A landlord who ignores an EICR remedial notice in England risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, potential prosecution, and — more immediately — leaving tenants in a property with known electrical hazards. The law is clear: under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, remedial work must be completed within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report specifies it. Ignoring that deadline is not a grey area.
---
An EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report — is a formal inspection of a property's fixed wiring carried out by a qualified electrician. The inspector checks the consumer unit, circuits, earthing and bonding, sockets, and all fixed wiring against BS 7671 (18th Edition Wiring Regulations). At the end, the installation is coded and given an overall result of either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
If the report comes back Unsatisfactory — typically because it contains one or more C1 (danger present, immediate risk) or C2 (potentially dangerous) coded defects — the landlord is legally required to have the identified faults fixed. A C3 recommendation, by contrast, is an improvement suggestion rather than a mandatory fix, though it's good practice to address them.
The local housing authority gets involved the moment a remedial notice is issued. Under the Regulations, the landlord must provide the local authority with written confirmation that the remedial work has been completed, along with an updated Satisfactory EICR or a signed completion certificate from a competent electrician. That's not optional paperwork — it's a legal requirement.
---
Once an Unsatisfactory EICR is produced, the clock starts. Landlords in England have 28 days from the date of the inspection to complete all remedial work and obtain written confirmation that it's been done. If a C1 defect is present — a live exposed conductor, for example, or a missing earth — the inspector may specify an even shorter timescale, sometimes immediate action.
Within 28 days, landlords must:
Tenants also have a right to request a copy of the EICR at any time. Landlords must provide it within 28 days of a written request.
---
Quite a lot, and none of it is good.
First, the local housing authority can carry out the remedial work itself and recover the costs from the landlord. There's no cap on cost recovery for this route — if rewiring an older terrace costs £4,000 to £8,000 (a realistic range in the North East for a full rewire, though costs vary), the landlord pays it.
Second, the landlord faces a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per breach. Local authorities have discretion on the exact figure, and some are more active than others, but the statutory maximum is that number. Persistent non-compliance or multiple properties in breach can mean multiple penalties.
Third, if a tenant or visitor suffers harm as a result of a known electrical defect — one that appeared on the EICR and was ignored — the landlord's civil liability exposure becomes very serious. Insurance policies often exclude liability where a landlord has knowingly failed to comply with a legal duty.
---
Local housing authorities in England use existing powers under the Housing Act 2004 and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) alongside the 2020 Regulations. HHSRS covers 29 housing hazards, and electrical hazards sit squarely within scope.
If a council receives a complaint from a tenant — or identifies a property where the landlord has failed to submit remedial confirmation — they can issue a remedial notice requiring the work to be done within a specified period. If the landlord still fails to act, the authority can arrange for the work to be done and bill the landlord, or pursue the civil penalty route.
Enforcement quality varies across authorities, but councils in the North East have been increasingly active since the 2020 Regulations came into full force for existing tenancies in April 2021.
---
This is a question I get asked fairly often. The short answer is: tenants cannot simply withhold rent as a first step, but they do have meaningful legal options.
Tenants can:
What tenants cannot do is unilaterally stop paying rent without risking their own legal exposure. The sensible route is to put the complaint in writing to the landlord, then escalate to the local authority if there's no response.
---
Yes, and landlords often miss this. Under changes brought in to protect tenants, a landlord cannot validly serve a Section 21 notice (no-fault eviction) if they are in breach of their EICR obligations. If the property has an Unsatisfactory EICR that hasn't been remediated, or if the landlord hasn't provided the tenant with a copy of the current valid EICR, the Section 21 route is blocked.
This catches landlords out because they sometimes think EICR compliance is a separate matter from tenancy law. It isn't — it's directly tied to the right to regain possession.
---
In older North East housing stock — Victorian terraces, 1960s and 1970s council-built properties, converted flats — the most common reasons an installation comes back Unsatisfactory are:
A C1 on the report means the inspector genuinely believes someone could be hurt. That's not a formality.
---
If you've received an Unsatisfactory EICR, the practical steps are straightforward:
1. Don't ignore the report. The 28-day window moves fast, especially if you're trying to get quotes and schedule work.
2. Use a registered electrician who is a member of a competent person scheme — NICEIC and NAPIT are the two main ones in England. Only a competent electrician can sign off the remedial work and issue the documentation you need to satisfy the local authority.
3. Get the scope confirmed in writing before work starts — you need to know exactly which defects are being addressed and how.
4. Obtain the completion certificate or updated Satisfactory EICR and send a copy to your local housing authority and your tenant promptly.
Remedial costs vary considerably depending on what needs doing. A consumer unit upgrade in a typical two-bedroom terraced house might run from around £400 to £700+; a full rewire on a larger property could be several thousand pounds. Get two or three quotes, but don't let the quoting process eat up your 28-day window.
---
How long does a landlord have to fix issues on an unsatisfactory EICR in England?
28 days from the date of the inspection, or sooner if the report specifies a more urgent timescale — which it will for C1 (immediate danger) defects.
Can a landlord be fined for not completing EICR remedial work?
Yes. The local housing authority can issue a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per breach under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. They can also carry out the work themselves and recover the cost.
What can a tenant do if their landlord refuses to carry out electrical remedial work?
The tenant should put their concern in writing to the landlord first, then report it to the local housing authority. The authority has enforcement powers under both the 2020 Regulations and the Housing Act 2004. Tenants can also seek legal advice about civil remedies — but should not simply withhold rent without taking proper advice first.
Does an unsatisfactory EICR affect a landlord's ability to serve a Section 21 notice?
Yes. A landlord who has not complied with their EICR obligations — including providing the tenant with a valid copy — cannot serve a valid Section 21 notice. This can significantly complicate any attempt to regain possession.
Who is allowed to carry out EICR remedial work and sign off the report?
The work must be carried out by a competent electrician. In practice, this means someone registered with a recognised competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT. An unregistered person cannot issue the formal documentation required to satisfy the local authority.
---
If you've received an Unsatisfactory EICR on a rental property in the North East and need remedial work completing within the 28-day window, [get in touch with Energy North Ltd](https://energynorth.uk). We're NICEIC registered, we know the requirements, and we'll give you a straight answer on what needs doing and how quickly we can do it.