Why Would I Need Electrical Remedial Work Done?

Your Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) will itemise any remedial work that might need to be done in order make safe the electrics within your property.

If your Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) contains any C1 or C2 codes, or Further Investigation recommendations, your installation has a high level of risk or danger to anybody residing in the property. These fault codes will result in an UNSATISFACTORY report being issued by the appointed electrical engineer.

An UNSATISFACTORY report will mean that Electrical Remedial Work is necessary in order to resolve these issues and make safe your electrical installation as per the current regulations. After the remedial work has been completed, your electrical installation will be deemed to be SATISFACTORY in accordance with the current regulations.

If your EICR report contained any C3 fault codes, these are advisory and do not legally require remedial action, however, a C3 code identifies that part of your electrical installation is no longer up to the required standard and remedial action is recommended.

What do the fault codes mean?

• C1: There are signs of imminent danger as per the property’s electrical systems. Work must be done on the property immediately.
• C2: Serious hazards have been identified. Work must be done on the property as soon as possible.
• C3: Remedial work is strongly suggested, but not required or urgent.

Note: You have a legal obligation to remedy faulty electrics that have resulted in a C1 or C2 fault code on the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). A failure to make safe faulty electrics could result in a fine by the local authority of up to £30,000 not to mention a risk to life.

How long do I have to complete the Electrical Remedial Work?

If your Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) shows that remedial work or further investigation is required, as set out above, landlords must complete this work within 28 days or any shorter period if specified as necessary in the report. Landlords must then provide written confirmation that the work has been carried out to their tenant and to the local authority within 28 days.

What if I don’t do the remedial work?

If a local authority has reasonable grounds to believe that a landlord is in breach of one or more of the duties in the Regulations, they must serve a remedial notice on the landlord requiring remedial action.

Should a landlord not comply with the notice, the local authority may arrange for remedial action to be taken themselves.

The local authority can recover the costs of taking the action from the landlord. The landlord has the right of appeal against a demand for costs.

What are some common issues that require Electrical Remedial Work?

Depending on the condition of your property, there are a wide variety of electrical issues that might require electrical remedial work.

Some of the most common electrical faults are shown below:

• A new consumer unit might be required (C1, C2 or C3).
• Important earth bonds might be missing or damaged and their parts must be replaced.
• Further Investigation (FI) on the part of the electrical engineer might be required in order to determine the condition of the electrical installations. If FI fault codes are identified, an electrician will need to revisit the property in order to investigate the fault further.
• Replacement of light fixtures, sockets, and the like might be necessary where they are damaged or not earthed.
• The Residual-Current Breaker with Overload protection (RCBO) might need to be replaced or re-installed.
• The Residual-Current Device (RCD) might need to be replaced.
• Circuits within the property might need to be identified or labelled.
• Wires in the property might need to be secured or re-secured.
• Any Miniature Circuit Breakers, or MCB, might need to be installed, re-installed, or replaced.
• Other minor electrical issues must be investigated or fixed.

Many of the simplest repairs are for fixing some of the “plastic” parts of an electrical system. Such repairs include the following.

• The replacement of standard 1 or 2 gang light switches. These gang switches control light fixtures.
• Single or double-sockets might need to be replaced or fixed.
• Cooker switches might need to be replaced.
• Switch/Unswitched fused spurs might need to be fixed.
• Replacing missing blanking plates (used to cover switches or sockets) in board
• Any switches that need to be fixed or replaced.
• Bathroom light fixtures might need fixed or replaced.

Please feel free to contact us if you need Electrical Remedial Work carried out at your property. We have access to a network of fully qualified electrical engineers.