Do You Need a New EICR After Remedial Work? Landlord Evidence & Certificates Explained
28 September 2026
Your EICR has come back Unsatisfactory.
The electrician has identified one or more electrical problems. You arrange the repairs, the work is completed and tested but then comes the question many landlords and property managers ask:
Do I now need to pay for another complete EICR?
Usually, no.
A completely new Electrical Installation Condition Report is not automatically required simply because remedial work has been completed.
What matters is that the defects requiring action are properly rectified or investigated, the completed work is appropriately inspected and tested, and you receive the correct documentation confirming what has been done.
For landlords, the compliance record will often look like this:
Original EICR → remedial work → electrical certification / written confirmation → complete compliance record
Rather than:
Unsatisfactory EICR → complete another full EICR from the beginning
Current GOV.UK guidance expressly lists a satisfactory EICR, Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC), or other appropriate electrical certification as acceptable forms of written confirmation following remedial work.
Electrical Safety First also answers the question directly: where an EICR was unsatisfactory and the required remedial work has subsequently been completed, another EICR is not necessarily required. The original report and documentation confirming the remedial work should be retained together.
But there are important exceptions and practical details.
This guide explains exactly what London landlords, letting agents, property managers and housing providers should do after an unsatisfactory EICR.
If your EICR contains observations requiring remedial action:
Keep the original EICR.
Identify exactly which observations require action.
Arrange the required remedial or investigative work.
Have the completed electrical work properly inspected and tested.
Obtain the appropriate certificate or written confirmation.
Keep that documentation together with the original EICR.
Provide the required documents to the tenant and, where required, the local authority.
Retain the complete record for the next inspection.
You do not automatically need to repeat the entire EICR inspection.
The important issue is being able to demonstrate that the defects responsible for the required action have been dealt with properly.
If you have only just received an unsatisfactory report, read our guide on what to do after failing an EICR first.
An EICR is an assessment of the condition of an existing electrical installation.
It is not simply a pass/fail checklist based on whether every part of an older installation complies with the newest edition of BS 7671.
The purpose is to identify damage, deterioration, defects, dangerous conditions and non-compliances that may give rise to danger, and to determine whether the installation is suitable for continued use.
That distinction matters.
A London flat wired many years ago does not automatically fail merely because a modern installation would now be designed differently.
The IET specifically notes that electrical standards are not retrospective: an installation designed to an earlier edition of BS 7671 is not automatically unsafe simply because requirements have subsequently changed.
The condition, risk and circumstances of the installation have to be assessed.
For a detailed explanation of what inspectors actually examine, see What Does an EICR Cover?.
The classification attached to an observation is important because not every observation has the same consequence.
A C1 indicates an immediate danger.
This is the highest level of concern and may require immediate action to remove or make the danger safe.
Examples could include accessible live parts or another condition presenting an immediate risk of electric shock or injury.
Government guidance states that an inspector may make a C1 hazard safe before leaving the premises.
Read our full guide to C1 observations on an EICR.
A C2 identifies a condition considered potentially dangerous.
Unlike a C3 recommendation, a C2 requires remedial action.
Electrical Safety First’s current Best Practice Guide includes examples such as absence of earthing at a socket outlet and certain situations involving missing protective conductors, bonding or required RCD protection.
We explain this classification in more detail in What Does C2 Mean on an EICR?.
C3 means an improvement is recommended.
A C3 observation on its own does not make the report unsatisfactory.
Government guidance specifically confirms that further remedial work is not required for the report to be deemed satisfactory where the observation is C3.
This is particularly relevant in older London properties.
An installation does not automatically have to be rebuilt every time BS 7671 is amended.
Read C3 Meaning on an EICR for a more detailed explanation.
This area deserves special attention in 2026.
Historically, FI meant that an apparent deficiency had been identified but could not be fully determined within the extent or limitations of the periodic inspection.
However, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 has changed the treatment of FI on the EICR model report.
The IET explains that under Amendment 4, C3 and FI are decoupled from C1 and C2. FI no longer causes an unsatisfactory outcome under the revised model report and the wording has changed from further investigation being required without delay to further investigation being advised.
There is also a transition period.
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and can already be used, while the previous A2+A3 edition remains valid until 15 October 2026.
Current GOV.UK electrical safety guidance for rented properties still states that where a report shows remedial or further investigative work is necessary, landlords must complete that work within the relevant period.
Therefore landlords should not look at the BS 7671 change in isolation and assume an investigation identified on their report can simply be ignored.
Follow the actual report, the current statutory guidance applicable to your tenancy and the advice of the competent person responsible for the inspection.
For more detail, see our guide to what FI means on an EICR.
Imagine your original EICR inspected:
the consumer unit;
final circuits;
socket outlets;
lighting circuits;
earthing;
bonding;
RCD protection;
polarity;
continuity;
insulation resistance;
protective devices;
and the other elements within the agreed extent of inspection.
One bedroom socket is then found to have no effective earth connection and receives a C2.
The report is unsatisfactory.
The electrician later investigates that particular circuit, repairs the fault, tests the work and issues appropriate documentation.
Repeating the entire periodic inspection of the property simply to establish the condition of circuits that have already been inspected may not be necessary.
The original report demonstrates what was inspected.
The subsequent documentation demonstrates what was corrected.
Together, those documents create the evidence trail.
Electrical Safety First specifically confirms that an unsatisfactory EICR plus documentation showing the remedial work has been completed can satisfy the requirement without another complete EICR.
There is an important misconception here.
There is no universal document called an:
“EICR Remedial Certificate”
that applies to every repair.
The correct certification depends on the work undertaken.
You may receive one or more of the following.
A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate may be appropriate for certain additions or alterations to an existing circuit that do not include the provision of a new circuit.
The precise certificate required depends on the work.
It should identify what has been undertaken and record the relevant inspection and testing.
An Electrical Installation Certificate is used for electrical installation work falling within its scope, such as new circuits and other work requiring full certification.
A consumer unit replacement will normally involve substantially different certification from replacing an individual damaged accessory.
In some circumstances another EICR may be carried out and a satisfactory report issued.
This is an acceptable form of evidence, but the crucial point is:
it is not the only possible form of evidence after remedial work.
GOV.UK explicitly lists EICRs, EICs, Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificates and other appropriate electrical certification as acceptable forms of written confirmation.
Electrical work varies enormously.
Replacing a damaged socket is not the same as replacing a consumer unit.
Repairing CPC continuity is not the same as installing a new circuit.
Further investigation of a circuit is not the same as carrying out a full rewire.
The certification should therefore match the work actually undertaken.
A good electrical compliance file should allow somebody who has never visited the property to understand exactly what happened.
For example:
Original EICR
C2 — bedroom socket has no effective earth connection.
↓
Remedial scope
Investigate CPC continuity, identify fault, repair defective connection and test affected circuit.
↓
Completed work
Defective connection repaired.
↓
Verification
Relevant electrical testing completed and satisfactory result obtained.
↓
Certification
Appropriate electrical certification issued.
That is a clear compliance trail.
Compare it with receiving an invoice containing only:
Electrical work — £225.
The second document may confirm money was paid, but it tells a future landlord, property manager, electrician or local authority very little about the actual defect or how it was resolved.
This is why we recommend landlords maintain a proper EICR compliance evidence pack.
Consider a London flat where an EICR identifies:
Observation 1
Bedroom double socket has no effective earth connection.
Classification: C2
Observation 2
A second bedroom socket also has an earthing defect.
Classification: C2
The EICR is therefore unsatisfactory.
The remedial electrician should not simply replace both socket fronts and assume the problem has disappeared.
The underlying circuit needs to be investigated.
The problem might involve:
a loose CPC connection;
a disconnected earth conductor;
damage to the cable;
an incorrect previous alteration;
a fault at another accessory;
or a break somewhere else on the circuit.
After locating and repairing the defect, the relevant circuit is tested again.
If satisfactory results are obtained and the appropriate certification is issued, the landlord now has:
Original unsatisfactory EICR + remedial certification
A completely new inspection of every circuit in the flat is not automatically necessary.
This is exactly why an EICR and remedial work are separate stages.
The EICR identifies and records the condition.
The remedial work fixes the identified defect.
The subsequent testing verifies the repair.
This situation is more substantial.
Imagine an EICR identifies several defects associated with an existing consumer unit and the agreed solution is replacement.
The electrician:
isolates the supply;
removes the existing board;
installs the new consumer unit;
terminates the existing circuits;
carries out the necessary testing;
and issues the appropriate certification.
Does this mean the landlord needs another full EICR immediately afterwards?
Not necessarily.
If the original EICR has already assessed the existing installation and the subsequent consumer-unit work was undertaken as remedial work arising from that inspection, the original report and subsequent certification create the compliance record.
However, there is an important reverse scenario.
Suppose there was no EICR first.
The landlord simply had the consumer unit replaced and received an EIC.
Electrical Safety First warns that an EIC issued for a fuse-box or consumer-unit replacement does not provide the same assessment of the condition of the existing installation as an EICR.
So:
EICR → consumer unit remedial work → EIC
can create the appropriate evidence chain.
But:
consumer unit replacement → EIC only
does not automatically establish that the whole existing installation has undergone the periodic inspection required from an EICR.
Read our full guide to consumer unit replacement after a failed EICR.
A landlord receives the following EICR:
C2 — socket has no effective earth;
C3 — improvement to consumer unit recommended;
C3 — surge protection improvement recommended;
C3 — improvement to existing protective arrangements recommended.
The EICR is unsatisfactory because of the C2, not because of the C3 observations.
The landlord arranges repair of the C2 defect.
After the repair has been properly completed and certified, the C3 items can remain as recommendations unless the landlord elects to upgrade them.
This is important because landlords sometimes receive a quotation and assume every item printed on an EICR must be completed for legal compliance.
That is not necessarily correct.
Classification should reflect actual electrical risk.
Electrical Safety First notes that an existing installation does not automatically require upgrading merely because it does not meet every requirement applicable to a brand-new installation; the departure has to constitute immediate or potential danger for a C1 or C2 to be appropriate.
For a complete classification overview, read EICR Failed: All Codes Explained.
An EICR identifies abnormal continuity results on a ring final circuit.
This is not something that should simply be “passed” because all the sockets appear to work.
Electrical testing can reveal problems that are invisible during normal everyday use.
The next stage may involve:
identifying the affected circuit;
inspecting relevant accessories and connections;
tracing the discontinuity;
repairing the defect;
repeating continuity testing;
completing any additional tests required;
documenting the result.
Once the problem is repaired and the correct evidence issued, another full inspection of the entire property is not automatically necessary.
You can read more about this particular defect in our guide to ring final continuity failures during an EICR.
Now consider a different property.
The inspection identifies only C3 observations.
There are no C1 or C2 defects.
The installation is assessed as satisfactory for continued use.
Does the landlord need to complete every C3 improvement?
Not simply to obtain a satisfactory EICR.
Government guidance confirms that C3 means improvement recommended and does not itself require remedial work for the report to be satisfactory.
That does not mean C3 observations should automatically be ignored.
A landlord may sensibly choose to implement improvements:
during planned refurbishment;
before the next tenancy;
when replacing a consumer unit;
when upgrading other electrical systems;
or as part of a wider safety programme.
But a recommended improvement is different from a defect making an installation unsatisfactory.
For rented property in England covered by the relevant electrical safety regulations, current government guidance states that required remedial or further investigative work must normally be completed within:
28 days
or within a shorter period if the report specifies one.
This is why landlords should not treat an unsatisfactory EICR as an administrative document that can be filed away until the next tenancy.
The inspection is only the first stage.
If required action is identified, the compliance process continues until that action has been addressed.
We cover the deadline in more detail in Unsatisfactory EICR: The 28-Day Rule for Landlords.
No.
A C1 means danger present.
Nobody should interpret a 28-day statutory maximum period as permission to knowingly leave an immediate electrical danger in place for four weeks.
Government guidance notes that inspectors may make C1 hazards safe before leaving the property.
The severity of the defect and any shorter period stated on the report need to be respected.
There are genuine situations where electrical work depends on something outside the landlord’s immediate control.
For example:
specialist components are required;
access cannot immediately be arranged;
a third party must complete enabling work;
the electricity supplier needs to install or alter equipment;
tenant circumstances require additional planning;
or the remedial work is unusually complex.
Current GOV.UK guidance acknowledges this and says a landlord is not in breach of the duty where they can demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to comply.
Clear records of communications, appointments and arrangements should be retained.
This is another reason documentation matters.
If something delays compliance, a clear audit trail is far stronger than saying several months later:
“We were trying to arrange it.”
This is not a paperwork technicality.
Local councils have enforcement powers where specified electrical safety duties are breached.
Current government guidance states that local authorities may impose financial penalties of up to £40,000 for specified breaches of the electrical safety regulations.
The local authority may also take action in relation to remedial notices and urgent remedial works in the circumstances provided by the regulations.
For landlords, the sensible approach is therefore simple:
Inspect → repair → test → document → retain evidence.
No.
The electrician or company carrying out the remedial work does not automatically have to be the company that performed the original EICR.
A competent contractor can undertake the remedial work.
However, they need enough information to understand what was actually identified.
You should therefore provide them with the original EICR rather than sending only a brief message such as:
“The flat failed. Can you fix it?”
The electrician should be able to identify:
the observation;
its location;
the classification;
the affected circuit where recorded;
the test information;
and any relevant comments or limitations.
If you’re deciding whether to change contractor, see Can a Different Company Carry Out EICR Remedial Work?.
We also explain the alternative in Using the Same Company for Your EICR and Remedial Works.
Landlords sometimes ask:
“If the electrician found the problem while they were there, why didn’t they just repair it?”
Because an EICR is fundamentally an inspection and testing service, not an open-ended authorisation to carry out whatever repairs might be discovered.
The electrician may need:
additional materials;
more time;
further access;
permission to isolate circuits;
approval of additional costs;
specialist equipment;
or a separate remedial appointment.
Some faults also require investigation beyond the normal extent of periodic inspection.
Keeping the inspection and repair stages distinct protects both the client and the electrician.
We explain this further in Why EICR Remedial Work Is Not Always Done Immediately.
A good quotation should connect the proposed work to the observations on the report.
For example:
Electrical repairs — £485.
C2 – Bedroom socket outlet has no effective earth connection
Investigate CPC continuity on affected circuit, locate defective connection, carry out necessary repair, test affected circuit and issue appropriate electrical certification.
The second version makes it obvious:
what the defect is;
why work is required;
what work is proposed;
and what verification will follow.
This becomes particularly important when an EICR contains multiple observations.
We recommend maintaining one complete digital compliance folder for each property.
It should contain, where applicable:
Do not delete the original unsatisfactory report.
It is part of the property’s electrical history.
Keep the approved scope showing which observations were being addressed.
Retain the details of the person or company carrying out the work.
This could include:
EIC;
Minor Works Certificate;
satisfactory EICR where appropriate;
or other appropriate certification.
Keep any written confirmation explaining what work has been completed.
Before-and-after photographs can provide useful supporting evidence.
They do not replace electrical testing or certification, but they can improve the audit trail.
Invoices help establish when work was undertaken and by whom.
Keep evidence that documents were supplied where required.
If a council has requested information, retain the request and your response.
Record the next inspection date shown on the relevant documentation rather than simply assuming every installation automatically receives another five years.
Current government guidance requires landlords within scope to provide the tenant and local council with the report and written confirmation following completion of required remedial or further investigative work within the applicable period.
For property managers, this should be part of the workflow.
Do not close the job internally merely because the electrician has sent an invoice.
A robust process is:
EICR received
↓
Unsatisfactory observations reviewed
↓
Remedial work authorised
↓
Works completed
↓
Certificates checked
↓
Required documents issued
↓
Compliance folder updated
↓
Job closed
That final administrative stage is just as important as booking the electrician.
This question causes considerable confusion.
The original EICR records the installation as it existed on the date it was inspected.
If the report was unsatisfactory on that date, completing repairs later does not travel backwards in time and alter what the inspector found.
Instead, the subsequent documents demonstrate that the defects were corrected.
This is why it makes more sense to think of compliance as a document chain rather than trying to make the original report disappear.
For example:
12 September: EICR completed — Unsatisfactory
18 September: C2 defects repaired
18 September: affected circuits tested
18 September: remedial certification issued
Together, those records show the history clearly.
Although another EICR is not automatically required, there are circumstances where carrying out a new inspection may still be appropriate.
If significant parts of the installation were excluded or inaccessible, the original report may not provide the evidence you need.
Where remedial work has developed into major alterations or a much wider refurbishment, the required inspection and certification strategy should be considered by the responsible electrical contractor.
Electrical damage, flooding, fire or significant subsequent works may justify further inspection.
Some organisations have internal compliance procedures that require a new consolidated report even where other certification would legally provide evidence of remedial completion.
Where the original inspection, scope, competence, test results or documentation are genuinely questionable, commissioning an independent inspection may be sensible.
If the next periodic inspection is already due or nearly due, carrying out a new EICR may be more practical than relying on a report that will shortly require replacement anyway.
The decision should be based on the installation and documentation — not on the assumption that every repair automatically requires another full EICR.
Not automatically.
A change of tenant does not itself mean a complete new EICR has to be commissioned every time.
Where a valid inspection remains in place, no outstanding required remedial work remains, and the next inspection date has not arrived, the existing documentation may remain applicable.
The incoming tenant must receive the required electrical safety documentation in accordance with the regulations.
Read our dedicated guide: Do I Need a New EICR for a New Tenant?.
Landlords commonly describe an EICR as a “five-year certificate”.
That is a useful shorthand, but it can be misleading.
The regulations require inspection and testing at intervals of no more than five years for properties within scope, while the report also sets a date for the next inspection.
Depending on the condition and circumstances of the installation, an inspector may specify an earlier interval.
Always check the actual report.
Do not simply put a reminder in the diary for exactly five years without reading the recommended next inspection date.
Keep it.
It establishes what was found.
C1, C2, C3 and FI do not all mean the same thing.
Understand the classifications before approving work.
A broken socket face is one thing.
A socket with no earth connection is another.
Replacing the visible accessory may not repair the underlying fault.
An invoice is not a substitute for appropriate electrical certification.
It does not.
An EIC for consumer-unit replacement serves a different purpose from an EICR assessing an existing electrical installation.
Ask first:
What exactly needs to be demonstrated following the remedial work?
If appropriate certification adequately confirms completion of the required works, repeating the entire periodic inspection may not be necessary.
Physical repairs are only one part of landlord compliance.
The required paperwork must also be dealt with properly.
If your EICR has identified electrical defects, use this checklist.
☐ Read the complete EICR
☐ Identify each observation and classification
☐ Confirm which observations require action
☐ Obtain a clear remedial scope
☐ Check the required completion timeframe
☐ Give the electrician the original EICR
☐ Ensure the affected defects are properly investigated
☐ Do not authorise superficial replacement where further diagnosis is required
☐ Record any changes to the original scope
☐ Keep photographs where useful
☐ Obtain appropriate electrical certification
☐ Confirm all required observations were addressed
☐ Check the test results where applicable
☐ Keep the original EICR
☐ Store the remedial certificates with it
☐ Provide required documentation to the tenant
☐ Provide documentation to the council where required
☐ Record the next inspection date
An EICR is a snapshot of an installation at a particular point in time.
If something is wrong, the report identifies it.
Remedial work then changes the condition of that installation.
The documents issued afterwards provide evidence of that change.
That is why the most useful compliance file is not simply a single certificate labelled:
PASS
It is a traceable history showing:
what was inspected → what was found → what was repaired → how the repair was verified
For landlords with several properties, that distinction becomes increasingly important.
Not automatically. Current government guidance accepts several forms of appropriate electrical certification following remedial work, while Electrical Safety First specifically states that an unsatisfactory EICR retained together with documentation of completed remedial work can satisfy the requirement without repeating the full EICR.
Keep the original report together with the documentation confirming completion of the required remedial work. The original report records what was found at the inspection; the subsequent certification records what was rectified.
A C3 means improvement recommended. Current government guidance confirms that C3 alone does not make the report unsatisfactory.
That depends on the work. It may include an Electrical Installation Certificate, Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate, another EICR where appropriate, or other suitable electrical certification.
An invoice is useful commercial evidence that work was commissioned and paid for, but it is not a substitute for the appropriate electrical inspection, testing and certification.
Yes. The remedial contractor does not automatically have to be the company that carried out the EICR. Provide the new contractor with the original report so the relevant observations can be addressed properly.
Current guidance generally requires necessary remedial or further investigative work to be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies a shorter period.
Not automatically. Certification for a consumer-unit replacement and an EICR serve different purposes. An EIC for the replacement does not, by itself, constitute a periodic condition assessment of the entire existing installation.
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 changes the treatment of FI so it no longer causes an unsatisfactory outcome under the revised EICR model report and describes further investigation as advised. However, current government landlord guidance still refers to completing further investigative work where the report shows it is necessary. Landlords should therefore follow the actual report and current regulatory guidance rather than assuming all FI observations can be ignored.
Yes. A client may choose to commission another inspection for administrative, contractual or property-management reasons. The point is simply that a completely new EICR is not automatically the only acceptable evidence following every remedial job.
If your EICR has returned an Unsatisfactory result, the next step should not be guesswork.
Send us the report and we can review the observations, identify the remedial work required and provide a clear scope for the next stage.
London EICR Certificates works with:
private landlords;
letting agents;
property managers;
block managers;
housing providers;
commercial clients;
portfolio landlords;
and facilities-management companies across London.
Where remedial work is required, the objective is simple:
identify the defect, repair it correctly, test the work and leave a clear documentary trail.
That protects the tenant, the property and the landlord.
London EICR Certificates
Electrical inspection, testing and remedial support across London.
Find answers to common questions about EICR certificates and electrical safety inspections in London. Visit our FAQ page on EICRcertificates.com for more information.
