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EICR remedial works
What you have to fix after an electrical inspection, how quickly, and what you should get when it’s done.
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) tells you what is wrong with the wiring. Remedial work is putting it right. This page explains which items you must fix, how quickly, who can do it, and what paperwork you should get at the end.
What the codes on your report mean
| Code | What it means | Do you have to fix it? |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present. Risk of injury. The inspector should have made it safe on the day or told you to switch it off. | Yes, straight away. |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous. Not an immediate risk, but could become one. | Yes. The report is Unsatisfactory until it is fixed. |
| FI | Further investigation needed. The inspector could not tell without more work, for example a circuit that would not test. | Yes, the investigation must be done. It may turn out to be a C2, or nothing. |
| C3 | Improvement recommended. Not dangerous; the installation does not meet today’s standards. | No. Worth doing when it is cheap or you are already having work done. |
A report with any C1, C2 or FI is marked Unsatisfactory. C3s on their own give a Satisfactory report. The wording of the FI code is changing under the 2026 amendment to the wiring regulations, so check what your client or landlord specification asks for.
Landlords: the 28-day rule
In England, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 say that if the report shows C1, C2 or FI, the landlord must:
- Have the remedial work or investigation done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so.
- Get written confirmation from the qualified person who did the work that it is complete and the installation now meets the standard, or that further work is needed.
- Give that confirmation and the original report to the tenant and the local council within 28 days of the work being finished.
Councils can fine a landlord up to £40,000 for a breach. The same rules now apply to social housing: new social tenancies from 1 November 2025, and existing ones from 1 May 2026, with the first inspection due before 1 November 2026. See our EICR testing page for the inspection itself.
Does the same electrician have to do the remedial work?
No. The regulations only require a qualified and competent person. You can take the report to another electrician, and plenty of people do when the first quote is high or the firm that tested is slow. We regularly do remedial work after another company’s EICR. Send us the report and we will price each coded item separately, so you can see what is required and what is optional.
Two things to watch. First, the remedial contractor can only certify the work they did; the original Unsatisfactory report stays on file until the fixes are confirmed. Second, some C2s on old reports are matters of opinion, so a second electrician may reasonably disagree. We will tell you if we think an item has been over-coded.
What remedial work costs
It depends entirely on what was found. The common items we see on home reports in Hertfordshire are missing or damaged covers, no RCD protection on socket circuits, loose connections, missing main bonding to gas and water pipes, and old plastic fuse boards. Most of those are a few hours’ work. A whole-house problem, such as rubber or lead-sheathed cables, means a rewire. Where a lot of the items point at the fuse board, a new consumer unit often clears several codes in one visit.
We quote from the report. Email it to us or upload it with a few photos and you will have a priced list within two working days.
What you get afterwards
- A Minor Works Certificate for each small job, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for larger work such as a new board or new circuits.
- A short written confirmation that the coded items have been dealt with, which is what the council and your tenant need.
- If you prefer, a fresh Satisfactory EICR. That is the cleanest answer for letting agents and insurers, and the regulations accept it as confirmation.
Questions we’re asked
Do I have to fix C3 items?
No. C3 means improvement recommended. The report is still Satisfactory with C3s. Fix them when it is convenient, or when you are already having work done on that circuit.
How long do I have to do EICR remedial work?
Landlords in England have 28 days from the inspection, or less if the report says so, for C1, C2 and FI items. Homeowners have no legal deadline, but a C1 means danger now and should be dealt with immediately.
Can a different electrician do the remedials after an EICR?
Yes. The law only requires a qualified and competent person. Send us the report and we will quote for the coded items.
What written confirmation does the council want?
Confirmation from the electrician who did the work that the remedial work is complete and the installation now meets the standard. A new Satisfactory EICR, an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate with a covering note all work.
What happens if remedial work finds more problems?
The confirmation must say so, and the extra work is subject to the same 28-day rule from the date it was found. We tell you before we go beyond the quoted items.
Does an Unsatisfactory EICR mean my tenants have to move out?
No. It means work is needed within 28 days. Only a C1 is an immediate danger, and the inspector will have made that safe or isolated it on the day.
Written by SEGplc. Last updated 1 November 2026.
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