How to read your EICR without panicking
The codes on an electrical condition report look alarming. Here is what C1, C2, C3 and FI mean, and which ones you have to act on.
14 August 2026 · 6 min read · 7-point checklist
An Electrical Installation Condition Report, usually called an EICR, is a survey of the fixed wiring in a property. Landlords in England need a satisfactory one at least every five years, and anyone buying an older house should ask to see one. The report can read like a telling-off. Here is how to read it calmly.
The four codes
Every observation carries a code. Only one of them means you can relax.
C1: danger present. Someone could get a shock, or the installation could start a fire, now. A good electrician makes a C1 safe before leaving, even if that means switching off a circuit.
C2: potentially dangerous. Not live danger today, but it will be under the wrong conditions, for example a circuit with no earth. A C2 makes the report unsatisfactory and needs fixing, but it can be booked in.
C3: improvement recommended. The installation is safe; it is simply not to the latest standard. A report full of C3s is still satisfactory, and you do not have to act on them.
FI: further investigation. The inspector found something they could not get to the bottom of in the time. It also makes the report unsatisfactory until someone has looked.
Why two electricians can disagree
Coding is a judgement, and an honest one varies at the edges. What should not vary is a C1. If one report is full of C2s and the next on the same house finds none, ask each of them to point at the circuit and show you the reading. Numbers settle it; opinions do not.
What we do when a report fails
If we find a C1 or C2, the report tells you which circuit and why, with a photograph. You get a fixed price to put it right, and once it is done we issue the paperwork that shows the installation is now satisfactory. You are under no obligation to use us for the repairs.
