Unsatisfactory EICR: What Happens Next?

An unsatisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report is a reason to act on the findings, not an automatic instruction to rewire the whole property. First establish what needs immediate attention, then agree the investigation or repairs and the records you will receive afterwards.

This guide is for someone who already has a report and needs a practical next step. If you are still deciding which inspection to book, start with our guide to what an EICR checks.

Start with the inspector’s safety advice

Read the overall assessment alongside the numbered observations, any covering notes and advice given during the visit. Ask which equipment must remain out of use. Do not reconnect something the inspector has isolated or attempt to open electrical equipment to check the finding yourself.

C1 means danger is present and immediate action is needed; C2 identifies potential danger needing urgent action. C3 recommends improvement and does not by itself make the result unsatisfactory. Those distinctions help prioritise the response, but the observation and its location explain what the issue actually is.

FI means further investigation. Current Electrical Safety First guidance distinguishes this from C1/C2 and advises prompt investigation of the unresolved issue. Older report wording can differ. Ask the inspector what needs investigating and by when; do not dismiss it because the overall assessment looks satisfactory.

If there is fire, smoke or immediate danger, follow our electrical emergency guidance rather than waiting to obtain quotations. An administrative deadline is never a reason to leave an immediate danger unresolved.

Ask for an explanation tied to each observation

A useful conversation starts with the report reference and the particular observation number. Ask what was found, which area or circuit is affected, whether any temporary safety action has already been taken and what remains to be done. Request clarification if the description is too vague to understand.

Keep the complete report, including inspection and test schedules and recorded limitations. Sending only the summary page can leave another electrician without the information needed to discuss the work. Share documents privately with the contractor rather than posting a report with your address online.

Separate investigation, repairs and optional improvements

Ask the quotation to identify which observations it addresses. If investigation is needed before a repair can be priced, agree that stage and how findings will be explained before further work is authorised. An investigation charge and a final repair price are not necessarily the same thing.

Optional improvements should be identifiable separately. That makes it easier to see whether two quotations cover the same job and to decide which additional changes you want. Do not treat a cheaper total as a like-for-like comparison without checking the detail.

A recommendation for a replacement consumer unit is different from a recommendation for new wiring throughout the house. Our guide to consumer-unit replacement and rewiring explains the distinction and the questions worth asking before agreeing the scope.

What deadlines apply to landlords in England?

For rented homes covered by England’s electrical safety regulations, required remedial or investigative work must be completed within 28 days, or sooner where the report specifies a shorter period. GOV.UK guidance also requires the tenant and local council to receive the report and written confirmation within 28 days of completion.

Check the rules for your tenancy and read the report’s own timescale. Keep access requests, appointment arrangements and completion records. If access or supply-side work creates a difficulty, raise it promptly and retain evidence; do not assume that booking an appointment alone completes your duty.

The rental rules should not be presented as a universal legal deadline for every owner-occupied home. Homeowners still need to follow the safety advice and arrange action at the urgency identified by the inspector.

Prepare the property for the remedial visit

• Agree who can authorise work and provide access, especially where an agent or tenant is involved.
• Check which rooms and equipment the electrician needs to reach.
• Discuss power interruptions and any medical, accessibility or home-working needs.
• Provide previous reports, certificates and details of work carried out since the inspection.
• Agree how changes to the scope or cost will be approved before additional work begins.

Ask what disruption is expected and who is responsible for any making good. Keep these practical arrangements with the quotation so that the person attending, the person paying and the occupier have the same understanding.

How do you show the findings have been resolved?

Ask for written confirmation of the completed work and the appropriate electrical certification. GOV.UK lists several acceptable forms, including an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate or a satisfactory EICR. A whole new inspection is not automatically the only way to document remedial work.

Check that the documents identify the work and can be matched to the original observations. Keep them together with the original report. Ask which recommendations remain and when the next inspection is due; an invoice alone may not explain the technical outcome.

Get help with your report in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast

Call Westwood Electrical on 01253 272 642 with your postcode, report date and a brief description of the findings. Explain any urgent instruction first. We can discuss the appropriate next step through our EICR inspection service or electrical testing and fault finding.

For non-urgent questions, WhatsApp is available below, followed by our contact form. Have the full report ready to share privately when requested. A phone discussion can help arrange the right visit, but it cannot confirm that an installation is safe.