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An Electrical Installation Condition Report or EICR can be thought of as a report card for your property’s electrical system. This report card reveals the overall efficiency, effectiveness, and focus areas for your electrical setup.
All electrical systems are installed using a set of guidelines based on the British Standards. These standards highlight how the system must be installed, the type of components used for different subsystems, and the testing guidelines to confirm the “health” of the system.
For example, if you have recently purchased a new property and have had its electrical system installed, you will be provided with a summary report, also called the EICR, that contains all of the details about the installation, the efficiency and health of the components, and what you need to focus on in the near future.
This report is also provided to you by certified technicians after they conduct electrical maintenance activities on your property. However, if you have received your report and it is marked as “unsatisfactory”, you may need to pay immediate attention to your electrical infrastructure.
Read on to find out all about Electrical Installation Condition Reports, what happens if your EICR is marked “unsatisfactory”, and why EICRs are so important:
Also called a periodic inspection report, an EICR assesses the condition of an electrical installation and determines whether the system is safe to use and complies with the industry standards.
Compliance is one of the key reasons why this report is made. This report can be thought of as a culmination of all the best practices covered in the British Standards.
In the earlier years, the UK saw many accidents ranging from electrical shocks, fires and even deaths. The problem was found in the lack of standardisation.
The UK quickly set out guidelines, which later evolved into the British Standards, for electrical installations and implemented legal requirements that enabled a safer electrical infrastructure throughout the country.
The EICR is a mandatory report that highlights the details of electrical inspections. The report covers all the electrical installations and systems in a property, whether it is a small home or an industrial facility, and makes sure that they are installed and maintained as they should be.
No, you cannot. There is a very good reason why EICRs are made mandatory for all property owners: they keep everyone safe.
Safety is one of the primary reasons why the EICR was established. A qualified electrician is given the responsibility to check all the electrical installations and make sure they are free of any faults, damages, defects, and deterioration.
During the inspection, the electrician will highlight damages and defects and list the corrective actions recommended as per the safety standards. These findings are compiled, and the EICR is handed over to the property owner.
The report is marked using a series of codes (more on this below). These codes summarise whether the individual components in your system are a “pass”, “fail”, or need “improvement”.
If the report is deemed safe, you can keep the EICR with you for future reference and live with peace of mind, knowing that your property is safe. However, if the report is marked as unsatisfactory, then you would need to take immediate remedial action or face the danger of electrical hazards as well as fines.
For landlords, failing to fix unsafe installations can lead to enforcement action, fines up to £30,000 in some cases, or prosecution. An unsatisfactory EICR may also affect insurance validity if electrical safety standards aren’t met, since they can increase the risk of electrical-related disasters such as fires.
In the UK, if your EICR is marked unsatisfactory, it means that the electrician has found one or more issues in the electrical installations that can compromise safety and compliance.
We mentioned above that EICRs use codes to determine the health of the components in your electrical system.
Now let’s look at the codes that cause an EICR to be marked as unsatisfactory:
This can be thought of as code red! C1 are serious concerns that may add immediate risk to persons/property. This is why C1s require Immediate action.
C2 codes are for potentially dangerous issues in your electrical system. These issues are urgent and require remedial work to make your system safe. If C1 denote a definite failure, C2s hint towards a potential hazard that may turn into a failure in the future.
When your electrical system has issues that aren’t fully explored or identified by the electrician, it will be marked as F1. This code means that there is something that needs deeper investigation before safety can be confirmed.
If your EICR has any one (or multiple) of these codes, then it will be marked unsatisfactory until you take remedial action in the form of hiring an electrician to get everything fixed.
Please note that only C3 codes do not result in a fail. C3 covers issues that need improvement and therefore don’t automatically result in an unsatisfactory report. In other words, an EICR with only C3 codes will still be marked as satisfactory, but the property owner should take heed of the recommendations and make improvements to their system.
First off, don’t worry! If you get an unsatisfactory EICR, you shouldn’t be alarmed. It’s not like your property will spontaneously combust. It’s just that you need to take immediate action to get your electrical system up to the safety standards.
Here is what you should do:
The first step is to find a good electrical installation company that understands the issues in your electrical systems. Accredited companies like Calder Electrical are highly compliant and use their decades of industry experience to help their customers.
These companies can help you understand the report and give you timelines, costs, and the necessary guarantees needed to get your system up and running safely.
Once you have found the right company, you will need to have the identified issues fixed.
A qualified electrician will carry out the necessary repairs, replacements, or upgrades to address the C1, C2, and FI codes in your report.
The electrician will methodically approach the remedial work and first prioritise the C1 issues since they require immediate attention. When the C1s are addressed, the electrician will then attempt C2s. They will leave the FI for last since they can require some extra time to figure out the exact cause.
For landlords in the UK, you must complete remedial work within 28 days of the report or sooner if the report specifies it. At the end of the report, you will see a recommended timeline. If it says within x number of days, then you will have to make sure that you get everything done within that timeframe.
If there is no timeline mentioned, then you must assume that you have a maximum of 28 days to get all the work done. After the remedial work is done, you must obtain written confirmation from the electrician and supply this updated report to your local authorities or tenants.
After the electrician has conducted all the remedial work, they will provide written confirmation that the original faults have been addressed, which in turn marks your installation as compliant. Please note that a new EICR is not always required unless major changes are made to the electrical system.
We have discussed what you can do to fix an unsatisfactory EICR. Let’s now look at what a typical EICR includes so that you can understand the report better and communicate the issues to a professional.
A typical EICR checks for specific issues that may be inspected during a routine maintenance activity:
According to the law, an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) must include the following things:
As per the wiring regulations BS 7671 that cover all the guidelines for modern, compliant, and safe electrical systems, a domestic property must be inspected and tested every 5 to 10 years, or if you are buying/selling the property.
If your property is used for business or commercial use, you carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at regular intervals, which can range from 3 to 5 years as per the Electricity at Work Act 1989.
For landlords, a Landlord’s Safety Certificate must be obtained every 5 years or whenever there is a change in occupancy. Additionally, other factors such as the age of the installation, the type of property, environmental conditions, and misuse of the installation also require a new EICR for compliance.
It is important to note that older properties may require an EICR at regular intervals due to the likely depreciation of electrical equipment. Certain types of properties, such as those with a swimming pool, may need more frequent testing and inspections.
If your property has endured environmental conditions such as a flood or fire, the extent of the damage may need to be determined right away, which would call for a thorough inspection of the electrical installations.
In most cases, the electrician will apply a label to the electrical installation after completing the current inspection, which will mark the date of the inspection, making it easier for you to know when to expect the next inspection. If the label is worn off due to weather conditions or is illegible, then you can also refer to the EICR report for the dates.
Typically, an EICR for a small house is around £125 to £300. Smaller homes and flats cost around £120 – £180.
Standard 3-bed houses may cost around £180 – £300, while larger properties can cost £300+. The exact cost depends on the level of work required, with EICRs for commercial and industrial properties being more expensive due to more complex installations.
Here are the factors that affect cost:
You can always lock in the scope and budget of the installation/repair/inspection with a professional electrical installation company like Calder Electrical, which will work within your budget to ensure that your property is compliant. If budget is an issue, then you will have to make sure that you get all the C1, C2 and FI codes done first.
We recommend that you hire a professional and certified electrician with the relevant accreditations for the best experience. The ideal electrician would be a member of a government-approved competent persons scheme or employed by a company that is registered with a scheme such as the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting).
We have been providing electrical services to residential, commercial, and industrial properties for over 40 years and are specialists in all aspects of electrical installations, maintenance, and testing.
All our work is fully insured, and we work to meet the standards set by the NICEIC to make sure all your electrical installations meet the current regulations and all the notifiable work is signed off by the local authorities.
If you have unplanned issues within your home or business, we can provide a call-out service to rectify and solve any problems, such as circuits tripping, loss of power, broken items that need repairing, or to check if you feel something is unsafe or a potential hazard.
Our team can generate a Visual Inspection Report (VIR) to identify anything visual that does not comply with the standards or looks unsafe, as well as a full Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) where we will identify and test each circuit to make sure they are not deteriorating and are safe for use within the current standards and regulations set by the BS 7671.
We can also provide PAT testing of appliances to make sure that any items such as kettles, computers, and microwaves are safe for use in the home and workplace.
Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 3001 to get in touch with our professional electricians for more information on Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) and what happens if your EICR is marked “unsatisfactory”.
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