Unsatisfactory EICR: landlord next steps in London

An unsatisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report means that the installation could not be assessed as satisfactory for continued use in its present condition. The conclusion comes from the observations recorded by the inspector, their classification codes, the extent of the inspection and any limitations stated on the report. It is not simply a low score, and it does not mean that every circuit or accessory in the property is unsafe.

The useful starting point is the report itself. Read the overall assessment, then match each observation number to its code and wording. A short phrase such as “failed EICR” is commonly used in conversation, but the formal report outcome is usually “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory”. The observation schedule explains why that outcome was reached.

An unsatisfactory result also does not tell you, by itself, the exact cost, duration or method of correction. Some observations can be defined from the inspection evidence; others need access, isolation or further investigation before a contractor can establish a reliable scope. General online examples can help you understand the process, but they cannot replace the property-specific report or competent electrical judgement.

C1 means danger is present. This is the most urgent classification and normally calls for immediate action to remove or control the danger. Depending on what the inspector finds, that may involve isolation, a temporary safety measure or prompt corrective work. Anyone receiving a C1 observation should follow the safety instructions given at the property and should not re-energise isolated equipment without competent advice.

C2 means a potentially dangerous condition has been identified. It is serious enough to contribute to an unsatisfactory outcome, but it is not identical to C1. The practical priority still depends on the observation: the affected circuit, who can access it, the way the property is occupied and any advice recorded by the inspector all matter.

FI means further investigation is advised. Under the current A4:2026 EICR format, an FI observation is advisory and does not by itself make the overall assessment unsatisfactory. It is not a repair specification and not a softer version of C2. Investigation may reveal a defect requiring remedial work, a different classification, or evidence that changes the original concern. Where the report requires further investigative work, the landlord follow-up is the regulation 3(4) duty, not a consequence of the FI letter alone.

C3 means improvement is recommended. A C3 observation on its own does not make an EICR unsatisfactory. A landlord may still choose to include C3 improvements in planned works, especially when coordinating an empty period or wider refurbishment, but that decision should not obscure the priority attached to C1, C2 and FI observations.

For a fuller explanation of all four classifications, use the EICR C1, C2, C3 and FI codes guide. This article has a different job: it explains what a landlord can do after receiving the overall unsatisfactory result and how the 28-day context may apply.

For a specified tenancy in England, regulation 3(4) of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 applies where the report indicates the landlord is or may be in breach of the duty to keep the electrical safety standards met, and the report requires further investigative or remedial work. A qualified person must carry out that work within 28 days, or any shorter period the report states, starting with the date of the inspection and test. An unsatisfactory label, or a C1, C2 or FI letter, does not by itself start that period. The shorter stated period matters: it is not permission to postpone an immediate safety response to a C1 finding. The 30 November 2026 draft amendment is not current law on 3 October 2026.

That summary is deliberately qualified. Whether the Regulations apply, when a period starts, what evidence is required and whether an exemption or different regime is relevant depend on the facts and the current law. Landlords and agents should check the latest GOV.UK guidance and the current text of the Regulations rather than relying on an undated web summary. Local authority directions, tenancy circumstances and other legal duties may also require attention.

This page provides general operational information, not personalised legal advice. If you are uncertain about your legal position, enforcement correspondence, an exemption or a disputed deadline, obtain advice appropriate to the property and tenancy. An electrical contractor can explain technical findings and the work offered, but should not be treated as the source of tailored legal advice.

A practical compliance plan therefore works backwards from the most demanding requirement: deal with danger immediately; note any shorter period written on the report; confirm whether the 2020 Regulations apply; and organise the investigation, quotation, access, completion and evidence steps early enough to avoid treating day 28 as the day to begin making calls.

Save the complete report, not just the front page. Check the installation address, inspection date, overall result, agreed limitations, extent of testing, observation numbers and recommended next-inspection date. If the property or client details are wrong, raise the discrepancy with the report issuer; do not edit the certificate yourself.

Separate the observations into three working groups. First are immediate safety controls, especially any C1 item or instruction that equipment has been isolated. Second are C2 items and clearly defined corrective actions that need prompt scoping. Third are FI items where the next appointment is investigative and the final repair scope is not yet known. C3 recommendations can sit in a separate improvement plan.

Contact the inspecting contractor or another competent provider with the full report available. Ask whether the report is sufficient to quote, whether a site survey is needed and whether investigation must happen before corrective work can be priced. Refer to observation numbers in every quotation and email so that landlord, agent and contractor are discussing the same items.

Keep a dated action log. Record when the report was received, safety instructions followed, contractors contacted, access requests sent, appointments offered, quotations approved and documents received. A good log does not substitute for completing required work, but it makes coordination clearer and preserves a reliable record if several people are involved.

Urgency should follow risk, not convenience. If the inspector has identified danger, comply with any isolation or make-safe instruction and arrange competent attention immediately. Do not ask an occupier to remove a warning label, reset a repeatedly tripping protective device or use an extension lead as a permanent workaround.

Planned work still needs active management. A C2 observation may allow enough time to obtain and approve a clear quotation, coordinate the tenant and arrange materials, but it remains part of the unsatisfactory result. “Planned” does not mean optional. If the landlord rules apply, the regulatory period and any shorter report period continue to govern the timetable.

It can be sensible to combine related tasks where this reduces repeat access or disruption, provided doing so does not delay a more urgent item. Conversely, adding unrelated refurbishment to the same project can slow approval and blur the evidence. Ask for mandatory remedial or investigative items to be identified separately from elective C3 improvements and general maintenance.

London access arrangements often involve a landlord, managing agent, tenant, concierge and contractor. Establish one named coordinator and give the contractor an accurate contact route. Confirm the full address, parking or loading constraints, entry system, floor level, meter and consumer-unit location, alarm procedures, pets, vulnerable occupants and any building-management permissions.

Explain that electrical work can require power to be isolated and that access may be needed to several rooms rather than only the place named in one observation. Ask the contractor what areas must be clear, whether appliances need to be switched off and what approximate access window is required. Do not promise an exact restoration time unless the contractor has confirmed it for the defined scope.

Give tenants appropriate notice and use the lawful access process applicable to the tenancy. Keep copies of access requests and reasonable appointment options. A refused or missed appointment does not make an electrical risk disappear and should not be treated as an automatic defence; check current GOV.UK guidance and obtain legal advice where access prevents compliance.

If the installation serves communal or landlord-controlled areas, determine who can authorise shutdowns and whether the freeholder or building manager must be involved. The flat’s EICR may not cover every communal system, and a contractor should not assume authority to isolate equipment outside the quoted installation.

Further investigation is a diagnostic step. The contractor may need to isolate a circuit, open accessible enclosures, carry out focused tests or trace wiring beyond what was possible during the original periodic inspection. The objective is to identify the condition accurately enough to decide what, if anything, must be corrected.

An FI quotation should say what is being investigated and how findings outside the initial allowance will be handled. It may not be possible to promise a fixed final remedial total before the investigation. That is not the same as giving an unlimited instruction: agree the diagnostic scope, authorisation limits, access assumptions and the process for approving additional work.

After investigation, ask for the outcome in writing. It should connect back to the original observation and state the relevant findings, work completed and any remaining recommendation. If a new remedial item is identified, obtain a defined scope and timetable. Do not close an FI item merely because somebody attended the property.

Under the private rented sector rules in England, documentation duties can include providing the inspection report to existing tenants, new tenants, prospective tenants on request and the local housing authority on request, subject to the conditions and timescales in the Regulations. Following required remedial or investigative work, written confirmation from the qualified person and associated information must also be supplied to the tenant and local housing authority within the applicable period.

Do not use that short summary as a document checklist for every case. Check current GOV.UK guidance for the precise recipients, triggers and time limits that apply. A managing agent receiving a PDF does not necessarily discharge every duty owed to an occupier or authority.

Operationally, retain the original EICR, quotations, appointment history, investigation findings, invoices, certificates where applicable and written confirmation that the required work has been completed or that electrical safety standards are now met. Store documents against the correct property and tenancy. Avoid circulating tenant personal data to contractors who do not need it.

Completion is more than an invoice marked paid. Ask what work was carried out against each observation, what testing or verification accompanied it and what document will be issued. Depending on the work, evidence might include an electrical installation certificate, a minor electrical installation works certificate, focused test results or written confirmation relating the completed work to the EICR observations.

A completely new EICR is not automatically required after every correction. Equally, a verbal statement that “everything is fixed” may not be adequate evidence. The appropriate verification depends on the original finding and the work undertaken. Where the applicable landlord regulations require written confirmation, make sure the documentation addresses that requirement and is distributed as current guidance requires.

Keep the unsatisfactory EICR together with the later evidence. The original report is a record of condition on the inspection date; remedial paperwork records what changed afterwards. One document does not erase the other. If items remain outstanding, maintain a clear schedule rather than presenting partial completion as a satisfactory outcome.

Scenario one: the inspector records a C1 and isolates an affected circuit. The landlord confirms the tenant understands the isolation, contacts a competent contractor immediately and arranges the earliest safe access. Any wider quotation exercise follows after the immediate danger has been controlled; the 28-day context is not used to defer urgent action.

Scenario two: a report contains several C2 observations and a C3 recommendation. The agent asks for a quotation mapped to the C2 numbers, keeps the C3 improvement separately priced and coordinates an access date with the tenant. Completion and verification evidence is retained with the EICR and sent to the required recipients under the current rules.

Scenario three: an FI observation concerns a circuit that could not be fully assessed because access and test results were inconclusive. The first appointment is scoped as investigation, not a guessed repair. The investigation identifies the cause, after which the landlord authorises the necessary corrective work and obtains written evidence that closes the original FI item.

Real reports may combine these patterns. The point is not to turn codes into automatic repair recipes; it is to give each observation the right technical and administrative next step.

• Sending only a photograph of the report summary, without the observation pages, limitations or circuit details.
• Waiting for the deadline to approach before requesting tenant access or contractor availability.
• Treating every code as the same priority, or assuming C3 alone caused the unsatisfactory result.
• Authorising a generic list of repairs that does not reference the EICR observation numbers.
• Assuming FI has been resolved because a contractor visited, without obtaining the investigation outcome.
• Keeping only an invoice and not the relevant electrical certification or written completion confirmation.
• Assuming an agent, contractor or tenant will distribute statutory documents unless responsibility has been agreed.
• Relying on an old article instead of checking current GOV.UK guidance and the report’s shorter stated period.

Use the EICR classification-code hub when your main question is what C1, C2, C3 and FI mean. It provides the broader technical vocabulary without owning the landlord follow-up process explained here.

Use the remedial-work page when you are ready to discuss a quotation, scope, access and completion documents for a report you already hold. That page explains the offered service pathway; it does not repeat the legal and administrative 28-day context of this article.

If you need a new routine landlord inspection rather than post-report work, use the landlord EICR service page, check the residential calculator or continue to booking. For an existing unsatisfactory report, contact the team with the full PDF, observation numbers, property address and any access constraints so the appropriate next step can be assessed.