EICR Explained: What the Codes on Your Report Actually Mean

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If you’ve just had an Electrical Installation Condition Report done and it’s come back with a page of “C2” and “FI” codes, it can look alarming even when the reality is manageable. Here’s what the codes actually mean, and how to tell a genuine safety issue from an upsell.

What an EICR is

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is an inspection and test of a property’s fixed electrical installation — wiring, consumer unit, sockets, switches — carried out by a qualified electrician against the current edition of BS 7671. It’s not a certificate that new work was installed correctly (that’s an Electrical Installation Certificate); it’s a health check on wiring that may be years or decades old, and its outcome is either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.”

Rental properties in England are legally required to have one. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at intervals of no more than 5 years (or sooner if the previous report specifies a shorter interval), provide the current tenant with a copy within 28 days of the inspection, and give a copy to a new tenant before they move in and to the local authority within 7 days if requested. A change of tenant partway through does not by itself force a new inspection — the existing EICR remains valid for the rest of its interval. Local authorities can now issue financial penalties of up to £40,000 for non-compliance (this was raised from an earlier £30,000 cap). Note this regime applies in England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements, and a 2025 amendment has extended similar duties into parts of the social rented sector — check current guidance for your situation rather than assuming the England private-rental rules apply directly.

Homeowners are not legally required to have an EICR, but it’s widely recommended periodically — commonly cited as every 10 years for an owner-occupied home, or on buying an older property, though there’s no statutory mandate behind that figure the way there is for rented homes.

The four classification codes

BS 7671 defines a small set of “observation codes” an inspector uses to classify anything that doesn’t meet current standards. Only four matter for a domestic EICR:

C1 — Danger present. There’s a risk of injury right now — exposed live parts, visible damage exposing conductors, or similar. This is the only code where “urgent” isn’t strong enough a word: a competent inspector should make the specific defect safe on the spot (isolating the circuit, for instance) before leaving, and confirm this with the occupier in writing, before formal remedial work is scheduled.

C2 — Potentially dangerous. Not dangerous right now, but one further fault away from being so — the classic example is a circuit with no earth connection, or protective bonding that’s missing or inadequate. This requires urgent remedial action, not immediate on-the-spot isolation, but it shouldn’t be left indefinitely.

C3 — Improvement recommended. The installation doesn’t meet current BS 7671 standards, but there’s no identified danger — for example, a socket circuit without RCD (residual current device) protection, when nothing else about the circuit makes that a risk. A C3 does not fail the report. It’s a recommendation, not a requirement, and there’s no deadline attached to it.

FI — Further investigation required. The inspector spotted something they couldn’t fully assess within the scope of the inspection — inaccessible wiring, or readings that don’t match what would be expected — and it needs a closer look before anyone can say whether it’s actually a problem.

What “pass” and “fail” actually mean

Here’s the part that surprises people: any single C1, C2, or FI anywhere in the report makes the whole EICR “unsatisfactory,” regardless of the size of the property or how many other circuits are fine. A report with C3s only, or no observations at all, is “satisfactory.” This all-or-nothing outcome is intentional — it means “satisfactory” is a genuinely useful signal — but it also means a single, cheaply-fixed C2 can produce a report that reads as alarming as one covered in defects.

What happens next, practically

  • A C1 typically gets made safe immediately, at the point of inspection, with proper remedial work following shortly after.
  • A C2 needs to be fixed, and for rented properties under the PRS regulations, landlords must complete C1/C2 remedial work (and any FI investigation) within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies. Once done, the landlord obtains written confirmation from a qualified person and supplies it to the tenant and, if requested, the local authority.
  • An FI needs the follow-up investigation carried out before it can be reclassified — it might resolve to “no issue found,” or it might turn out to be a C1 or C2 once properly assessed.
  • C3s are worth acting on eventually — they usually reflect real improvements in safety standards since the property was wired — but there’s no legal deadline and no requirement to do them immediately.

Using an EICR to sanity-check a quote

EICRs are sometimes used as a sales tool by contractors offering to also do the remedial work, and it’s worth being a bit sceptical when everything comes back marked C1 or C2. A few practical checks:

  • Ask for specifics. A properly completed EICR names the exact circuit, location, and defect for each code (e.g. “no RCD protection – kitchen ring final circuit – C3”), not just a code with no explanation. Vague or generic entries are a red flag.
  • Question a report that’s “all C1/C2.” Genuine dangerous defects across an entire installation are unusual in a property that’s had no reported problems. A long list of C1/C2s, especially on an otherwise unremarkable older home, is worth a second opinion — ideally from an electrician who isn’t also quoting for the remedial work, to remove the incentive to over-code.
  • Separate the codes from the invoice. C3s are recommendations, not requirements — you’re free to defer or decline them, and a quote that bundles C3 “improvements” in with genuinely urgent C1/C2 work isn’t being transparent about which parts are optional.
  • Check the electrician is registered with a recognised competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, and similar) — this doesn’t guarantee a report is coded conservatively, but it gives you a route to raise a complaint if you think the coding was inflated.
  • Get a second EICR if a large, expensive remedial quote hinges on a report you’re not confident in. It costs money, but considerably less than unnecessary rewiring work.

BS 7671 and the coding guidance that sits alongside it are periodically revised, and the private rented sector regulations themselves have already been amended once since 2020. Always check current requirements — the specific inspection interval, penalty amounts, and coding guidance — via a registered electrician, the IET, or GOV.UK before relying on any figure here, including in this article.

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