What Happens If a Property Fails an EICR?

An unsatisfactory EICR means action is needed

If a rental property doesn’t meet the required electrical safety standard, the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) records an unsatisfactory result. It doesn’t always mean the property is unsafe to live in right now, but it does mean you must act within a set timescale.

What makes an EICR unsatisfactory

Each observation on the report is given a code showing the level of risk:

• C1: danger present. Immediate action required.
• C2: potentially dangerous. Remedial work required.
• FI: further investigation required without delay.
• C3: improvement recommended. Advisory only.

Any C1, C2 or FI makes the report unsatisfactory. C3 items on their own do not.

Timescales

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, remedial or investigative work must usually be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Once it’s done, you must give written confirmation, with the report, to your tenants and, if asked, to the council within 28 days of completing the work.

If the work isn’t done, the council can serve a remedial notice and issue civil penalties.

Your options

You are not required to use the electrician who carried out the inspection. You can ask us for a separate fixed quote once the report is issued, or instruct another contractor. If you’d like us to quote, send us the report and we’ll price each item. See remedial work for landlords.

Common reasons for an unsatisfactory report

• Old consumer units without RCD protection, often fixed with a consumer unit upgrade
• Missing or inadequate earthing and bonding
• Damaged wiring or unsafe past alterations
• Accessories showing signs of overheating
• Widespread issues across older wiring, where a partial or full rewire may be the better long-term option

Re-testing and confirmation

After the work is done, the affected circuits are re-tested and you receive written confirmation that the installation now meets the required standard. Keep it with the original report.

Need help reading your report?

If you’ve received an unsatisfactory EICR and aren’t sure what it means, call us and we’ll explain the observations and what you need to do, whoever carried out the inspection.