Every observation on an EICR carries a code, and the codes are the report. C1 means danger is present. C2 means potentially dangerous. C3 means improvement recommended. FI means further investigation is required without delay. Only the first two and FI make a report unsatisfactory, and knowing which is which is the difference between an urgent bill and a note for the file.
C1: danger present
Something on the installation could injure somebody now: exposed live parts, a damaged accessory with conductors accessible, a socket wired the wrong way round in a way that energises exposed metal. A competent inspector will make it safe on the visit or isolate it before leaving, and will tell you so. A C1 always makes a report unsatisfactory.
C2: potentially dangerous
Nothing is dangerous while everything works, but a foreseeable fault would make it so. No earthing at a socket, missing main bonding to gas and water services, an unsuitable protective device. These are the most common reason a report comes back unsatisfactory and the most common cause of remedial work a landlord did not budget for.
C3: improvement recommended
The installation is safe but does not meet the current standard in some respect: no RCD protection on a circuit that would need it if installed today, an older consumer unit that would not be chosen now. A C3 does not make a report unsatisfactory and does not have to be acted on, which is why a quote that treats every C3 as urgent work deserves a question.
FI: further investigation required
The inspector found something that cannot be judged without more work: a reading that does not make sense, a circuit whose route is unknown, evidence of an alteration nobody can explain. FI makes the report unsatisfactory because the answer is unknown rather than because a defect is proven, and the investigation is a separate piece of work.
What an unsatisfactory report obliges
For a rented property in England, further investigative or remedial work must be carried out within 28 days, or the shorter period the report specifies, and written confirmation obtained from the qualified person who did it. For everyone else there is no clock in law, but an insurer, a mortgage lender or a buyer will read the same word and draw their own conclusion.
Questions people ask about eicr codes
Does a C3 make an EICR unsatisfactory?
No. C3 is improvement recommended. Only C1, C2 and FI make a report unsatisfactory.
How long do I have to fix a C2?
In a rented property in England, 28 days from the inspection or the shorter period the report specifies, with written confirmation of the work obtained afterwards.
Can the inspector fix the fault on the day?
Often, for small items, and many will make a C1 safe immediately. Larger remedial work is normally quoted separately, and you are free to have somebody else do it.
Does an unsatisfactory report have to be redone from scratch?
No. Once the remedial work is complete, written confirmation from the person who carried it out is what turns the position around, rather than a whole new inspection.