Failed EICR? Your Step-by-Step Guide to Remedial Work
A failed EICR does not mean disaster. Many commercial and residential buildings fail their first electrical inspection, and the vast majority of issues can be resolved quickly and affordably. What matters is understanding your report, prioritising the right repairs, and working with qualified professionals to bring your installation back to a satisfactory standard.
If you have just received an unsatisfactory EICR, this guide walks you through every step — from reading your report to completing remedial work and getting re-certified. By the end, you will know exactly what to do, how much it is likely to cost, and how long it should take.
Understanding Your EICR Failure Report
Your EICR report uses a coding system to classify each defect found during the inspection. Understanding these codes is the first step toward planning your remedial work:
C1 — Danger Present: This is the most serious classification. A C1 defect represents an immediate risk of electric shock, fire, or injury. Examples include live parts that are accessible to touch, a missing earth connection on a circuit, or a distribution board with exposed live busbars. C1 issues must be addressed immediately — in most cases within hours or days. The inspector may isolate the affected circuit on the spot to prevent harm.
C2 — Potentially Dangerous: A C2 defect is not immediately dangerous but poses a real risk if left unresolved. Examples include deteriorated cable insulation, circuits without adequate RCD protection, overloaded circuits, and non-compliant connections. C2 issues should be rectified within 28 days. You can usually continue operating the building while repairs are arranged, but you should not delay.
C3 — Improvement Recommended: This classification covers items that are not dangerous but fall below current best practice. Examples include installations that met standards when originally installed but do not meet the latest edition of BS 7671. C3 items are advisory — you are not legally required to fix them, but doing so improves safety and can prevent future C2 classifications as standards evolve.
FI — Further Investigation Required: The inspector has identified something that could not be fully assessed during the EICR and requires specialist investigation. This might be a concealed cable route, an installation behind a false ceiling, or a circuit with unusual readings. FI items need a follow-up visit to determine whether a defect exists and how to address it.
If your report contains any C1 or C2 codes, the overall result will be recorded as Unsatisfactory. Only reports with no C1 or C2 codes (and only C3 or no observations) receive a Satisfactory result.
Step 1: Prioritise Issues by Risk Level
Once you understand the codes, organise the defects by urgency:
C1 Issues — Fix Immediately
These require same-day or next-day action. Common C1 defects include live parts accessible to touch, faulty or missing earth connections creating shock risk, water ingress into electrical equipment, and distribution boards with burn marks or signs of arcing. Typical cost per C1 defect ranges from £500 to £3,000 depending on the nature of the fault. Your inspector may have already isolated the affected circuit — do not re-energise it until a qualified electrician has completed the repair.
C2 Issues — Fix Within 28 Days
Schedule these promptly but without panic. Common C2 defects include circuits without RCD protection, deteriorated cable insulation, overloaded circuits, non-compliant cable routes, and obsolete consumer units with rewirable fuses. Typical cost per C2 defect ranges from £1,000 to £5,000. You can continue normal business operations while these repairs are arranged, but avoid adding additional load to affected circuits.
C3 Issues — Plan Into Maintenance Schedule
These are not urgent and do not make your EICR fail, but addressing them prevents future problems. Common C3 observations include installations that meet previous but not current standards, minor labelling issues, and circuits that would benefit from additional protection. Typical cost per C3 item ranges from £500 to £2,000.
FI Issues — Arrange Specialist Investigation
Do not guess at what lies behind an FI classification. Arrange a specialist assessment within one to two weeks. The follow-up investigation typically costs £500 to £1,500 and will determine whether a defect exists and what remedial work is needed.
Step 2: Get Quotes from Qualified Electricians
When requesting quotes for remedial work, ask for:
- Itemised breakdown — costs for each defect listed separately, with parts and labour shown independently
- Timeline — clear start date and estimated completion date
- Warranty — minimum 12 months on all work
- Certification — confirmation that an Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate will be issued for all work completed
- Payment terms — staged payments for larger projects, with no more than a small deposit upfront
Get two to three quotes for any job expected to cost more than £2,000. Do not automatically choose the lowest price — compare what is included, the proposed timeline, and the contractor's track record. In the Manchester area, remedial electrical work costs are broadly in line with national averages, though emergency and out-of-hours work attracts a premium.
Watch for red flags: contractors who cannot provide registration details, refuse to give written quotes, pressure you to pay the full amount upfront, or are unwilling to provide references.
Step 3: Schedule and Complete Remedial Work
Plan the work sequence based on priority:
1. C1 defects first — arrange these for the earliest available date, ideally within days 2. C2 defects next — schedule within the 28-day window 3. FI investigations — arrange within two weeks 4. C3 improvements — add to your quarterly or annual maintenance plan
During the work, expect some circuit shutdowns but not necessarily a full power outage. Experienced electricians can isolate individual circuits while the rest of the building remains powered. For larger projects, work can be staggered by area or scheduled during off-peak hours, evenings, or weekends to minimise disruption.
You should receive the following documentation on completion:
- Invoice with VAT details
- Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate for each piece of work
- Photographs of completed work (good contractors provide these as standard)
- Warranty documentation
- Recommendations for ongoing maintenance
Step 4: Re-test and Certification
Once all C1 and C2 defects have been rectified, book a re-test inspection. This follow-up EICR verifies that the remedial work has been completed correctly and that the installation now meets the required standard.
Key points about re-testing:
- Timing — book the re-test as soon as remedial work is complete, typically within one week
- Duration — a re-test is usually shorter than the original EICR, taking two to four hours depending on the scope of work
- Cost — re-test costs range from £150 to £300 if carried out by the same contractor, and may be included in the remedial work quotation
- Result — if all C1 and C2 issues have been properly resolved, the new EICR will show a Satisfactory result
- New cycle — your next full EICR is due from the date of the satisfactory re-test, not from the date of the original failed inspection
Cost Examples and Budget Planning
To help you plan, here are typical total costs for common remedial scenarios in the Manchester area:
- Minor C2 issues only (RCD upgrades, labelling, minor earthing) — £1,000 to £3,000
- Moderate C1 and C2 issues (consumer unit replacement, circuit upgrades, earthing remediation) — £3,000 to £6,000
- Significant remedial work (partial rewire, multiple circuit upgrades, distribution board replacement) — £5,000 to £10,000
- Full rewire (typically only needed for very old installations) — £8,000 to £20,000 depending on property size
The return on investment is clear: remedial work costing a few thousand pounds protects you from HSE fines of up to £30,000 per offence, prevents forced business shutdowns, eliminates personal liability if an incident occurs, and can reduce your insurance premiums.
Get Your Free Remedial Work Assessment
Manchester Compliance Ltd provides free, no-obligation assessments for buildings with unsatisfactory EICR results. We review your report, explain every finding in plain English, and provide a fully itemised quotation with a clear timeline to completion.
- Phone: 0161-XXX-XXXX
- Email: hello@manchestercompliance.co.uk
- Emergency remedial work: 0161-XXX-XXXX (24/7)
- Address: 25 Holden Clough Drive, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL7 9TH