What do you need to do if you get an unsatisfactory EICR? And if you receive an unsatisfactory electrical certificate, what must you do next?
If you are a landlord, you must have an EICR inspection carried out at each property you own every five years.
An EICR will test the electrical installation in your property, letting you know if any parts of it are faulty. Your report will then come back as ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’.
You may be wondering what you need to do if your report comes back as unsatisfactory. Do you have to get any faults fixed, and in what timescale?
And more importantly… do you have to pay for another EICR report?
If you have found yourself with an unsatisfactory EICR report… here’s what you need to do next.
What criteria will lead to my EICR report coming back as unsatisfactory?
During an EICR inspection, any faults found will be identified on the report and graded using the following codes.
- Code 1 (C1): Danger present. Risk of injury. Immediate remedial action required. These installations must be made safe as soon as possible
- Code 2 (C2): Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action required. These installations must also be made safe as soon as possible
- Further Investigation (FI): Further investigation required without delay. This usually means that the inspector will need to return to investigate the issue further
- Code 3 (C3): Improvement recommended. You do not need to get this fixed, but it is recommended you do
A C1, C2 or FI code will mean that your EICR inspection will be marked as unsatisfactory.
More information about the EICR classification codes
If my EICR report is unsatisfactory, what happens next?
You need to carry out remedial work to get the issues in the report investigated and repaired. By ‘remedial work’, we mean any electrical work needed to put any problems right.
If you are a landlord, you must carry out any repairs identified within 28 days of the inspection.
If your engineer identifies a critical issue, they may insist that it is fixed sooner than 28 days. If this is the case, the problem will be highlighted in the report.
When the work is completed, the engineer will provide written confirmation that they have carried out the work. You must give this to the tenants living in the property as well as your local authority within 28 days of the remedial work being carried out.
If my EICR report is unsatisfactory, do I need to have another EICR carried out at my property?
No.
The written confirmation provided by your engineer shows that you have taken action to turn the ‘unsatisfactory’ result of your EICR into a ‘satisfactory’ one.
This means you don’t need a retest.
Can I move a tenant in with an unsatisfactory EICR?
If your property is vacant, you must repair any faults identified before you move tenants in.
This is because the faults identified with an unsatisfactory electrical certificate may endanger the tenants if not fixed.
More information about EICR for landlords
Get peace of mind when it comes to your EICR inspection with Hawkesworth
Unsatisfactory electrical reports are common, especially in older buildings. The main thing is to ensure that any issues are fixed as soon as possible.
At Hawkesworth, our skilled EICR specialists will thoroughly check your electrical installation and let you know what you need to do if you have an unsatisfactory EICR. We can also carry out any remedial work needed to put things right.
