An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal method of recording the findings of the periodic inspection, on six pages for domestic installations and for larger installations.

The main purpose of an EICR is to report on the safety condition of an existing installation. Last Box on page 1 of an electrical installation condition report will describe the overall condition as either ‘satisfactory’, in which case no immediate remedial work is required, or ‘unsatisfactory’ which means remedial work is required to make the installation safe to use.

Where an EICR describes the installation as ‘unsatisfactory’, the next thing to look on page 3`Observations and Recommendations for Actions to be Taken’.

This is where any departures from BS 7671 are recorded, and a code to indicate the urgency of the action needed is given.

• Code 1 – Danger present, Risk of injury, Immediate remedial action required
• Code 2 – Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required
• Code 3 – Improvement required
• F1 – Further investigation required without delay

Code 1 indicates a dangerous condition that requires urgent attention to make the installation safe. Once the necessary remedial work has been completed, an appropriate landlord electrical certificate should be issued to confirm that the remedial work has been carried out in accordance with BS 7671. The electrician will give a summary of the inspection in the report, which will give a clear indication of the condition of the electrical installation, taking into account all relevant circumstances.