Table of Contents
Receiving an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) marked “unsatisfactory” can be worrying, especially when you need to keep a home or business running. You need to know what is unsafe, how quickly to arrange repairs and what paperwork you should receive afterwards.
Start by discussing the findings with the electrician who inspected the property. This guide explains the next steps for homes and commercial premises, including England’s rental deadlines, repairs and any further investigation.
At a glance
In this guide
An unsatisfactory EICR identifies problems that need action before the inspected installation can be considered safe for continued use. Contact the inspecting electrician promptly, confirm that any immediate danger has been made safe, and agree on the repairs and investigation needed.
C1 danger requires immediate action; C2 findings require urgent remedial work. Any FI recommendation also needs prompt investigation. The correct response depends on the actual observation and the inspector’s advice, not just the overall label. Electrical Safety First explains the purpose of periodic inspection and testing.
Read the overall result alongside the findings and the section explaining what was inspected or excluded. Ask which circuits or areas are affected and what needs to happen next. The report describes the installation’s condition; a quotation should explain the proposed work.
C1 Danger present
Ask what was done to make the situation safe and whether any immediate action remains outstanding.
Makes the report unsatisfactory
C2 Potentially dangerous
Arrange urgent remedial work and obtain advice on any controls needed while it is being organised.
Makes the report unsatisfactory
C3 Improvement recommended
This alone does not make the installation unsatisfactory; consider it in your maintenance or improvement plans.
Does not alone make it unsatisfactory
FI Further investigation advised
Agree to investigate promptly so the inspector can establish the issue and appropriate classification. It should not automatically be left until all other work is finished.
Does not alone make it unsatisfactory
The current IET Amendment 4 model report identifies C1 and C2 as the classifications that make the overall assessment unsatisfactory. FI records an issue requiring investigation where the inspector cannot verify it within the inspection’s extent and limitations. Do not use the overall result to dismiss an outstanding FI recommendation. The IET model forms and Electrical Safety First’s Best Practice Guide 4 explain these distinctions.
We recommend working through this checklist with the inspecting contractor:
Leave the electrical work to a professional: Do not remove covers, test wiring or attempt a repair yourself. Someone competent should plan and carry out electrical isolation, fault investigation, testing, and fixed-installation repairs. If you are a tenant, inform your landlord or managing agent promptly and follow the safety advice given.
Need help understanding the next step? Speak to Calder Electrical with the complete report, including its schedules, so the findings and proposed work can be reviewed together, or call 0800 612 3001.
Private rented homes in England
Necessary remedial or further investigative work within 28 days, or sooner where the report specifies a shorter period.
Commercial premises
No universal 28-day EICR repair window. The findings, risks and competent advice determine the necessary response.
Owner-occupied homes
The England rented-sector deadline is not a blanket rule for homeowners. Follow the response advised by the electrician.
Where England’s rental electrical safety regulations apply, landlords must complete necessary remedial or further investigative work within 28 days, or sooner where the report specifies a shorter period. That is not permission to leave immediate danger or an urgent finding unattended.
Within 28 days of completion, landlords must supply the tenant and local council with the report and written confirmation from the qualified person who carried out the work. The initial report must also be supplied to an existing tenant within 28 days of inspection and testing, and to the council within seven days of a request. See the current GOV.UK rented-sector guidance.
Worth knowing: These are England-specific requirements. Social landlords should also check the same guidance for their additional duties and transitional provisions. Rules for rented homes elsewhere in the UK differ; do not assume this timetable applies unchanged.
Workplace electrical duties require maintaining systems, as necessary, to prevent danger so far as reasonably practicable. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 do not set a universal 28-day EICR repair window. The findings, risks and competent advice determine the necessary response; leases, insurance policies or other requirements may add conditions. HSE’s guidance explains the maintenance and competence duties.
Tip: For a business, we recommend agreeing who will arrange each repair and when it will happen. If the landlord and tenant share responsibilities, clarify the arrangements promptly so necessary safety work can proceed.
The England rented-sector deadline is not a blanket rule for homeowners. Still, danger and potentially dangerous conditions need the response advised by the electrician. Treat the report as a practical safety assessment, not a legal deadline to prompt action.
A clear quotation should connect each proposed job to a finding on the report. Ask it to set out:
Worth agreeing upfront: An FI item may need investigating before the electrician can price a repair. Ask for that stage to be described separately and agree how any additional work will be authorised.
Whether you need domestic inspection and testing or commercial inspection and testing, tell us how the property is used and share the complete report. We can then discuss access, any interruption to the power and the follow-up work.
A fresh full EICR is not automatically the required outcome of every remedial job. The evidence should be appropriate to the work and demonstrate that the identified issues have been addressed. For England’s rented-sector requirements, GOV.UK lists a satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate or other appropriate electrical certification as acceptable written confirmation.
Before work starts, ask which certificates and test results you will receive and which findings they will cover. A new inspection may be appropriate if the original report did not cover enough of the property or the installation has changed. The electrician should explain why it is needed.
Keep the paper trail: Keep the original EICR alongside subsequent certificates, test results and investigation records. Repairs do not erase the original report. If another contractor completes the work, give them the complete report and ask for evidence that links back to it.
Suppose the inspector identifies immediate danger at a damaged socket. The first priority is for a competent electrician to make it safe and explain any restrictions on use. The landlord then arranges the permanent repair, obtains the appropriate certificates and meets the applicable reporting deadlines. The 28-day limit is not a reason to postpone immediate safety action.
A business receives a report identifying a C2 finding on one circuit and an unresolved issue elsewhere. It arranges urgent remedial work and, where practicable, books the investigation alongside it. The contractor advises which parts may remain in use and what shutdowns are needed. The final file shows the outcome of both items, rather than treating the FI as an optional task for later.
Not automatically, but it also doesn’t confirm that normal use is safe. Ask the inspector which circuits or areas are affected and whether safe use is possible with appropriate controls. The decision must reflect the actual risk and competent advice.
Not simply because the report is unsatisfactory or the wiring is old. Ask for the findings supporting any recommendation for extensive replacement. An older installation is not automatically unsafe because it differs from the latest standard; its condition and the risks identified matter.
You can obtain another quotation, but use a contractor competent to carry out the installation and work involved. Provide the full EICR and agree on the certification and testing before booking. If the report’s meaning is disputed, seek clarification or a competent independent review without delaying necessary safety action.
C3 is an improvement recommendation, not a finding of immediate or potential danger. It does not alone make the report unsatisfactory. Record it and consider it sensibly alongside maintenance and planned alterations.
Raise the problem promptly with the contractor and, where relevant, the landlord or local council. Record attempts to arrange the work and obtain advice on interim controls. England’s guidance addresses reasonable steps where genuine constraints prevent timely completion; a delay should not be treated as an automatic extension.
Related reading
Calder Electrical has been providing electrical services to residential, commercial and industrial properties for over 40 years, and we are specialists in all aspects of electrical installations, maintenance and inspection and testing.
All our work is fully insured, and we work to the standards set by the NICEIC. Our team carries out domestic, landlord and commercial inspection and testing, along with remedial work and a call-out service for unplanned issues.
Get a clear plan for the next steps
Once you understand the findings, it is easier to agree on the repairs and know what to expect afterwards. We can help you discuss the report, the work needed and the testing that should follow.
Contact Calder Electrical to discuss remedial work and retesting for your home or commercial premises.
Photo by Aasing Gwok on Unsplash
