My EICR Failed — What to Do Next (London Landlord Playbook)

An EICR is marked 'unsatisfactory' when one or more circuits carry a C1, C2 or active FI code. The overall outcome on the front sheet of the report is the regulator's snapshot — it is what the council, your insurer, and your mortgage lender look at first.

Crucially, C3 codes (improvement recommended) do not make a report unsatisfactory. If your only findings are C3s, the front sheet should read satisfactory and no 28-day clock applies — though most landlords address C3s opportunistically at the next fuse board upgrade.

An unsatisfactory rating does not automatically mean the property is unsafe to occupy. A C2 — 'potentially dangerous' — is treated as urgent but the tenant is not displaced. A C1 — 'danger present' — does mean immediate make-safe action, and most contractors will isolate the affected circuit on the spot.

Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, where a report is unsatisfactory or recommends further investigation, the landlord must complete the remedial or investigative work within 28 days — or the period specified by the inspector if shorter.

Written confirmation that the work has been completed must then be supplied to the tenant within 28 days of the work, and to the local housing authority within 28 days of the work if requested.

Failure to comply triggers civil penalties up to £30,000 per breach per property. Councils issue penalty notices and increasingly publish landlord names. The penalty is per breach — so a landlord who misses the deadline on three properties faces up to £90,000.

C1 (danger present): the engineer should have made the circuit safe on the visit. Your job is to authorise the permanent fix immediately. Typical C1 items — exposed live conductor, missing fuseboard cover, damaged tails — are fixable inside an hour for £90–£250.

C2 (potentially dangerous): the bulk of unsatisfactory reports sit here. Common C2 examples are missing RCD on a bathroom circuit, broken main earth, incorrect polarity, and damaged accessories in wet zones. Book remedials within the first week of the 28-day window so you have margin for parts and access.

FI (further investigation): the engineer could not fully verify safety on the visit. This is not automatically a fail — but it must be cleared. Most FIs resolve with a return visit costing £90 or rolled into the remedial visit at no extra charge. Don't ignore an FI assuming it will go away on the re-inspection.

When triaging, request a written remedial quote with each item coded back to the EICR observation number. That paper trail is what proves to the council that you acted on the report rather than gambling on a re-test.

The 2020 Regulations require landlords to provide a copy of the EICR (and the written confirmation of remedial works) to the local housing authority within 28 days of a request. Many London boroughs — including those with selective licensing — request reports proactively.

Where the property is in a licensed HMO or selective-licensing area, the licence conditions typically tighten this further. Several boroughs now require landlords to upload the certificate to the council's portal regardless of whether it was requested.

If the EICR is unsatisfactory and you have missed the 28-day remedial deadline, contact the council before they contact you. Voluntary disclosure with a credible remediation plan is the difference between a managed conversation and a formal civil penalty hearing.

Tenants must receive a copy of the EICR within 28 days of inspection, and a copy of any remedial completion certificate within 28 days of the work. The Renters Rights Act 2026 strengthens tenant access to safety documentation — assume any request you receive will be scrutinised.

Where remedial work requires power-off or daytime access, give the tenant proper written notice and offer evening or weekend slots where the work is more than 2 hours. London tenants increasingly know their rights here, and a contested access dispute can blow the 28-day deadline.

Keep a written log of every notification, every access attempt, every remedial booking. If access is refused or repeatedly delayed by the tenant, document each instance — this evidence supports both a defence to a council penalty and any possession claim that follows.

Section 21 — the no-fault notice — was abolished in May 2026 under the Renters' Rights Act 2026. Possession now flows through reformed Section 8 grounds, every one of which is challengeable in court. Electrical safety failures bite much harder than they used to.

Where a landlord seeks possession, the court can and does scrutinise the compliance record. A property without a valid EICR, or with an unsatisfactory EICR and missed remedial deadlines, materially weakens grounds based on rent arrears or anti-social behaviour — particularly where the tenant cross-claims for disrepair.

Practical impact: every London landlord should now treat the EICR as a live possession-protection document, not an annual tick-box. Remediate quickly, document thoroughly, and never let an unsatisfactory rating sit unresolved while the property is occupied.

After remedial work is complete, the contractor issues a Minor Works Certificate (for small jobs) or an Electrical Installation Certificate (for substantial replacements). Either document is sufficient to evidence the remediation — you do not normally need a full re-test EICR unless the original report explicitly called for one in the FI section.

Where multiple C2 items have been remediated and the original report observations have all been cleared, some landlords commission a follow-up EICR confirming the property now reads satisfactory. This is the cleanest possible evidence for the council and for tenant disclosure. The follow-up EICR is typically a sample test rather than a full 100% re-inspection — much faster and lower cost than the original.

Keep both the original unsatisfactory EICR AND the remedial certificate(s) on file. Do not destroy the original report on the assumption the new certificate replaces it. The trail of unsatisfactory → remediation → satisfactory is the evidence that proves you acted; deleting the start of the trail leaves only a current snapshot that does not prove the timeline.

Some councils now request both documents at the next licence renewal or audit. The audit-ready file is: original EICR PDF, remedial quote with each item cross-referenced to the EICR observation, remedial completion certificate, tenant notification email with read-receipt, and (where commissioned) the follow-up satisfactory EICR.

Replacing a consumer unit (most common C2 driver in London): £650–£950 for a standard 10–12 way metal-clad, all-RCBO, Type A board fitted and certified. Add £80–£140 for an integrated SPD if Amendment 4 compliance is in scope.

Bringing bathroom or shower circuits to RCD protection without a full board swap: £180–£320 for a dedicated RCBO retrofit at the existing board (where space and compatibility allow). The cheaper route where the rest of the board is otherwise sound.

Main earth and bonding upgrade: £180–£280 for typical London property where the earth electrode or main bond from the gas/water service needs renewal. A C2 that ages older properties; usually a same-day fix.

Damaged sockets, switches and accessories: £35–£75 each fitted. Where multiple accessories show damage of the same type (typically heat damage on a kitchen ring), the remedial is often combined with a circuit-load review.

Track every remedial against a clear quote, every quote against a clear EICR observation number, and you keep the council file audit-ready without extra effort.

Where the EICR identifies issues against rented landlord-supply equipment in a block (intake cupboard, communal lighting board, riser distribution), the cost falls on the freeholder or management company, not the leaseholder. Get the report to the managing agent within 7 days of receipt and follow up in writing until you have a written remediation timeline. The 28-day clock applies even where the responsibility splits across multiple parties.