An EICR observation must state the defect, where it is, the regulation of BS 7671 or the standard it contravenes, the classification code and the recommended action. Every C1, C2 or FI makes the outcome unsatisfactory, so each of those codes must be justified in the item that carries it; "no RCD, C2" with no location and no reason can be challenged by the landlord, the remedial electrician, a scheme assessor or a council officer. Electrical Safety First Best Practice Guide 4 and IET Guidance Note 3 give the accepted phrasing and the usual codes. This guide sets out the structure and rewrites twelve typical observations from vague to defensible.
- Every observation: defect, location (board, circuit, room), regulation, code, action. Five parts, every time.
- One defect per numbered item. Never group, never "various".
- The code follows from the risk, not from the age of the installation. "Not to current regulations" is not a defect.
- Use the phrasing of Best Practice Guide 4 and Guidance Note 3; it is what assessors recognise.
- Photographs referenced from the item make a C2 hard to argue with.
Why does the wording of an observation matter?
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a written professional opinion on the condition of an installation against BS 7671, and the observations are where that opinion is expressed. Under Regulation 653.2 the report must record any damage, deterioration, defects or dangerous conditions, each with a classification code. Three groups read them closely: the landlord or agent who must act on C1, C2 and FI items within 28 days under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020; the electrician doing the remedial work, who may not be you; and anyone assessing the report afterwards, from a scheme assessor to a court. Each needs to find the defect from the words alone, understand the code and confirm it has been dealt with.
What are the five parts of a good observation?
| Part | What to write | Bad example | Good example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defect | What is actually wrong, in physical terms | "Sockets not RCD protected" | "Socket-outlets rated 13 A are not provided with additional protection by a 30 mA RCD" |
| Location | Board, circuit number, room, position | "Kitchen" | "DB1, circuit 5 (kitchen ring final), all socket-outlets" |
| Regulation | The regulation number or section, and the requirement in words if the number is not certain | none | "Regulation 411.3.3" |
| Code | C1, C2, C3 or FI, consistent with GN3 and BPG4 | "C2 to be safe" | "C3" |
| Action | What should be done, without designing the job | "Upgrade" | "Provide 30 mA RCD protection for the circuit" |
The regulation reference tells the reader which requirement is not met and forces you to check that there really is one. If you cannot name the regulation or state the requirement in a sentence, ask whether it is a defect or a preference. The codes are explained at EICR Codes Explained: C1, C2, C3 and FI (with examples).
The most common weak observation on domestic reports is "not to current regulations, recommend upgrade". BS 7671 says in terms that an installation designed to an earlier edition is not necessarily unsafe, so the phrase identifies no defect, no location and no risk. If the consumer unit is plastic, say so and code it C3 with reference to Regulation 421.1.201; if the lighting has no circuit protective conductor, say that Class I fittings on it have no fault protection, which is a C2.
How should observations be numbered and laid out?
Number every item from 1, one defect per item, and keep the numbering fixed once issued so remedial certificates can refer to "EICR item 7". Where the same defect exists on several circuits, write one item per circuit or list every circuit affected; "various circuits" is not a location. The front-page summary states the outcome, the number of C1, C2, FI and C3 items and the main reasons in two or three sentences; it is not a substitute for the items. Photograph every C1 and C2 and anything that could be disputed, label each photograph with its item number and reference it from the item.
Twelve observations rewritten
Each pair shows the wording as it commonly appears and a version a remedial electrician, assessor or council officer could act on. Codes follow Best Practice Guide 4.
| # | As commonly written | Rewritten |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No RCD on sockets. C2 | DB1, circuits 3 and 5 (ring finals, ground and first floor): socket-outlets rated 13 A have no additional protection by a 30 mA RCD. Regulation 411.3.3. C3. Circuit 4 (kitchen ring final) supplies a socket-outlet adjacent to the rear door likely to be used for outdoor equipment: C2. Provide 30 mA RCD protection for the circuits. |
| 2 | Plastic CU. C2 | DB1, understairs cupboard: consumer unit enclosure is of thermoplastic material, not non-combustible. Regulation 421.1.201 applies to consumer units installed since January 2016; the existing unit shows no signs of thermal damage. C3. Replace with a unit having a non-combustible enclosure at the next opportunity. |
| 3 | No bonding | Main protective bonding conductor to the incoming water service is absent; gas is bonded in 10 mm². Regulation 411.3.1.2. C2. Provide a 10 mm² main bonding conductor from the main earthing terminal to the water service within 600 mm of the stopcock. Photo 3. |
| 4 | Bathroom dodgy | First-floor bathroom: Class I ceiling luminaire in zone 1 above the bath, no IP marking, on circuit DB1/7 without 30 mA RCD protection; no supplementary bonding present. Regulations 701.411.3.3 and 701.415.2. C2. Provide 30 mA RCD protection for all circuits serving the location and replace the luminaire with one rated at least IPX4. Photo 5. |
| 5 | Recommend upgrade to current regs | Lighting circuits DB1/6 and DB1/7 are wired in cable with no circuit protective conductor; Class I metal light switches and a Class I pendant fitting in the hallway have no connection to earth. Chapter 41 fault protection cannot be achieved for these accessories. C2. Replace Class I accessories with Class II or provide a circuit protective conductor to each point. |
| 6 | Zs high on circuit 2 | DB1, circuit 2 (cooker, 32 A Type B MCB): measured Zs 1.62 Ω against 1.37 Ω in Table 41.3 (1.09 Ω corrected for conductor temperature) for 0.4 s disconnection under Regulation 411.4.4. Not RCD protected. C2. Investigate and remedy the high impedance or provide 30 mA RCD protection. |
| 7 | Exposed live parts at CU | DB1: two unused ways on the busbar have no blanks fitted and live parts are accessible to a finger with the cover in place. Regulation 416.2 (IP2X / IPXXB). C1. Blanks fitted at the time of inspection; the danger has been removed and the item is recorded for the record. Photo 1. |
| 8 | Burnt socket | Ground-floor rear bedroom, socket-outlet nearest the window on DB1/3: faceplate shows thermal damage and the line terminal screw is loose. Regulation 526.1 (connections). C2. Replace the accessory and re-terminate the conductors; check adjacent accessories on the circuit for similar damage. Photo 6. |
| 9 | Ring broken | DB1, circuit 3 (first-floor ring final): end-to-end continuity of the line conductor could not be established (r1 open circuit); rn 0.42 Ω, r2 0.68 Ω. The circuit is operating as two radials in 2.5 mm² cable protected by a 32 A device. Regulation 433.1 overload protection of conductors. C2. Locate and repair the break in the line conductor. See schedule of test results. |
| 10 | Old wiring | Kitchen and utility, DB1/5: rubber-insulated cable at the socket-outlet behind the washing machine; insulation is brittle and has cracked at the termination exposing the conductor. Insulation resistance to earth on this circuit 0.35 MΩ. C2. Replace the affected cable; investigate the remainder of the circuit for rubber-insulated sections. Photo 7. |
| 11 | Shower cable too small | DB1, circuit 9 (electric shower, 40 A Type B MCB): wired in 4 mm² cable clipped direct with a 9.5 kW shower connected, drawing approximately 41 A at 230 V; conductor and device rating are both below the design current. Regulation 433.1 and Chapter 52. C2. Replace the cable and protective device with sizes suitable for the load. |
| 12 | Unknown cable under floor | DB1, circuit 8: a 2.5 mm² cable leaves the board and disappears below the ground floor; it is not connected to any identified point and could not be traced. Insulation resistance satisfactory, no load found. FI. Trace the cable and either terminate it correctly or remove it. |
Each rewrite adds a location precise enough to walk to, a regulation cited where certain, a code consistent with Best Practice Guide 4, and an action that is a direction rather than a design.
How do observations drive the outcome?
The overall assessment is a mechanical consequence of the codes: any C1, C2 or FI means unsatisfactory, C3 items alone mean satisfactory. Coding everything C2 "to be safe" hides the genuine risks among trivial ones and costs credibility when the remedial electrician disagrees with half of them. Coding everything C3 to give a landlord the satisfactory report they want is a false statement on a document the 2020 Regulations rely on, and the first thing a council officer looks for. Best Practice Guide 4 is the reference both sides will use to check you; see Unsatisfactory EICR: What Happens Next (Landlords & Electricians) for what follows an unsatisfactory outcome.
FI is not a hiding place. Further investigation is for a condition you could not resolve on the day and which might be dangerous: an untraceable cable, a suspected borrowed neutral. It is not for a defect you could have inspected but did not, nor a way to avoid committing to a C2. State what you found, what you tried and what needs to happen. Limitations agreed with the client (no access to a tenant's room, sampling of accessories) go in the extent and limitations section without codes, and remarks that are not defects belong in the summary.
How Certio helps
Certio produces the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records on the BS 7671 model forms and turns them into branded PDFs. Photograph the consumer unit and the circuit schedule drafts itself; point the phone camera at a Megger MFT-X1 and the reading goes straight into the schedule of test results, or dictate it while your hands stay on the probes. Suggested observation wording with the regulation reference is there for you to check and confirm. The judgement stays yours; the typing goes. Starter is free for 7 days, then £5 a month.