Real EICR report example: how to read the certificate

The report is a domestic EICR for an installation up to 100 A. The reason recorded is to assess the installation against BS 7671. The wiring is recorded as 15 years old, with no evidence of additions or alterations, no installation records, and no date of last inspection.

The extent is recorded as 100% testing and 20% sampling. The agreed limitations are no access to the loft, no lifting of floorboards, and no access behind appliances and heavy furniture. The operational limitation is recorded as none on the day of the test.

The overall assessment is unsatisfactory. The form states that an unsatisfactory assessment indicates that dangerous (C1) and/or potentially dangerous (C2) conditions have been identified. The recommended next inspection, subject to the necessary remedial action, is 4 weeks.

The observation schedule is the part to read before asking for remedial work. Each line has a number, the inspector's wording, and a code. These codes describe this installation. They are not a rule that the same words receive the same code on every report.

Under the current A4:2026 EICR format, an FI observation is advisory and does not by itself make the overall assessment unsatisfactory. This report is unsatisfactory because it records C1 and C2 observations. Item 9 does not, by itself, explain that result.

• 1. No SPD installed. C3.
• 2. AC type RCDs installed. C3.
• 3. Plastic consumer-unit casing, with a recommendation to upgrade to metal. C3. That is this report's classification. It is not a rule that every plastic consumer unit is unsatisfactory.
• 4. Blank missing at the consumer unit, low level and easily accessible, with access to live parts. C1.
• 5. No RCD protection for the bathroom lights, and no supplementary bonding present. The observation cites BS 7671 regulation 701.415. C2.
• 6. Cables around the water heater require containment because they can be pulled. C2.
• 7. Live exposed wiring on top of the water unit in the hallway storage cupboard. C1.
• 8. No RCD protection for general sockets. C2.
• 9. No labelling or schedule found for the consumer unit. FI.
• 10. No RCD protection for general sockets. C3.
• 11. No RCD protection for circuits 1 to 6. C3.
• 12. Three bunched cables on a 32 A MCB, circuit 7. C2.
• 13. Messy internal wiring for the consumer unit. C3.

The form groups the items. Immediate remedial action is listed for items 4 and 7. Urgent remedial action is listed for items 5, 6, 8 and 12. Improvement recommended is listed for items 1, 2, 3, 10, 11 and 13. Further investigation is listed for item 9.

Items 8 and 10 both refer to RCD protection for general sockets, and they are not given the same code. The observation number and the code have to be read together. Absence of RCD protection is not one universal code.

The general-condition note says the C2 action should be addressed as soon as possible. That is the inspector's note on this report. It does not replace the observation wording.

The inspection schedule records an outcome against each checklist item: pass, C1, C2, C3, FI, a limitation, or not applicable. On this report the enclosure condition in terms of IP rating is C1, the enclosure fire rating is C3, and circuit identification is FI. Read those outcomes with the numbered observations. A checklist code is not a separate finding from the observation that describes it.

The supply schedule records a TN-C-S arrangement, a single-phase supply, 230 V at 50 Hz, a prospective fault current of 1.20 kA, and an external earth fault loop impedance of 0.8 Ω. Those are the figures written on this report. A recorded value is not, by itself, a classification threshold.

The distribution board is identified as DB 1 in the hallway storage cupboard, supplied from the origin. The circuit schedule then lists descriptions such as kitchen, cooker, hall and bathroom, and smoke alarms, with columns for protective devices and measured test results. Use the row for the circuit you are asking about. Do not treat one cell as a result for the whole installation.

The limitations on the first page still apply. A pass on an inspected item does not describe cable that was not accessed in the loft, under floors, or behind appliances.

The report includes two photographs of the consumer unit: one with the cover open in front of the board, and one of the interior. They show the board that was inspected. They are not a diagnosis. The observation schedule, not the photograph alone, states the classification.

Start with the overall assessment, the inspection date, and the agreed limitations. Then list every C1, C2 and FI item by number. If you are asking for remedial work, send the whole report and refer to those numbers.

For a specified tenancy in England, whether any further work has a statutory period depends on regulation 3(4), not on the word unsatisfactory by itself. That explanation is on the unsatisfactory EICR page. This page is about how this report is organised.

This article was editorially reviewed on 2026-10-03. It provides general operational guidance for London property decision-makers and is not personalised legal advice.

Electrical classification on an EICR depends on the installation, the observations recorded and competent professional judgement. Always read your own report and seek competent advice for your property.