Failed EICR — what happens next?

What "unsatisfactory" actually means

An EICR ends with one of two overall outcomes: satisfactory or unsatisfactory. It goes unsatisfactory when the inspector records at least one C1, C2 or FI observation. That doesn't mean the whole installation is condemned — it means specific items need fixing (or investigating) before the installation can be signed off as safe for continued use. The report lists each item with a code and location, which becomes your repair list.

The codes, decoded

• C1 — danger present. Someone could be injured right now: exposed live parts, a live conductor touching metalwork. The inspector should tell you on the spot and, where possible, make it safe there and then. If you can see exposed live parts yourself, keep everyone away, switch off at the main switch and call an electrician immediately.
• C2 — potentially dangerous. Not an emergency this minute, but a fault that could become dangerous under the wrong conditions — missing earths, no RCD protection where required, deteriorated insulation. C2s are what fail most reports.
• C3 — improvement recommended. The installation doesn't meet current standards but isn't dangerous. C3s do not cause a fail. An old-but-sound fuse board often earns a C3 — worth upgrading eventually, not a crisis.
• FI — further investigation. The inspector found something they couldn't fully diagnose within the scope of the inspection. It needs investigating promptly, because the answer determines whether there's a real problem underneath.

Landlords: the 28-day clock

For private rentals in England, the regulations expect remedial work on an unsatisfactory report to be completed within 28 days — or sooner if the report specifies a shorter period — with written confirmation of the completed work provided to the tenant, and to the local authority if they ask. Blackpool has one of the largest private-rented and holiday-let sectors in the country, so local landlords tend to know the drill: book the remedials as soon as the report lands, not on day 25.

What remedials typically cost

It depends entirely on what was coded, but as a guide from our price list: replacing a damaged socket or fitting sits in the £60 – £100 range, lighting repairs start around £60, and where the fuse board itself is the problem, a consumer unit replacement starts from £470 (typically £450 – £950). A cluster of small C2s is often cheaper to fix than people fear — an hour or two of labour plus parts. The expensive reports are the ones where deteriorated wiring runs through the whole installation, which is a rewire conversation rather than a repair one.

The paperwork that closes it out

After the remedial work you should receive certification for the work done — a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for small repairs, or an Electrical Installation Certificate where circuits or the consumer unit were replaced. That written confirmation of remedial works, alongside the original EICR, is what shows the installation has been brought back to a safe condition. Keep both together; letting agents and insurers ask for them as a pair.

We quote from any company's EICR

You don't have to use the firm that did the inspection for the repairs — and if their remedial quote feels steep, don't just sigh and pay it. Send us the report (any company's, in any format) and we'll price the coded items line by line. Sometimes we'll also tell you a listed C3 isn't worth doing yet, because it isn't. For background on inspection pricing itself, see our EICR cost guide, or book an inspection through the EICR Blackpool page — £120 to £180 depending on bedrooms, with the report back within 48 hours.