An electrical report marked “unsatisfactory” needs a follow-up plan. Saving the PDF with your other certificates is useful, but it does not arrange the work, establish what has been completed or get the required documents to the right people.
For a self-managing landlord, the immediate job is to understand the findings with a qualified person and keep the actions moving. This guide explains the administration around that process for private residential rented homes in England covered by the electrical-safety regulations.
Quick answer: Where the report requires further investigative or remedial work, arrange a qualified person to complete it within 28 days starting with the inspection and testing date, or within the shorter period specified in the report. Obtain written confirmation and send it with the original report to existing tenants and the local housing authority within 28 days of completion. Urgent findings need the urgency the report requires; 28 days is not a reason to delay. See regulation 3(4)–(6).
Scope: England, private rented residential homes within the regulations. Sources checked 6 November 2026. Excluded arrangements and social landlord equipment duties need separate consideration.
Start with the findings, not just the result
Read the whole report and ask the inspector to explain anything you do not understand. Identify the property, inspection date, observations, classification codes and any shorter timescale. Keep the complete original rather than a screenshot of the result page.
The government’s electrical safety guidance explains the codes:
- C1: danger is present and immediate remedial action is needed.
- C2: a potentially dangerous issue needs urgent remedial action.
- FI: further investigation is required without delay.
- C3: improvement is recommended; this code alone does not make the report unsatisfactory.
Those descriptions are not instructions for assessing the installation yourself. Do not downgrade a finding because a socket appears to work or because the same arrangement has been there for years. Get the qualified person’s explanation of what needs to happen and how urgent it is.
Arrange qualified follow-up
Turn the report into a clear instruction for an appropriate qualified person. Include the report itself, the property address, the findings to investigate or remedy, and the relevant timescale. Ask them to confirm what they have accepted, their availability and the documentation they will provide.
A request for a quote is not the same as an accepted job. Similarly, entering a contractor’s name in your records does not show that the contractor received the instruction. If availability is a problem, address that promptly instead of leaving the record at “awaiting quote”.
Keep a note of any immediate action advised by the qualified person. This guide does not give technical instructions for isolating circuits, repairing wiring or deciding whether an installation is safe to use.
Keep the two clocks separate
The work deadline and the completion-document deadline are different. Regulation 3 ties the investigative or remedial work period to the inspection and testing date. It then sets a separate period after completion for supplying the written confirmation and original report.
In your own task list, give each obligation a separate entry with its trigger date. Avoid a single vague reminder called “EICR due”: it is easy to confuse the next routine inspection with outstanding work from the latest one.
If you need the wider inspection-interval context, see our guide to how long an EICR lasts for landlords. Follow the current report’s earlier date where it requires one; do not automatically assume every report gives a clear five-year interval.
What should the action record contain?
A short record should help you or someone covering for you understand the next step without searching several conversations. Useful fields include:
- The property and full report reference.
- The inspection and testing date.
- The finding, required follow-up and applicable deadline.
- The qualified person’s contact details and accepted instruction.
- Appointment and access arrangements.
- What remains outstanding and when you will check progress.
- The actual completion date and supporting documents.
This is a practical organisation checklist, not a statutory form. Preserve the original wording of technical findings and keep your own administrative notes distinct from the electrician’s assessment.
Ask for the completion evidence
After the visit, establish what was actually completed and what remains open. An invoice can help explain the work and cost, but it is not automatically the written confirmation required by regulation 3.
Obtain the qualified person’s written confirmation of the outcome. Keep it with the original report so the connection between finding and follow-up remains clear. If the document is incomplete or unclear, ask the person who issued it to clarify it; do not edit their technical conclusion yourself.
A sensible filing arrangement uses the property and inspection date consistently. For example, keep the initial report and completion document in the same property folder, with a short note identifying which findings they relate to.
Send the required documents and record the action
When the completion requirements apply, the written confirmation and original report must reach the existing tenants and local housing authority within the statutory period described above. This is a proactive completion step, distinct from an authority requesting a routine report.
Record the recipients, documents, date and method used. Keep copies of the actual material supplied. A task marked “documents ready” is different from a record of documents provided. Check the appropriate delivery requirements rather than assuming any upload alone completes the duty.
What if investigation finds another problem?
Further investigation may identify more work. Regulation 3(6) requires the relevant steps to be repeated where further investigative or remedial work is needed. Keep that finding open and obtain advice on the next action and timescale.
Do not close the job simply because the first visit took place. Your record should distinguish attendance, investigation, remedial work and completion confirmation. That makes an unresolved dependency visible while it can still be acted on.
How can Propiva support the administration?
Propiva is UK compliance software for self-managing landlords. Property document uploads and expiry-date reminders can support your wider records, while landlord-created maintenance jobs help keep follow-up visible. Contractor assignment is for internal administration; it does not notify the contractor.
Use the actual report and qualified advice to manage this work. Software does not diagnose electrical faults or guarantee that a legal duty has been met. Our landlord document checklist can help organise the wider property file.
Sign up free at propiva.app. Your first property is free.
Common questions
Can I wait until the next routine inspection?
No. Required follow-up from the current report has its own timescale. Ask the qualified person about any uncertainty immediately.
Does a booked appointment mean the work is complete?
No. Keep the appointment, actual work and written outcome as separate stages in your record.
Disclaimer: This guide is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal, financial or professional advice. Rules and requirements may vary depending on your location and circumstances and can change over time. Always check current official guidance and seek professional advice where appropriate.