EICR Confusion – ReTest ambiguity?

I think they're right. Our understanding (as agents and landlords) is that electricians do not issue revised EICR reports. You need to give the tenant the unsatisfactory report plus confirmation that the work has been done.

I don't know either why they can't just add a "satisfactory" stamp, but they don't.

Reply to the comment left by Graham Bowcock at 22/06/2021 - 11:18
My electrician provides a pass EICR after the work has been completed.
If a new consumer unit has been fitted that also needs to be reported to the local authority.
So I get a FAIL, a quote, then a PASS and have also received a Building Compliance Certificate after a consumer unit replacement.

I've just had remedials done by a firm which uses the NAPIT certification system. The report has fail and satisfactory boxes. On completion of the remedials the form is raised to reflect the works, and the satis box is ticked. And the works certificate is sent to the council for the new DB.

In another case, a contractor used the NICEIC forms. The flats failed - new DBs were required and some other minor adjustments. An EIC was issued, Elect. Installation Cert., as opposed to a new EICR.

In yet another case, the contractor who did the initial failed EICR closed down for xmas and I got another firm to come in and right the minor wrongs. I was issued a Minor Works Certificate specifically detailing the fail points, and told that served as confirmation that the flat was compliant. No new EICR was issued because the second contractor only did the defects and would have had to start from square one to issue an EICR for the flat.

I agree the regs are ambiguous, and different interpretations can be derived by me (non-electrically trained LL) and the contractors.

OP - " and an invoice for the remedial works?" I don't see the need to send an invoice copy. None of the tenant's business surely. Just confirmation of work done.

In my fails I sent copies of the failed inspection certificates and when remedied, copies of the new ones. Ditto to the council housing dept as required, although they gave every indication of having no idea as to why.

Chris, take a look at the original fail certificate you were issued. Does it have a serial number in (usually) the top right hand corner? If it does, then that means the certificate has been signed off and issued. If not, then the certificate hasn't been issued (and therefore isn't valid!). Why does this happen? If the electrician thinks you're going to give him the remedial work, they might give you an invalid failed certificate with no serial number, and wait until they've done that work before issuing the clean certificate WITH the serial number. If they did issue the first fail certificate WITH a serial number, I don't think they can then change it to reflect the remedial work, so you have to rely on documentation showing the work has been done.

what a joke, £1200 to replace a consumer unit,! welcome to rip off Britain.
A job that should have been accomplished in a day at no more than £250- £500. Plus a fresh EICR report

Agree with Mike. They like to assume you won't bother with other quotes for convenience purposes, but that invoice could equate to 20% of a typical annual £6k 2 bedroom BTL income before all your other expenses, whereas say £500 represents more like a reasonable 8%.
3 quotes each time is time consuming, but can avoid a contractor with too much work just firing an extortionate quotation at you. Of course there are a few superb, reliable and reasonable trades people out there who are worth their weight in gold!
There'll probably be other types of compulsory capital expenditure each year, which is understandable if safety related. Many of us will also be spending heavily on thermal efficiency improvements, as grants are scant unless qualifying under tenants' low income or benefits.
Sorry-got off track!

I had a similar experience after an EICR on a property turned out Unsatisfactory. When I eventually got the electrician (same firm, different electrician) back 2 months later they did the remedial works and issued a Minor Works Certificate simply listing the work they had done, together with another copy of the Unsatisfactory EICR.
I objected to this on the grounds that the Minor Works Certificate was not cross-referenced back to the EICR. All I had was an EICR that stated "Unsatisfactory" with a "Recommendation" that stated "Subject to the necessary remedial action being taken, I/we recommend that the installation is further inspected and tested by: 6 months".
They did then issue a revised Minor Works Cert with the following comment added: "These works make the EICR P2-123456-Satisfactory for five years from the date of the EICR."
Most tenants, and landlords, surely struggle with the EICR paperwork produced.

I had a house that failed and needed a new consumer unit. I had the work done by the same electrician and after he had fitted it he did a pass certificate which I copied and gave to my tenant. Apparently you have 30 days to give your tenant a copy of the certificate.
I'm not sure if a fail certificate then a installation certificate is the correct way to do it. I wouldn't be happy with that if it was me, especially considering the money you've paid out.

I also agree with other comments. The price you have paid was way too much.

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 22/06/2021 - 13:06
Totally agree!

Firstly I arranged for an engineer and paid the bill in February 2021. I had to send them a reminder in March that I had received nothing about a date for the work to be done. The engineer came, he had never heard of a 'earth rod' while he was away for lunch and to collect a blanking plate he must have read up, so property 1 passed. He went to property 2 and failed it on the extractor over the shower and the fuse box in the garage. I was sent a bill for what the two items would cost me, I accepted the quote and made an appointment for the job to be done. With the post code being PE they all think it is Peterborough when it is not. The poor engineer had a 45 minute drive to us. He asked about the extractor in the bathroom, had it always been as it was, my reply YES. He then went into the garage the only problem there was a RCD that was not required. So I feel the original engineer was not as well trained as he could have been and failed my property for nothing. I will say that they have not sent a bill for the engineers time.