EICR What Happens If You Fail UK — Codes Explained and What You Actually Need to Fix

You have just been told your property needs an EICR before you can sell or let it — and now every forum thread you read seems to end with someone paying thousands for a full rewire. If you have been searching EICR what happens if you fail UK, take a breath. An unsatisfactory result does not automatically mean a new consumer unit, a full rewire, or a bill that empties your savings. In most cases it means a handful of specific, fixable faults — and once you understand the codes on your report, the whole process feels far less intimidating. At Fixiz we walk London homeowners and landlords through these results every week, so let us clear up what is really going on.

What an EICR actually checks — and why the result matters

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a health check for the fixed wiring in your property — cables, sockets, light fittings, the consumer unit, earthing and bonding. A qualified electrician inspects and tests each circuit, then records their findings using a standardised set of observation codes defined in BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations. The overall verdict is either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and that single word is what causes most of the anxiety.

Here is the crucial point many homeowners miss: unsatisfactory does not mean the whole installation is condemned. It means one or more observations require action before the report can be signed off as safe. Even a single C2 code on an otherwise perfect installation will produce an unsatisfactory result — and fixing that one issue is often all that stands between you and a clean certificate.

We recently visited a property in Lewisham where the homeowner was convinced she needed a complete rewire after reading her report. The electrician had flagged two C2 items — missing RCD protection on the socket circuits and a corroded bonding connection. Both were resolved in half a day without touching a single metre of cable.

EICR codes explained in plain English — C1, C2, C3 and FI

Every observation on your EICR is classified with one of four codes. Each carries a different level of urgency, and only some of them actually make your report unsatisfactory.

• C1 — Danger present: immediate risk of electric shock, fire or injury. The electrician will usually isolate the dangerous circuit on the spot. Examples include exposed live conductors, a completely missing earth, or a severely damaged consumer unit. C1 defects are rare in occupied homes but demand same-day action.
• C2 — Potentially dangerous: not an emergency this second, but the fault could become dangerous if left. Common C2 findings include socket circuits with no RCD protection, undersized earthing conductors, old rubber-insulated cables, or a plastic consumer unit that no longer meets fire-safety requirements. For landlords, remedial work must be completed within 28 days.
• C3 — Improvement recommended: advisory only. The item does not meet the latest edition of the wiring regulations but is not dangerous — think unlabelled circuits or missing surge protection. C3 codes do not make your EICR unsatisfactory.
• FI — Further investigation required: the electrician could not fully inspect or test something — perhaps a junction box was buried under loft insulation or a circuit produced unusual readings. An FI keeps the report open until someone investigates and either clears the item or reclassifies it.

Tip: Ask your electrician to walk you through every coded observation before you leave the property. A five-minute conversation can prevent weeks of unnecessary stress — and it is a sign of a good electrician that they are willing to explain.

When a consumer unit change is sensible versus when it is mandatory remedial work

A consumer unit upgrade is one of the most common recommendations after an unsatisfactory EICR, and it is also where a lot of the fear — and the overselling — creeps in. Let us separate fact from fiction.

A consumer unit replacement is mandatory remedial work when the report identifies a specific C1 or C2 defect with the unit itself — for example, evidence of overheating, a plastic enclosure that fails current fire-safety requirements, or missing RCD/RCBO protection that cannot be retrofitted into the existing board. In these cases the unit must be replaced to clear the unsatisfactory result.

A consumer unit replacement is sensible but not mandatory when your existing board is old but functional, and a new 18th-edition board would let the electrician add modern RCD protection more neatly. If the only C2 observation is “socket circuits lack RCD protection,” it is sometimes possible to fit individual RCBOs into a compatible board without swapping the whole unit.

A consumer unit replacement is not required at all when the board itself has no coded observations. If your EICR flags a loose bonding clamp and a damaged socket — both away from the consumer unit — replacing the board is pure upsell. Always cross-reference the quote with the coded observations on page two of the EICR.

At Fixiz we make a point of photographing the existing board and talking through what each C code actually requires before we quote. If a consumer unit swap is genuinely needed, we explain exactly why. If it is not, we will say so — even if it means a smaller invoice for us.

How electricians price remedial work — and the paperwork you should receive

Remedial pricing varies widely, and that inconsistency is one of the biggest sources of homeowner anxiety. Here is a rough guide to typical UK costs so you have a benchmark before accepting any quote:

• Replace a damaged socket or switch: £40–£90.
• Add or repair bonding to gas or water pipes: £120–£250.
• Install RCD or RCBO protection per circuit: £150–£350.
• Consumer unit replacement (full 18th-edition board): £450–£900.
• Rewire a single circuit: £150–£350.
• Full rewire (depending on property size): £2,500–£6,000 and upward.

Pricing depends on property type, ease of access, the number of circuits affected and whether first-fix or making-good work is needed. A one-bedroom flat with a couple of C2 items might cost a few hundred pounds; a four-bedroom house with ageing rubber cables on every circuit is a different story.

Once remedial work is complete you should receive written confirmation — typically a new satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate, or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate. For landlords this paperwork is a legal requirement: you must supply a copy of the original unsatisfactory report and the written confirmation to your tenants and, if requested, to the local authority within 28 days.

Tip: If you used one electrician for the initial EICR and a different one for the remedial work, the second electrician can issue their own certificate — but the original inspector may charge for a re-test before updating the EICR to satisfactory. Clarify this upfront to avoid surprise costs.

How to avoid being oversold — get an itemised remedial schedule

Some firms price the initial inspection cheaply to win the job, then recover their margin on inflated remedial quotes. The homeowner feels trapped: the report is unsatisfactory, the clock is ticking, and the electrician who conducted the test is right there offering to fix everything.

Here is how to protect yourself:

1. Insist on an itemised remedial schedule. Every C1, C2 and FI observation on the report should appear as a separate line on the quote, with the proposed fix and its cost. If a quote arrives as a single lump sum with no breakdown, push back.
2. Cross-check the quote against the report. The remedial schedule should address every coded observation — no more, no less. If you see items on the quote that do not correspond to a C1, C2 or FI code on the EICR, ask why they are included.
3. Get a second quote. You are not obliged to use the same electrician who carried out the EICR. Any Part P registered electrician can complete the remedial work and issue the appropriate certificate. Taking your EICR to a second firm for a quote is standard practice, not an insult.
4. Challenge a full rewire recommendation unless the report supports it. A rewire is only justified when the wiring itself is degraded — perished rubber insulation, extensive overheating, or multiple circuits that cannot be made safe with targeted repairs. If the report shows a handful of C2 items at specific locations, a full rewire is almost certainly overkill.

One of our Fixiz electricians was called to a property in Hackney where the original firm had quoted over £4,000 for a consumer unit replacement plus partial rewire. The EICR listed three C2 codes — two for missing RCD protection and one for an undersized bonding conductor. We resolved all three for under £600 by fitting RCBOs and replacing the bonding cable. No consumer unit swap needed.

Landlord obligations versus homeowner sale context

The legal landscape is very different depending on whether you are letting or selling, and mixing the two up is a common source of unnecessary panic.

Landlords — legal duty under the 2020 Regulations

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations, every landlord must have the fixed electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years. If the EICR is unsatisfactory, you must complete all remedial work within 28 days of the report — or sooner if specified. You then have 28 days to supply tenants and, on request, the local authority with the original report and written confirmation of completed work. Failure to comply can result in enforcement action and financial penalties of up to £40,000.

Homeowners selling — no legal requirement but strong practical reasons

There is currently no legal obligation for a homeowner to obtain an EICR when selling a residential property. That said, a buyer’s surveyor may recommend one, a mortgage lender may request one, and a savvy buyer will ask questions about older electrics. Having a satisfactory EICR ready can smooth conveyancing and prevent last-minute renegotiations. If your EICR comes back unsatisfactory, you can still sell — but expect the buyer to factor remedial costs into their offer.

Tip: If you are selling and your EICR is unsatisfactory, get the remedial work done and a clean certificate issued before marketing the property. The cost of fixing a couple of C2 items is almost always less than the price reduction a nervous buyer will demand.

What happens if you ignore C2 codes

For landlords the consequences are concrete and well-documented. Ignoring an unsatisfactory EICR can trigger a remedial notice from the local authority, council-arranged works billed back to you, and fines of up to £40,000. Beyond the financial hit, your landlord insurance may refuse to pay out if an electrical incident occurs at a property with known, unresolved C2 defects. You also cannot legally start a new tenancy with outstanding C1 or C2 observations.

For homeowners the penalties are less formal but no less real. A C2 classification means there is a genuine risk that could escalate — an undersized earthing conductor might cope for years until a fault occurs and it cannot clear the current quickly enough, leaving metalwork live. C2 codes exist because qualified electricians have identified a credible path to harm.

There is also the insurance angle. Many home insurance policies require the installation to be maintained in a safe condition. If your insurer discovers you knew about a potentially dangerous defect and chose not to act, they may refuse your claim. We have seen this happen to homeowners who assumed C2 meant “advisory” because they confused it with C3.

At Fixiz we always recommend resolving C2 observations promptly, regardless of whether you are legally compelled to. The remedial work is almost always cheaper than the consequences of ignoring it — and infinitely cheaper than the worst-case scenario.

How Fixiz keeps your EICR project stress-free

We carry out EICRs and remedial work across London every day, and our process is built around the anxieties homeowners and landlords actually experience:

• Plain-language report walkthrough: we explain every code on your EICR in normal English before you make any decisions.
• Itemised remedial quotes: every observation gets its own line, its own proposed fix and its own price. No lump sums, no mystery charges.
• Honest scope: if a consumer unit swap is not required by the coded observations, we will not recommend one. If it is, we will show you exactly which code drives the recommendation.
• Fast turnaround: for landlords working to the 28-day deadline, we aim to schedule remedials within days of the initial inspection — not weeks.
• Proper paperwork: you will receive the correct certificate for every piece of work, ready to share with tenants, buyers, solicitors or the local authority.

Frequently asked questions

Does an unsatisfactory EICR mean I need a full rewire?

Almost never. An unsatisfactory result means one or more C1, C2 or FI observations were recorded. Most homes can be brought up to standard with targeted work — replacing a bonding connection, adding RCD protection, or swapping a damaged accessory. A full rewire is only recommended when the wiring itself is extensively degraded, which the report will make clear with observations across most circuits.

Can I use a different electrician for the remedial work?

Yes. Any qualified, Part P registered electrician can complete the remedial work and issue the appropriate certificate. Taking the report to another firm for a competitive quote is perfectly normal and often a wise move.

How long do I have to fix an unsatisfactory EICR as a landlord?

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations, you must complete all remedial work within 28 days of the inspection — or sooner if the report specifies. You then have 28 days after completion to supply tenants and the local authority with the original report and written confirmation.

Do I legally need an EICR to sell my house?

No. There is no legal requirement for homeowners to obtain an EICR when selling a residential property. However, buyers, surveyors and mortgage lenders may request one, and a satisfactory certificate can speed up the sale and prevent renegotiations.

What is the difference between C2 and C3 on an EICR?

A C2 code means the observation is potentially dangerous and requires urgent remedial action — it makes your EICR unsatisfactory. A C3 code is an advisory improvement recommendation that does not affect your overall result. You are under no obligation to act on C3 items, though addressing them during planned maintenance is good practice.

Will my insurance be affected if I ignore EICR findings?

Potentially, yes. Many home and landlord insurance policies require the electrical installation to be maintained in a safe condition. If an incident occurs and your insurer finds that a known C1 or C2 defect was left unresolved, they may refuse the claim. Always keep copies of your EICR and any remedial certificates as proof of compliance.

Ready to move from confusion to construction? Get in touch with Fixiz today for a no-pressure chat about your project and the fastest route to full compliance.