hurt right now: exposed live conductors, a broken accessory with live parts accessible, or reversed polarity leaving metalwork live. A competent inspector should not simply write a C1 down and leave. They should make the situation safe on the day, usually by isolating the affected circuit or accessory, and tell you and the occupier immediately.

A single C1 produces an unsatisfactory EICR on its own, however good the rest of the installation is.

C2 — Potentially Dangerous

A C2 means there is no immediate danger, but the installation would become dangerous if a fault or a foreseeable event occurred. Common examples include no protective earth to metal accessories, missing main protective bonding to incoming gas or water services, a circuit with no residual current device where one is now required, or damaged cabling that has not yet reached live parts.

C2 items are the single most frequent cause of an unsatisfactory EICR in London’s older housing stock, where installations have been extended piecemeal over decades. Like a C1, one C2 fails the report.

FI — Further Investigation Required

FI means the inspector found something they could not fully evaluate on the day and which may prove dangerous once opened up: concealed junction boxes, an unidentified circuit, an unexpected test reading, or wiring hidden behind fixed kitchen units. FI is not a soft code or a way of hedging. It flags something unresolved that could turn out to be a C1 or C2, so it also results in an unsatisfactory EICR.

An FI is cleared by an electrical fault-finding and diagnostic visit that traces the circuit properly, after which the finding is either resolved or reclassified.

C3 — Improvement Recommended

C3 is advisory. It flags something that does not comply with the current edition of BS 7671 but was acceptable when installed and is not dangerous now — a wooden consumer unit backboard, no RCD on a lighting circuit that was compliant at the time, or missing circuit identification labelling.

Crucially, C3 items alone will not give you an unsatisfactory EICR. A report can list a dozen C3 observations and still be signed off as satisfactory. They are worth addressing when convenient, and they often become C2 items at a future inspection as standards move on, but no statutory 28-day clock applies to them.

Why C1, C2 and FI Produce an Unsatisfactory EICR While C3 Does Not

The logic behind an unsatisfactory EICR is about risk, not tidiness. C1, C2 and FI all describe a present or unresolved danger. C3 describes a difference from today’s standard that carries no danger. The table below summarises the outcome.

Code	Meaning	Report outcome	Typical action
C1	Danger present, risk of injury	Unsatisfactory	Made safe immediately, then repaired
C2	Potentially dangerous	Unsatisfactory	Remedial work within 28 days
FI	Further investigation required	Unsatisfactory	Investigate within 28 days, then act on the finding
C3	Improvement recommended	Satisfactory	Optional, plan at your convenience

This is why two properties can receive very different verdicts from similar-looking lists of observations. If you are unsure why an item was coded the way it was, ask the inspector to explain the reasoning in writing. A good contractor will do that without hesitation, and it is far better than assuming an unsatisfactory EICR is unfair and doing nothing.

The 28-Day Rule After an Unsatisfactory EICR

The remedial window is the part of an unsatisfactory EICR that matters most legally. Where a report indicates that further investigative or remedial work is required, the landlord must ensure that work is carried out by a qualified person within 28 days of the inspection, or within any shorter period the report specifies.

Three points regularly catch landlords out:

• The clock starts at the inspection, not when you read the report. If the report lands in your inbox a week later, a quarter of the window has already gone.
• The inspector can shorten it. Where the report states that an item must be remedied sooner, that shorter period is the deadline.
• FI counts too. Further investigation must be completed within the same window, and if it reveals a C1 or C2 you then have to remedy that as well.

If a C1 was recorded, treat it as immediate regardless of the 28-day figure. The circuit should already have been isolated, and leaving a known danger in place while you gather quotes is not defensible. Where the consumer unit itself is the problem — common in properties still running rewireable fuses or early plastic boards with no RCD protection — a fuse box replacement often clears several C2 observations at once.

Getting Written Confirmation That the Remedial Work Is Complete

Completing the work is only half the job of clearing an unsatisfactory EICR. The Regulations require the landlord to obtain written confirmation from the qualified person who carried out the work, stating that the further investigative or remedial work has been completed and that either the installation now meets the required standard, or that further work is still needed.

An invoice is not written confirmation. Nor is a text message. What you want on file is one of the following:

• A signed completion letter or remedial works certificate referencing the original report and listing each observation cleared.
• A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for smaller alterations such as replacing an accessory or adding earthing.
• An Electrical Installation Certificate where a new circuit or consumer unit has been installed.
• A fresh EICR marked satisfactory, where the extent of the work justifies retesting the whole installation.

Keep the original unsatisfactory EICR alongside the confirmation. Together they tell the whole story: what was found, what was done, and when. Councils and insurers will want both, and so will a buyer’s solicitor if you ever sell.

Who Must Receive the Paperwork, and When

Once the work is signed off, the confirmation has to reach the right people. The duties under the 2020 Regulations are specific.

• Existing tenants: a copy of the report within 28 days of the inspection, and the written confirmation with a copy of the report within 28 days of the work finishing.
• The local housing authority: the written confirmation and a copy of the report within 28 days of completion. Councils can also request the report at any time, and you must supply it within 7 days of that request.
• New tenants: a copy of the current report before they occupy the property.
• Prospective tenants: a copy within 28 days of a written request.
• Your own records: retain the report until the next inspection is due, so the following inspector can see what was previously found.

Send everything by email so you have a timestamped trail — the paper trail is what actually closes out an unsatisfactory EICR. The government guidance for landlords, tenants and local authorities sets out these duties in full.

Common Reasons Landlords Get an Unsatisfactory EICR

Most failures fall into a short list of recurring problems, and most are avoidable with a little preparation before the inspector arrives.

Ageing consumer units and missing RCD protection

Rewireable fuse boards, and older boards with no residual current device covering socket circuits, are a leading source of C2 observations. Upgrading to a modern board with the correct protective devices usually resolves several at once.

Missing or undersized main protective bonding

Bonding conductors to incoming gas and water services are frequently absent in converted flats, or too small for the installation. This is a straightforward fix that often stands between a landlord and a satisfactory result.

DIY and unrecorded alterations

Extra sockets, garden supplies, loft lighting and kitchen spurs added without certification cause both C2 and FI codes, because the inspector cannot verify how they were installed.

Damage, damp and inaccessible areas

Cracked accessories, scorched terminals, water ingress at outdoor fittings and cables buried under loft insulation all attract codes. Where the inspector cannot reach a distribution board or loft hatch, expect limitations to be recorded and an FI to follow.

Practical steps before your next inspection

• Clear access to the consumer unit, loft hatch and any outbuilding supplies.
• Collect certificates for any work carried out since the last inspection.
• Book your EICR a couple of months before the current one expires, so remedial work does not run past the five-year deadline.
• For shops, offices and other business premises, arrange a commercial EICR around trading hours.

What Happens If You Ignore an Unsatisfactory EICR

Where a local housing authority has reasonable grounds to believe a landlord is in breach, it can serve a remedial notice requiring the work to be done, normally within 28 days. If the landlord does not comply, the authority may arrange the work itself, with the landlord’s permission or that of the tenant, and recover its costs. The Regulations also allow a financial penalty of up to £30,000 for each breach.

The wider consequences matter just as much. Insurers ask about electrical compliance after a fire or an injury claim, and an ignored unsatisfactory EICR is difficult to explain. Tenants increasingly know their rights and will raise the report with the council themselves. Most importantly, the codes exist because the risk is real: the point of the exercise is a safe home, not a tidy filing cabinet.

The good news is that the overwhelming majority of unsatisfactory reports are resolved in a single follow-up visit. If your report has come back unsatisfactory, our London engineers can quote from the observation list, carry out the work and issue the written confirmation you need. Book an appointment online or contact the team on 0208 178 4580.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to fix an unsatisfactory EICR?

Twenty-eight days from the date of the inspection, unless the report specifies a shorter period for a particular item. Anything coded C1 should be made safe immediately rather than left for the full window.

Does a C3 code mean my EICR has failed?

No. C3 means improvement recommended and is advisory only. A report containing only C3 observations is still recorded as satisfactory, and no statutory remedial deadline applies.

Do I need a completely new EICR after the remedial work?

Not necessarily. Written confirmation from the qualified person that the work is complete and the installation now meets the standard is what the Regulations require. A full retest is sensible where the work was extensive, such as a rewire or a new consumer unit.

Can tenants be evicted or the property closed because of an unsatisfactory EICR?

An unsatisfactory EICR does not in itself close a property or end a tenancy. It obliges the landlord to carry out the required work within the deadline. Only a specific danger, such as an isolated live circuit, would affect the use of part of the installation in the meantime.

This article is general guidance on electrical safety compliance for landlords in England and is not legal advice. Rules change and local authority practice varies, so check the current position on GOV.UK or take professional advice on your own circumstances.

The electrical safety standards for rented homes in England are among the most actively enforced parts of landlord compliance, and among the most misunderstood. They are set out in the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, which require the fixed electrical installation to be inspected and tested at least every five years, the report to be given to tenants, and anything dangerous to be put right. This guide explains what the electrical safety standards demand, how the five-year cycle works, what the C1, C2, C3 and FI codes mean, and where PAT testing and consumer unit upgrades fit.

What the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020 Require

The regulations came into force for new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and applied to all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021, so no transitional period remains to shelter behind. Stripped back to essentials, the electrical safety standards require a landlord to:

• Ensure the national standard for electrical safety — the IET Wiring Regulations, BS 7671 — is met throughout the tenancy.
• Arrange an inspection and test of the fixed installation: the wiring, sockets, switches, light fittings and consumer unit, at intervals of no more than five years.
• Obtain a written Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) from a qualified and competent person.
• Supply that report to tenants, and to the local housing authority on request.
• Carry out any remedial or further investigative work identified, and evidence that it was done.

The full text sits on legislation.gov.uk, and the accompanying government guidance for landlords, tenants and local authorities is worth reading once in full. Between them they are the authoritative source if anyone disputes what the electrical safety standards require of you.

Who must comply with the electrical safety standards

The rules cover most private tenancies where the property is the tenant’s only or main residence, including assured shorthold tenancies, licences to occupy and houses in multiple occupation. A narrow set of arrangements sits outside them: lodgers sharing with the landlord’s family, long leases of seven years or more, registered social housing, student halls, hostels, care homes and hospital accommodation.

Commercial premises are not covered, but business landlords and occupiers still carry duties under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and general health and safety law. A commercial EICR remains the accepted way to show a shop, office or industrial unit has a safe installation.

The Five-Year EICR Cycle in Practice

The electrical safety standards set five years as a maximum interval, not a target. Where the inspecting electrician specifies a shorter re-test date — common in older stock, heavily extended wiring and licensed HMOs — that date binds you, and it is the one a council will check.

Two events reset the clock. Significant electrical work — a rewire, a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement — should be certified in its own right, as should a change of use such as converting a family home into an HMO, where a fresh assessment is sensible even if the report has time left.

What the inspection actually covers

An EICR is a structured inspection and test of the fixed wiring, not a visual once-over. A competent inspector verifies earthing and main protective bonding, confirms protective devices are correctly rated, measures insulation resistance and earth fault loop impedance, tests residual current device operation, and inspects accessories for damage, overheating or unsafe alterations. Each departure from BS 7671, the technical backbone of the electrical safety standards, is written up as a coded observation.

Testing is intrusive, so expect the power to be off for parts of the visit and the inspector to need access to the consumer unit, the meter and a sample of accessories. Warning tenants avoids a wasted appointment.

What the report does not cover

Portable appliances plugged into a socket are not part of the fixed installation, so the electrical safety standards in these regulations do not reach them. Nor do they cover gas appliances, alarms or emergency lighting, which run on separate cycles. In a block or converted house with shared circulation space, emergency lighting testing is a distinct exercise.

C1, C2, C3 and FI Codes: What Makes a Report Unsatisfactory

Every observation carries a classification code, and those codes decide whether the installation meets the electrical safety standards. The verdict appears on the front page.

Code	Meaning	Report outcome	What it means for you
C1	Danger present, risk of injury	Unsatisfactory	Made safe on the day, then repaired
C2	Potentially dangerous	Unsatisfactory	Remedial work within the 28-day window
FI	Further investigation required	Unsatisfactory	Investigate, then act on what is found
C3	Improvement recommended	Satisfactory	Advisory only, plan at your convenience

The last row catches landlords out most often. A report can list a long series of C3 observations and still be signed off as satisfactory, because a C3 records a difference from today’s BS 7671 rather than a danger. If you are told every C3 must be cleared first, ask for the reasoning in writing: that is not what the electrical safety standards demand. Our guide to the unsatisfactory EICR covers each code in depth.

The 28-Day Remedial Window and Written Confirmation

This is the part of the electrical safety standards carrying the tightest deadline. Where a report records a C1, C2 or FI, remedial or further investigative work must be carried out by a qualified person within 28 days of the inspection, or any shorter period the report specifies. Three details catch landlords out.

• The clock runs from the inspection, not from the day the report arrives. If the paperwork takes a week to reach you, a quarter of the window has gone.
• Written confirmation is part of the duty. You need confirmation from the electrician that the work is complete and the installation now meets the required standard.
• That confirmation must be distributed. A copy goes to each tenant and to the local housing authority within 28 days of completion, with a copy of the report that prompted it.

An FI is cleared by investigating rather than guessing. An electrical diagnostic visit traces the circuit and either resolves the concern or reclassifies it as a C1, C2 or C3, so you know what it will cost.

Who Gets the EICR, and by When

Handing the report over is a duty in its own right, and the one most often overlooked because the inspection feels like the job done. The deadlines set by the electrical safety standards are:

• Existing tenants — within 28 days of the inspection.
• New tenants — before they take up occupation.
• Prospective tenants — within 28 days of a written request.
• The local housing authority — within 7 days of a written request.
• The next inspector — the previous report should be available at the following inspection.

Keep the dated emails or delivery records. Where compliance is challenged, the paper trail showing the report was issued, the work instructed and the confirmation sent is what protects you. The same applies elsewhere: the annual gas safety record, the EPC, the How to Rent guide and the deposit prescribed information each have their own service rules, and our guide to Section 21 and safety certificates explains why serving them late matters.

How Councils Enforce the Electrical Safety Standards

Enforcement sits with local housing authority private sector housing teams. Where a council has reasonable grounds to believe a landlord is in breach of the electrical safety standards, it can serve a remedial notice requiring the work within 28 days. If that notice is ignored, the authority can arrange the work itself, with the occupier’s consent, and recover its costs. It may also impose a financial penalty of up to £30,000 for a breach.

Licensing is the other pressure point. Councils routinely ask for a current EICR when processing HMO and selective licence applications, so a missing or expired report can hold up a licence as well as trigger enforcement. Schemes are designated locally, and the areas covered, the fees and the conditions differ from one council to the next, so check your own local authority rather than assuming a neighbouring borough’s rules apply. Our HMO licence guide covers the application process, and the landlord safety certificate checklist lists the documents a council will want. Fire safety in communal areas sits under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and is also applied locally, which is why a fire risk assessment is often requested alongside the electrical paperwork.

Wider reform of the private rented sector — possession procedures, new or expanded licensing schemes, a higher minimum EPC band — has been proposed, consulted on and revised more than once. None of it alters the electrical safety standards described here, but check GOV.UK for the current position before acting on anything you read about future requirements. Today the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard still requires most lettings to reach EPC band E.

Where PAT Testing and Fuse Box Upgrades Fit In

Two related jobs are regularly confused with the five-yearly inspection, and the distinction saves money and argument.

PAT testing supplied appliances

Portable appliance testing is not a separate statutory certificate, and it is not required by the 2020 regulations, whose electrical safety standards deal only with the fixed installation. Landlords do carry a general duty to ensure electrical appliances they supply are safe. PAT testing is the recognised way of evidencing that duty for kettles, fridges, washing machines and the rest of a furnished let, and licensing authorities frequently expect it in HMOs. The HSE explains in its guidance on portable appliance testing that there is no blanket legal requirement to test every appliance every year, and that frequency should follow risk. Let unfurnished and supply nothing, and there is little to test.

Consumer unit and fuse box upgrades

An obsolete consumer unit is a common reason a report comes back unsatisfactory: a rewireable fuse board, a plastic enclosure where a metal one is now specified, or no residual current device protection where it is required today. Replacing it is often the cheapest route back to a satisfactory outcome, because a modern board with correctly specified protective devices can clear several C2 observations at once. A consumer unit replacement is certified separately, and that certificate sits alongside the EICR rather than replacing it.

A new board does not by itself bring an installation up to the electrical safety standards. If the cabling behind it has degraded or the earthing is inadequate, those items still need attention, and a good contractor will say so before quoting.

Booking an EICR That Meets the Electrical Safety Standards

Meeting the electrical safety standards is straightforward once the inspection is booked. Choose a contractor who tests to BS 7671, holds the relevant inspection and testing qualifications, is registered with a competent person scheme and carries public liability insurance. Ask what the price includes and how quickly remedial quotations follow. Then diary the expiry date and rebook early rather than on the deadline.

Our registered engineers cover every London borough. Review costs on our pricing page, arrange an EICR certificate through the online booking form, or contact us to discuss a portfolio, an HMO or an existing unsatisfactory report.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does a rented property need an EICR?

At least every five years, and sooner if the inspector specifies a shorter interval or you carry out significant electrical work. A new report is needed once the previous one expires, whether or not the tenancy has changed.

Does a C3 code mean my property has failed?

No. C3 means improvement recommended and does not make a report unsatisfactory. Only C1, C2 and FI codes produce an unsatisfactory verdict, and those are the items subject to the 28-day remedial window.

Do the electrical safety standards require PAT testing?

No. The 2020 regulations cover the fixed installation only, and there is no statutory PAT certificate. PAT testing is a practical way of evidencing that appliances you supply are safe, and many licensing schemes expect to see it.

What happens if my tenant will not allow access?

Give reasonable written notice, offer flexible appointments and record every attempt. The regulations recognise that a landlord is not in breach where they can show they took all reasonable steps to comply, so documenting your efforts is the protection.

This article is general guidance on the electrical safety standards for landlords in England and is not legal advice. Requirements differ elsewhere in the UK, and some duties — licensing and fire safety in particular — are set locally. Check GOV.UK and your own local authority for the current position before you act.