Electrics and gas
What is the difference between an EICR code and a condition rating?
A condition rating is the surveyor’s 1, 2, 3 or NI on a building element. An EICR code is the electrician’s classification on a circuit or fitting. They live on different reports. A rating 2 on “electrics” is not a C2, and a C3 is not a rating 3.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
People stack the numbers because both systems use low digits for less urgent findings. That stacking is wrong. RICS defines rating 3 as a defect that is serious or needs urgent repair, replacement or investigation. An electrician’s code has its own definition on the certificate. Quote the document you are reading.
If both reports exist, do not average them. The survey might say the consumer unit looks old (a rating). The EICR might say a particular circuit needs improvement (a code). Fix the thing the electrician specified, and read the rating for what else was seen, such as a damaged fitting the test did not cover.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which system are you using in the electrics section, a condition rating or a guess at an EICR code?
- Did you see an EICR, or only the installation?
- What should an electrician answer that you cannot?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the two documents apart in any email to the lender or the seller.
- If you only have the survey, commission an EICR when you need codes. Do not invent them.
- If you only have an EICR, it still does not describe the roof. It is not a home survey.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Can one consumer unit carry both a rating and a code?
Yes, if a surveyor and an electrician have both looked. They are answering different questions. Read both sentences.
Does FI on an EICR mean the surveyor marked further investigation?
No. FI is the electrician’s code. “Further investigation” in a survey is the surveyor’s phrase. They can coincide in real life and still not be the same stamp.