An EICR, or Electrical Installation Condition Report, is the report you produce after periodic inspection and testing of an existing installation under Chapter 65 of BS 7671. It records the installation's condition against the current edition of the Wiring Regulations, classifies every departure as C1, C2, C3 or FI, and gives an overall assessment of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The current model form is the BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 version dated 15 April 2026, laid out in Sections A to K, and since the withdrawal of Amendments 2 and 3 on 15 October 2026 it is the form every new report should follow. This guide is the electrician's definition: what the report is, what the form contains, what the codes mean, who legally needs one, and the mistakes that still turn up on reports every week.
- An EICR reports on an existing installation. It does not certify new work; that is an EIC or a Minor Works Certificate.
- On the A4:2026 form only C1 and C2 make the report Unsatisfactory. FI is now worded "further investigation is advised" and, like C3, does not change the overall assessment.
- The form runs Sections A to K, with the circuit details on columns 1 to 16 and the test results on columns 17 to 31 of the schedules.
- Private rented homes in England, Scotland and Wales need an EICR at least every five years. English social landlords are under the same duty, with first inspections for older tenancies due by 1 November 2026 and a maximum penalty of £40,000.
- Section D (extent and limitations) is the part of the form that protects you. Agree it before you start and write it down.
What is an EICR, precisely?
The definition sits in Chapter 65 of BS 7671. Regulation 651.2 requires periodic inspection "comprising a detailed examination of the installation", carried out without dismantling or with partial dismantling as required, supplemented by the tests of Chapter 64. The purpose is set out in four parts: the safety of persons and livestock against shock and burns, protection against damage to property by fire and heat arising from a defect, confirmation that the installation is not damaged or deteriorated so as to impair safety, and identification of defects and departures from the Regulations that may give rise to danger.
Chapter 65 then requires the results to be recorded and given to the person who ordered the inspection, and that record is the EICR. It is a snapshot of condition on a given date, against a standard that may have moved on since the installation was built. That last point matters when you code: an installation that complied with the 15th Edition in 1983 is not "wrong" because it lacks RCDs, but the report still has to tell the client how it measures up today, which is why the observation codes carry an urgency rating rather than a simple pass or fail per item.
Three things an EICR is not. It is not a certificate of compliance for the installation as a whole. It is not a guarantee that everything behind the plaster is sound; the schedule of inspection is largely visual and Section D records what you could not see. And it is not a repair order: remedial work is a separate job, certified separately.
Where did the EICR come from?
Until 2011 the document was the Periodic Inspection Report, with observations coded 1 to 4. BS 7671:2008 Amendment 1, published on 1 July 2011 and in force from 1 January 2012, replaced the PIR with the Electrical Installation Condition Report and introduced the codes we use now: C1, C2, C3 and FI. The IET's reasoning, set out in Wiring Matters in autumn 2011, was that clients did not understand what a PIR was for, and that a numbered code told them nothing about urgency.
The form has been revised with each amendment since. The BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 version was the one most of us used from 2022 to 2026. The A4:2026 model forms were published by the IET on 15 April 2026, and BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 and A3:2024 were withdrawn on 15 October 2026. Scheme certificate pads and software are following; if your pad still says A2:2022 the content is largely the same, but the declaration should state the edition and amendment you inspected against, and that is now A4:2026.
What does the 2026 EICR form contain?
The IET A4 model EICR is divided into lettered sections. Knowing the letters saves time when a client, a letting agent or a council officer asks where something is.
| Section | Heading on the A4:2026 form | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| A | Details of the person ordering the report | Name and address of the client, not necessarily the occupier |
| B | Reason for producing the report | Change of tenancy, landlord regulations, insurance, age of installation, change of use |
| C | Details of the installation | Occupier, address, premises type, estimated age of wiring, evidence of additions or alterations, whether records are available (cites Regulation 651.1) |
| D | Extent and limitations of inspection and testing | Agreed extent, agreed limitations and operational limitations found on the day (cites Regulation 651) |
| E | Summary of the condition of the installation | General condition and the overall assessment: Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory |
| F | Recommendation for next inspection | The "further inspected and tested before" date, with reasons (Regulation 653.4, with regard to 652.1) |
| G | Declaration | Inspected and tested by; authorised for issue by; names, signatures, dates |
| H | Schedules and continuation sheets | Count of inspection schedules, circuit detail and test result schedules attached |
| I | Supply characteristics and earthing arrangements | TN-S, TN-C-S, TT; Uo, frequency, Ipf, Ze; supply protective device BS (EN), type and rating |
| J | Particulars of the installation at the origin | Main switch, earthing conductor, main protective bonding conductors and the services bonded |
| K | Observations | Two lists: C3 and FI items; C1 and C2 items. Each with the item, the location and the code |
The report is only valid with its schedules attached, and the form's own notes say so. The Schedule of Inspection for a residential installation up to 100 A runs from item 1.0 (other sources such as microgenerators, citing 551.6 and 551.7) through 2.0 intake equipment, 3.0 earthing and bonding, 4.0 the consumer unit or distribution board with items 4.1 to 4.23, 5.0 distribution and final circuits with items 5.1 to 5.21, 6.0 locations containing a bath or shower, 7.0 other Part 7 locations and 8.0 prosumer's installations under Chapter 82. Two A4 items worth knowing by number: 4.19 confirms the surge protective device is functional (citing 651.4) and 4.23 confirms AFDDs operate (citing 421.1.7, 532.6 and 651.2(e)). Each item takes an outcome of acceptable, C1 or C2, C3, FI, N/V, LIM or N/A.
The circuit side splits into two schedules. The Schedule of Circuit Details is columns 1 to 16: circuit number, description, type of wiring, reference method, points served, live and cpc csa, overcurrent device BS (EN), type, rating, breaking capacity in kA, maximum permitted Zs, and the RCD's BS (EN), type, IΔn and rating. The Schedule of Test Results is columns 17 to 31: circuit number, r1, rn, r2, R1+R2, R2, test voltage, insulation resistance live–live and live–earth, polarity, maximum measured Zs, maximum measured disconnection time, RCD test button and AFDD test button operation, and remarks. The distribution board header now asks for Zdb and Ipf at the board, the SPD type (T1, T2, T3 or N/A) with a box to confirm its operational status, confirmation of correct polarity and, where relevant, phase sequence. Our schedule of test results guide walks the columns one by one.
What do C1, C2, C3 and FI mean on the 2026 form?
The code wording on the A4 model form is the wording that should appear on your report.
| Code | A4:2026 wording | Effect on the overall assessment |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Danger present. Risk of injury. Immediate remedial action is necessary | Unsatisfactory |
| C2 | Potentially dangerous – urgent remedial action is necessary | Unsatisfactory |
| C3 | Improvement recommended | None; advisory |
| FI | Further investigation is advised | None; advisory |
The Section E footnote reads that the installation is Unsatisfactory where "dangerous (code C1) and/or potentially dangerous (code C2) conditions have been identified", and the notes for the person producing the report repeat it: the assessment is unsatisfactory where any observation is coded C1 or C2. That is a change in practice. On the 2018 and A2:2022 forms an FI also made the report Unsatisfactory, and plenty of reports, software templates and landlord guides still say so. Under A4 an FI is advice that the inspector could not reach a conclusion, usually because of a limitation, and the client should have it investigated. It does not fail the report on its own.
Two cautions go with that. First, an FI is not a soft option for something you suspect is dangerous; if the evidence in front of you supports a C2, code it C2. Second, the landlord regulations in England turn on whether the report "requires" further investigative or remedial work, so an FI still needs chasing, and our guide on what happens after an unsatisfactory EICR covers how the statutory clock interacts with an FI-only report.
For deciding between codes, the two references the industry accepts are IET Guidance Note 3 and Electrical Safety First's Best Practice Guide 4, currently Issue 7.4 (August 2026). BPG4 is the one to quote in a dispute: it gives a code for each common observation and, in its current issue, a "NC only" category for departures that are not safety-related and should be recorded without a code. Our guide to writing EICR observations has the worked wording.
When is an EICR legally required, and how often?
Three nations, three sets of landlord law, and a trade guidance note for everything else. The table is current at 24 October 2026.
| Situation | Requirement | Legal basis or source |
|---|---|---|
| Private rented home, England | EICR before the tenancy and at least every 5 years; copy to the tenant within 28 days of inspection and to a new tenant before occupation; to the council within 7 days of a request; remedials within 28 days | Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, as amended by S.I. 2025/1043 |
| Social rented home, England | Same duties as private landlords; tenancies granted before 1 December 2025 need their first EICR by 1 November 2026; in-situ appliance checks at intervals of no more than 5 years | S.I. 2025/1043, in force 1 November 2025 and 1 May 2026 |
| Private rented home, Scotland | EICR at least every 5 years, plus appliance testing of landlord-supplied appliances | Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 section 13(4A), from 1 December 2015 (new tenancies) and 1 December 2016 (existing) |
| Private rented home, Wales | Periodic inspection and testing at least every 5 years; copy of the EICR to the contract-holder within 14 days of the occupation date | Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, from 1 December 2022 (existing contracts from 1 December 2023) |
| HMO, England | EICR every 5 years was a licence condition before 2020 and is now covered by the general regulations | Housing Act 2004 licence conditions; 2020 Regulations |
| Owner-occupied home | Recommended at change of occupancy or every 10 years | IET Guidance Note 3, Table 3.2 |
| Commercial: offices, shops, hotels | Recommended every 5 years | IET Guidance Note 3, Table 3.2 |
| Industrial | Recommended every 3 years | IET Guidance Note 3, Table 3.2 |
| Swimming pools, hospitals, petrol stations | Recommended every year | IET Guidance Note 3, Table 3.2 |
| Construction site installations | Recommended every 3 months | IET Guidance Note 3, Table 3.2 |
The England regulations were renamed in 2025 to cover both sectors, which is why you will see them cited as the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector Regulations, and the maximum council penalty rose from £30,000 to £40,000 at the same time. Scotland and Wales keep their own wording; the Welsh regulation still refers to BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 by name, which does not stop you inspecting to the current edition. Our England landlord guide and the Scotland and Wales guide have the full duties and timelines, and how often is an EICR required covers the non-domestic cases.
Beyond the law, insurers, mortgage lenders, licensing officers and purchasers' solicitors ask for a current EICR, and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 put a general duty on employers to maintain systems so as to prevent danger, which an EICR programme is the usual way of evidencing.
What does the inspector actually do?
A compliant EICR has five parts of work, and the time they take is why an EICR takes as long as it does.
Agree the extent and limitations. Before anything is opened, agree with the client what is included, what is excluded and what will be sampled, and write it into Section D. Regulation 651 is cited on the form for a reason: a limitation recorded in advance is a limitation; a limitation discovered afterwards is a gap in your report. Our sampling and limitations guide covers the percentages and the wording.
Inspect. Work through the schedule of inspection: intake, earthing and bonding, the board, a sample of accessories on every circuit, the bathroom, any Part 7 location. Most of this is visual, with covers off at the board and at accessories.
Test. Chapter 64 tests, applied to an existing installation: continuity of protective conductors and ring final circuits, insulation resistance at the Table 64 voltage, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and prospective fault current, RCD disconnection time at IΔn, and functional checks of switchgear, RCD and AFDD test buttons. On an existing installation some of these are modified or omitted for practical reasons, and GN3 sets out which; for example insulation resistance is often tested live-to-earth with the circuit linked rather than between live conductors where electronic equipment cannot be disconnected.
Record. One line per circuit on the schedules, for every board covered, with the measured values against the maximum Zs and the GN3 minimum insulation resistance figures. Blanks need a reason: LIM, N/V or N/A, not an empty cell.
Classify and report. Write each observation with its location and code in Section K, decide the overall assessment, set the next inspection date in Section F with your reasons, and sign Section G. If someone else authorises the report for issue, both names appear.
A point for anyone new to periodic work: the recipient notes on the form tell the client to press the RCD test button every six months and to do the same with any AFDD that has a manual test button. It is worth reading those notes out to a landlord, because they are the only instructions the client will ever get between inspections.
EICR, EIC and Minor Works: which document when?
| Document | Used for | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| EICR | Periodic inspection and testing of an existing installation | Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, with coded observations |
| EIC | A new installation, or an addition or alteration that includes a new circuit or a change at the origin, such as a consumer unit replacement | Certificate of compliance with BS 7671 for the work described |
| MEIWC | An addition or alteration that does not extend to a new circuit | Certificate for that work only, one per circuit worked on |
The two certificates are the subject of our EICR vs EIC guide, but the rule to hold onto is that an EICR describes condition and a certificate describes work. If a landlord asks you to "re-issue the EICR as satisfactory" after remedials, the correct documents are the certificate for the remedial work plus, if they want a fresh assessment, a new EICR with a new inspection date.
Common mistakes on EICRs
Treating FI as a fail. On the A4 form it is advisory. If you want the report to read Unsatisfactory, the observation needs a C1 or C2 that the evidence supports.
Coding to the Regulations rather than to danger. A departure from the current edition is only an observation if it may give rise to danger. The absence of RCD protection to a socket circuit in a dry domestic room with sound wiring is a C3 in BPG4, not a C2; the same absence on a socket likely to feed equipment outdoors is a C2. The code is about risk, not about the age of the installation.
A Satisfactory assessment with a C2 in Section K. The codes drive the assessment, and the form's notes say so. Software that lets you tick Satisfactory with a C2 on the sheet is doing you no favours.
Vague or retrospective limitations. "Access limited" tells nobody anything. Name the rooms, the boards and the circuits you could not reach, and whether the limitation was agreed or operational.
No test results. A visual-only report with the schedules blank is not periodic inspection and testing under Chapter 65, whatever the front page says. If the client only wants a visual, it is a different document and a different conversation.
Wrong edition on the declaration. From 15 October 2026 the current edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. Reports produced after that date on an older template should at least state the edition inspected against correctly.
Treating the report as a certificate. The EICR does not make an installation compliant and cannot be used to certify remedial work.
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 £4.99 a month, charged when you sign up.